Tranmere Rovers Trust Launches Scheme to Purchase Club
By Total Tranmere
August 1 2011
The Tranmere Rovers Trust (The Trust) is today launching a scheme to raise funds for a future purchase of Tranmere Rovers FC, which will enable the League One club to be owned and run by the fans......
The Tranmere Rovers Trust (The Trust) is today launching a scheme to raise funds for a future purchase of Tranmere Rovers FC, which will enable the League One club to be owned and run by the fans.
The Trust board have held positive discussions with Tranmere Rovers chairman Peter Johnson over the last few months about how the club could be transferred into community ownership.
Now the Trust want to take this proposal forward by raising a minimum of £300,000 from supporters interested in backing the scheme. This will enable the Trust to enter more formal negotiations with Mr Johnson, with a view to concluding a deal to purchase his shares in Tranmere Rovers.
Twenty thousand copies of a brochure explaining the Trust's plans for a takeover, entitled "Your chance to own your club" will be distributed across the Wirral and handed to fans arriving at Prenton Park for Rovers' first game of the new season against Chesterfield on Saturday 6th August.
To raise the £300,000, the Trust will be promising shares and various other benefits to investors willing to put in a minimum of £300 (for individuals) and £500 (for companies). Supporters who are unable to afford these figures will be able to get involved via a £50 package. The money will be refunded if the project fails to take off.
Trust chairman Ben Harrison said:
"There is widespread respect in the game for the sensible way Tranmere has been run and we all recognise that without Peter Johnson, Tranmere Rovers might not be in existence today."
“We believe there is an opportunity for a new beginning with Tranmere Rovers Football Club under community ownership where it will have the chance to thrive and prosper by engaging all its fans behind a shared vision.”
"We understand how expensive running a football club can be but we believe we can create a business model that will enable community ownership to work.. The feeling amongst members of the Trust is that this is the best thing that could happen to the club. We feel there is massive potential for the club to tap into supporters more than they do now."
The Trust’s plans are backed by all the major Tranmere Rovers supporters organisations and websites including the Tranmere Rovers Supporters Association (TRSA), The Cowsheds and Total Tranmere websites and the Tranmere Rovers Disabled Supporters Association. The Tranmere Rovers Former Players Foundation has also given their backing to the scheme.
Former Rovers player and now TV and radio presenter Pat Nevin is supporting the scheme and has provided a foreword for the brochure. Nevin said...
“Football clubs outside the riches of the Premier League are constantly finding it difficult to balance their books, particularly in these economic times and Tranmere Rovers are no different. The Tranmere Rovers Trust idea of a community owned club is one that I totally support and I wish them well with what they are trying to achieve.”
The Trust will be holding a supporters meeting at The Belmont Suite behind the Kop Stand at Prenton Park on Thursday 11th August 2011 at 7.30pm to allow fans to ask questions about the scheme. Members of the Trust board will also be available for interviews on the night.
Further details can be found on the Trust’s website www.tranmereroverstrust.co.uk or by e-mailing info@tranmereroverstrust.co.uk.
The brochure can also be downloaded from the website (CLICK HERE).
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011:08:01:17:37:20 by Deadly Submarine.
However I will be very interested to see exactly what this will involve before I make my own conclusions and I will definitely be going to the meeting next week.
Quote:For those fans who may not be able to afford to invest £300 at this time, the Trust is also offereing a Basic Option which involves a donation of £50.
This will entitle you to 1 year membership of the Tranmere Rovers Trust, 1 year’s subscription to TheCowsheds.co.uk, five shares in Tranmere Rovers Football Club and an invitation to the AGM*.
*Benefits dependant on successful purchase of TRFC
If so, what kind of outside ventures does Lorraine have, that might be a viable outlet for resourcing minor sums of injected capital?
I've never really known her background that well to be honest.
Then I ate his Liver.......... with some baked beans and a can of coke.
300,000 is a hell of alot of money and what about the money needed there after also at 300 pound that means 1000 fans need to pledge and i dont know if that is possible it wont be hard but is it possible.
and also if it does happen i would like to see us charge away clubs more like what they charge us or even raise it by a pound or 2 for adult and charge the children under 16 a tenner because that what our children get charged at away ground because all the extras could go towards the following seasons wage budget just a fort if not it could help balance the books i think last year we lost 25000 so i feel it could be worth taking into consideration.
i think it would be good for the fans to be able to make a decsion on what goes on on the club there are plenty of ways to make money even if they done a fans v players match 22 people in pre season at the very begining to help get the players fit charge 200 pound a player plus gate recipts could be an extra 20000 to play around with. i know its a rediculus idea but it could help raise funs every year and fans will be garanteed to see a rovers victory just think little ideas and little fund raisers could help raise allot of money over the course of the season
its easy to give a blanket statement of, we want to be an established championship club, we want to sell inglebourough, we want to develop the main stand.
How and at what cost can these objectives be made?
i love the club but just giving £300 + with no information is a difficult and silly thing to do?
Some aren't, maybe best reserved for the forum next week, if you can make it!
The bulk of revenue might come from the potential optimism of going to games, relating to a club run by local people for local people, then in turn producing more turnover of half time purchases.
Encouraging advertisers or higer standing that are willing to pay more for a hoarding might help too.
Those would possibly be the 3 main cash generation streams, especially the increase fan numbers thing, but the other two would be something that could be boosted in the shorter term, because i doubt it would take too long to start getting a bit of new merchandise in that sold and a bit more higher income advertsing.
Then I ate his Liver.......... with some baked beans and a can of coke.
it could give the potentol to give us 100,000 a year for a players wage
Is the Inglemire site the catalyst and is it really worth enough to both clear off the existing debt and leave enough in the coffers to fund the Woodchurch training facility and provide financial security in the long term? Also what is the Trust's long term funding strategy?
Don't get me wrong here. I am in favour of the work the Trust has been doing and continues to do in the name of our beloved club. I just want to be confident that the Trust is not biting off more than it can chew with this venture.
Last year didn't we break even or there abouts? Very minimal losses (no where 250k I don't think?!)
Quote:jade-trfc
just wondered if it was possible if one of admin could stick a sticky topic up were we could just post our questions without disscusion were trust could answer on here or easier to print off to ask the questions
This will be done over the weekend.