JohnM Posted August 27, 2021 Share Posted August 27, 2021 I've put this here because it's about a soccer club but it does bear comparison, given some of the discussions on the main forum. Grimsby Town has had a bit of a chequered past and is now a non-league club...again. Its stadium holds 9000 all seated yet crowds average less than 5000. Reference to statements about rugby league teams having stadiums that are too big. This is a non-league club, 5th division in effect- that gets more fans than some of our Super League clubs. The club has just been bought by two local lads -Jason Stockwood and Andrew Pettit -who've done really well, securing the future of the club. If only we had more people like this in our game. Jason Stockwood: A self-styled “accidental businessman”, Stockwood has come a long way from his council estate origins.He graduated with a degree in philosophy, and has used his studies to form the ideas that have made his companies a success. Having spent time working in the travel industry as managing director of Travelocity Business, non-executive at Skyscanner and commercial roles with lastminute.com, Stockwood went on to become the international managing director of dating website match.com. From there, he has gone on to come CEO and then vice-chairman of Simply Business, a business insurance provider which has gained recognition for its treatment of its employees. Andrew Pettit: A graduate of the University of Sussex in law and French, Pettit has been a qualified solicitor in the property sector for over 25 years.He was formerly a managing director and head of the European real estate principal transactions business at Lehman Brothers, and a solicitor at Clifford Chance in the Property Finance Group. https://www.grimsby-townfc.co.uk/news/2021/may/grimsby-town-takeover---new-owners-for-the-mariners/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M j M Posted August 28, 2021 Share Posted August 28, 2021 You could probably do similar biogs for the vast majority of Rugby League club owners to be fair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Padge Posted August 30, 2021 Share Posted August 30, 2021 On 28/08/2021 at 09:03, M j M said: You could probably do similar biogs for the vast majority of Rugby League club owners to be fair. In 1985 Lenagan set up his own business, Workplace Systems, in Milton Keynes, to develop and supply software products for workforce management. Following its first successful contract with Asda, the business became very successful and expanded abroad to places across Europe, Australasia, the US and the Middle East. Major retailers known to use Workplace Systems include Argos, Focus, Sports Café, Next and Morrisons. With the success of Workplace Systems, the company was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2000 under the name Telework Systems PLC to incorporate another company founded by Lenagan in 1981, TeleWare, which focused on the telephony software products market. A decline in the telephone market saw TeleWare sold off to its management in 2003 and the company change its name to WorkPlace Systems International plc, 49% owned by Ian Lenagan. In December 2011, Workplace Systems was acquired by a Lloyds Banking Group-backed management buyout, and Lenagan stepped down from his role as chairman, receiving £19m from the buyout. Lenagan is also a successful theatre producer, with over 30 productions to his name. His most recent West End hit is a co-production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest starring Christian Slater. Visit my photography site www.padge.smugmug.com Radio 5 Live: Saturday 14 April 2007 Dave Whelan "In Wigan rugby will always be king" This country's wealth was created by men in overalls, it was destroyed by men in suits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim2 Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 My team, Chesterfield, are in the same division now. Lovely 10,500 stadium that would be perfect for Super League. Almost destroyed during the last 6 years by poor management at board and sporting level. On Saturday I went for the first time in years - the crowd was 5300 with only 200 or so from Wealdstone. The club is now run by the Community Trust (https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/2020/08/chesterfield-fc-sold-to-community-trust/). It's all going well so far.... "I am the avenging angel; I come with wings unfurled, I come with claws extended from halfway round the world. I am the God Almighty, I am the howling wind. I care not for your family; I care not for your kin. I come in search of terror, though terror is my own; I come in search of vengeance for crimes and crimes unknown. I care not for your children, I care not for your wives, I care not for your country, I care not for your lives." - (c) Jim Boyes - "The Avenging Angel" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnM Posted August 31, 2021 Author Share Posted August 31, 2021 In posting this, I was illustrating what local guys "done really good " can do and somehow we need to get more of them to step forward in our game. Maybe there are just not enough to go round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopping Mad Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 My team, Halifax Town, are in the same division as Chesterfield and Grimsby Town. Lovely 14,000 capacity stadium that would be perfect for Super League. Oh, wait... