[Archived] The Blackburn Football Charitable Fund

[Baz]

Alternate to Dans idea, is a "Community Interest Company", Which is where a local community could join together and buy a % of Rovers and "asset lock" aspects of the club. I.e. we could effectively stop borrowing against Ewood, Brockhall etc...

What is a CIC?

St Mirrens CIC

St Mirrens fans are looking to go ahead with a scheme for their club (see link), but the major parts are:

What was the proposition all about?

•Fan Governance and Community ownership: This is a genuine guarantee of

the C.I.C model and does not deliver simply a token gesture, i.e. a fans

representative on the board.

•Unpaid board members.

•The opportunity for fans to achieve a seat on the club board: The C.I.C model will

create an avenue for fans, with the appropriate skills and willingness to apply them for

the benefit of the club and community, to have a seat on the club BoD without the

barrier of personal wealth. Not as a token gesture but as a genuine board member,

with equal rights and responsibilities.

•That the stadium of the Club and other capital assets should be "asset locked".

•That no borrowing should be made which either requires security against the assets of

the club or payment from the club to individuals or companies with the purpose of

repaying any personal or corporate debt incurred in purchasing club shares.

•That St Mirren Park Facilities are utilized not just for the benefit of the club but for the

whole Community.

[Billinge End Blue]

Look on other threads and listen to mates and other Rovers fans at matches. If the status quo is still in place next season, a lot of our cash will no longer be going to the official club coffers. Maybe it can be harnessed in such a way as to help provide for BRFC's future salvation via any of these intriguing proposals...

[Daniel Louis Grabko (Dan)]

1328296317[/url]' post='1221506']

Alternate to Dans idea, is a "Community Interest Company", Which is where a local community could join together and buy a % of Rovers and "asset lock" aspects of the club. I.e. we could effectively stop borrowing against Ewood, Brockhall etc...

Very interesting legal form that might be something to look into, Baz. I read up on your links but still can't figure out if this would require the local gov't to put up capital itself? Is that the case? Is this a mutual ownership by gov't (i.e. Town Council, etc.) and citizens (i.e. the supporters)?

[Guest TheArtistFormallyKnownAsJB]

Thought about it back and forth and I just think this area is too deprived to achieve something like this.

For example, I have been to university, I have post graduate qualifications and I work in the field that I studied in - I still can't afford a car because of insurance, and I haven't been able to book a holiday abroad for several years.

Not everybody is in the same boat granted, but surely (this sounds ridiculous) another way to do it would involve 18000 fans taken on the equivalent in debt?

I would be happy to pay money servicing debt if it was a good deal/didn't have ridiculous service repayments -

I know a lot of fans will think i'm barmy, and I don't know enough about the rules, but if 18000 took out a £1000 loan, that would be a total of 18m to buy the club instantly, rather than asking fans to save their own money of a period of time where things can change instantly.

I know for certain that you will struggle to find 1800 people to stomach £140 a month to a club that has completely forgotten about its fans!

[dave birch]

Easy, Dave, he's just trying to provocate - according to Sparky Marky, neither you nor I have any place being supporters being that we don't live in the immediate vicinity of Ewood Park - and I quote him, "Local club, local people - don't see where you fit in." If the world had his attitude, we'd all still be living in caves.

There will be an updated version of the proposal early next week that will try to incorporate the best ideas I've gathered form all those who have left there input, whether positive or negative.

In the mean time, here is the Rovers Podcast I did last night with Stuart Grimshaw and Mike Taylor. Have a listen!

Dan, the fact that I live in Australia doesn't mean that I wasn't born in Lancashire.

I was born within a stone's throw of the Rovers training ground and, I reckon I've been on Ewood more times than the Venkys x three and Steve Kean put together and I've lived in Australia for better than 40 years.

[Sparky Marky]

Dan, the fact that I live in Australia doesn't mean that I wasn't born in Lancashire.

I was born within a stone's throw of the Rovers training ground and, I reckon I've been on Ewood more times than the Venkys x three and Steve Kean put together and I've lived in Australia for better than 40 years.

Yes and you were here long before venkys. I just can't remember Grabko being on this site anytime before the last few weeks. Not a fan, not english, never been to ewood as far as I can tell.....yet he's wanting to be FD......strange.

[Daniel Louis Grabko (Dan)]

1328353297[/url]' post='1221661']

Yes and you were here long before venkys. I just can't remember Grabko being on this site anytime before the last few weeks. Not a fan, not english, never been to ewood as far as I can tell.....yet he's wanting to be FD......strange.