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrek Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 I'm always amused when us fans use the term "investing" when it comes to owning any sort of sport club, strikes me as being a quick way to burn cash, time and the thanks you get for it is ever so fickle. I naively thought we'd benefit as a sport when the overseas money flooded into football pricing out pretty much all of the local fans done good from ever owning a stake, but those individuals seem to have moved away from sport on the whole as far as I can see. Very few seem to come racing forward in clubs times of need, thinking in recent months/years, Bolton, Bury, Wigan and Macclesfield have all struggled and been in administration or worse. Although I see Macclesfield pulled in a 3.5k crowd yesterday, which I think was a sellout, at the lowest level of non-league football, not sure what sort of financial commitment Robbie Savage has in the venture, but he's clearly involved and quite hands on if yesterdays video of him running across the pitch to confront fans fighting is anything to go by. Be interesting to see how they pan out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Hallucinating Goose Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 3 hours ago, tim2 said: My team, Chesterfield, are in the same division now. Lovely 10,500 stadium that would be perfect for Super League. Almost destroyed during the last 6 years by poor management at board and sporting level. On Saturday I went for the first time in years - the crowd was 5300 with only 200 or so from Wealdstone. The club is now run by the Community Trust (https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/2020/08/chesterfield-fc-sold-to-community-trust/). It's all going well so far.... When I think of this kind of situation I always think of Darlington. Had just built a 25,000 capacity ground and went bust. A semi pro union team ended up playing at the stadium in front of a couple hundred fans. I believe there is a phoenix club in Darlington now but don't know whether they are moving back to the ground or not. To be fair that might be a good ground to take a RL game to, a decent size ground, quite a big town with no professional sports team, not far from the heartland for existing fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim2 Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 1 hour ago, The Hallucinating Goose said: When I think of this kind of situation I always think of Darlington. Had just built a 25,000 capacity ground and went bust. A semi pro union team ended up playing at the stadium in front of a couple hundred fans. I believe there is a phoenix club in Darlington now but don't know whether they are moving back to the ground or not. To be fair that might be a good ground to take a RL game to, a decent size ground, quite a big town with no professional sports team, not far from the heartland for existing fans. Darlington is probably the best/worst example of a club losing the plot. One or two ex-league clubs are now languishing at level 6. York, Chester, Darlington, Hereford. Torquay and Stockport have clawed themselves back to level 5. The RU club Mowden Park owns the Arena now and the football club plays at their old ground, I think. "I am the avenging angel; I come with wings unfurled, I come with claws extended from halfway round the world. I am the God Almighty, I am the howling wind. I care not for your family; I care not for your kin. I come in search of terror, though terror is my own; I come in search of vengeance for crimes and crimes unknown. I care not for your children, I care not for your wives, I care not for your country, I care not for your lives." - (c) Jim Boyes - "The Avenging Angel" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Hallucinating Goose Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 49 minutes ago, tim2 said: Darlington is probably the best/worst example of a club losing the plot. One or two ex-league clubs are now languishing at level 6. York, Chester, Darlington, Hereford. Torquay and Stockport have clawed themselves back to level 5. The RU club Mowden Park owns the Arena now and the football club plays at their old ground, I think. Chuck Scarborough in there as well. Wound up in 2007 (I think) with debts of £2,500,000, phoenix club formed just after and they've slowly clawed their way back up to the 7th tier from the 10th. Its taking them a while but they're getting back up to the kind of level they were at in the past and with the new stadium things are looking pretty good there which is encouraging cos it was a club I always had a bit of affection for, always got to a game if there was one on when I was up that way, though I haven't been able to get to the new ground yet despite meaning to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilsontown Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 Darlington's old ground was demolished. They are now playing at a different RU ground at Blackwell Meadows. I