Yeah, I'm sure that Dave can vouch for my participation on the mailing list long before Venkys. I never said I wanted an FD positition, especially not at the Club itself. I'm sure there are many very qualified people that can do an excellent job there, most very likely with more and better experience, especially within the football business. I merely stated on the about page of the fund blog that I would be honored to take such a position in relation to the fund should I be offered to do so...of course that would be my dream job, considering my education, background, experience, and love of Blackburn Rovers. To claim otherwise would just be lying.

I've been to Ewood, sir. I travelled there all alone as a 17 year old, having received an incredibly gracious offer of accommodation via the mailing list from a David Pugh, who put me up the entire two weeks, refused to let me pay for anything, including the Rovers top I wanted with Hendry's name on the back, which I still have - the name and number heavily faded, and the CIS sponsorship peeling away a little...he set me up with a personal one on one tour of Ewood Park with Ronnie Clayton, who I guess had that as a job, in 1997/98, and sorted me with an escort of two large men for the matches away to Everton and Leeds that trip, as there were no home matches during my stay, unfortunately. We lost both, one a 4-0 drubbing as I recall. I was at the last home game of the season in 2001/02 when we beat Fulham 3-0. Andy Cole walked one of his two into the goal after nicking the ball off of their keeper. I think Duff also scored. I was there with a Fulham supporting friend of mine - we were at college in Germany together at the time - and we met Eddie Lewis, who played for Fulham at the time and was a USA international, outside their players' bus and had a nice two minute chat.

I apologize for not having been vocal and active on these forums earlier, but I have not hid my identity or my contact information. My entire identity is readily available via a single Google search, incuding my home address, place of employment, etc.

Your attitude is quite frankly disgusting - I would really enjoy hearing your conspiracy theory about who I really am and what my real agenda is, especially the connection I have to Venkys that you insinuate above. You should do a novel about it, I am sure it would be fascinating reading.

[Daniel Louis Grabko (Dan)]

1328351155[/url]' post='1221654']

Dan, the fact that I live in Australia doesn't mean that I wasn't born in Lancashire.

I was born within a stone's throw of the Rovers training ground and, I reckon I've been on Ewood more times than the Venkys x three and Steve Kean put together and I've lived in Australia for better than 40 years.

Not implying anything to your origins Dave, I'm sure you understand that. Just saying that according to our friend here, being that you live closer to the Venkys headquarters than to Ewood nowadays, you might be in league with them! What's your real agenda joining the mailing list again after all of these years? Very fishy... ;-)

1328349213[/url]' post='1221640']

Thought about it back and forth and I just think this area is too deprived to achieve something like this.

For example, I have been to university, I have post graduate qualifications and I work in the field that I studied in - I still can't afford a car because of insurance, and I haven't been able to book a holiday abroad for several years.

Not everybody is in the same boat granted, but surely (this sounds ridiculous) another way to do it would involve 18000 fans taken on the equivalent in debt?

I would be happy to pay money servicing debt if it was a good deal/didn't have ridiculous service repayments -

I know a lot of fans will think i'm barmy, and I don't know enough about the rules, but if 18000 took out a £1000 loan, that would be a total of 18m to buy the club instantly, rather than asking fans to save their own money of a period of time where things can change instantly.

I know for certain that you will struggle to find 1800 people to stomach £140 a month to a club that has completely forgotten about its fans!

JB, I definitely hear you on this, and agree with you. I'm currently working on a new version that uses a very similar method to raise the capital for a mutually owned Trust Fund (supporters majority owned).

[dave birch]

Yes and you were here long before venkys. I just can't remember Grabko being on this site anytime before the last few weeks. Not a fan, not english, never been to ewood as far as I can tell.....yet he's wanting to be FD......strange.

Nothing strange..... other than your presumptions.

There would be many Rovers Supporters that would back Dan's descriptions of himself. I've been getting 20-30 emails a day since I rejoined the list.

Sometimes, sparky, it's best to confirm thoughts, before committing them to type.

[Daniel Louis Grabko (Dan)]

The new version of the fund proposal has been published on the Fund's website, here.

Highlights of the new working document:

• 80% reduction in the proposed share price
  
• Revised Company Structure
  
• 1 Time Share Purchase – no recurring payments
  
• Less Total capital required
  
• Mutual ownership model
  

For those of you who have already read the proposal in its entirety, the background section has not changed materially, and it will save time to skip to page 6 of the document.

This is a comprehensive rethinking of the investment model, that attempts to address all of the discussion points that have been raised on various forums and through email and telephone conversations with interested supporters.