think the capacity there is only about 3000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim2 Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 2 hours ago, wilsontown said: Darlington's old ground was demolished. They are now playing at a different RU ground at Blackwell Meadows. I think the capacity there is only about 3000. Feethams was demolished. The Arena is still there. "I am the avenging angel; I come with wings unfurled, I come with claws extended from halfway round the world. I am the God Almighty, I am the howling wind. I care not for your family; I care not for your kin. I come in search of terror, though terror is my own; I come in search of vengeance for crimes and crimes unknown. I care not for your children, I care not for your wives, I care not for your country, I care not for your lives." - (c) Jim Boyes - "The Avenging Angel" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef K Posted September 8, 2021 Share Posted September 8, 2021 On 27/08/2021 at 21:03, JohnM said: I've put this here because it's about a soccer club but it does bear comparison, given some of the discussions on the main forum. Grimsby Town has had a bit of a chequered past and is now a non-league club...again. Its stadium holds 9000 all seated yet crowds average less than 5000. Reference to statements about rugby league teams having stadiums that are too big. This is a non-league club, 5th division in effect- that gets more fans than some of our Super League clubs. The club has just been bought by two local lads -Jason Stockwood and Andrew Pettit -who've done really well, securing the future of the club. If only we had more people like this in our game. Jason Stockwood: A self-styled “accidental businessman”, Stockwood has come a long way from his council estate origins.He graduated with a degree in philosophy, and has used his studies to form the ideas that have made his companies a success. Having spent time working in the travel industry as managing director of Travelocity Business, non-executive at Skyscanner and commercial roles with lastminute.com, Stockwood went on to become the international managing director of dating website match.com. From there, he has gone on to come CEO and then vice-chairman of Simply Business, a business insurance provider which has gained recognition for its treatment of its employees. Andrew Pettit: A graduate of the University of Sussex in law and French, Pettit has been a qualified solicitor in the property sector for over 25 years.He was formerly a managing director and head of the European real estate principal transactions business at Lehman Brothers, and a solicitor at Clifford Chance in the Property Finance Group. https://www.grimsby-townfc.co.uk/news/2021/may/grimsby-town-takeover---new-owners-for-the-mariners/ I put £10 e/w on Grimsby to go up at the start of the season. I’m garbage with betting but im hoping they’re going to bounce straight back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbruce Posted September 8, 2021 Share Posted September 8, 2021 1 hour ago, Josef K said: I put £10 e/w on Grimsby to go up at the start of the season. I’m garbage with betting but im hoping they’re going to bounce straight back. How does the e/w work on a promotion bet. Do you get money back if they reach the playoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim2 Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 12 hours ago, Josef K said: I put £10 e/w on Grimsby to go up at the start of the season. I’m garbage with betting but im hoping they’re going to bounce straight back. Bouncing straight back from that league is really hard. It also doesn't guarantee you won't go down again - Barnet have been up and down 3 times. "I am the avenging angel; I come with wings unfurled, I come with claws extended from halfway round the world. I am the God Almighty, I am the howling wind. I care not for your family; I care not for your kin. I come in search of terror, though terror is my own; I come in search of vengeance for crimes and crimes unknown. I care not for your children, I care not for your wives, I care not for your country, I care not for your lives." - (c) Jim Boyes - "The Avenging Angel" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerrumonside ref Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 11 hours ago, bobbruce said: How does the e/w work on a promotion bet. Do you get money back if they reach the playoffs. I think different bookies may vary, but usually when you bet each way on a team to win a league they offer you a third of the odds for finishing as runners up as an each way bet. Not sure if that sheds any light on it though when it comes to promotion betting that involve a playoff system? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef K Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 2 hours ago, Gerrumonside ref said: I think different bookies may vary, but usually when you bet each way on a team to win a league they offer you a third of the odds for finishing as runners up as an each way bet. Not sure if that sheds any light on it though when it comes to promotion betting that involve a playoff system? Yes that’s how it works, i couldn’t have put it better myself. I’m not really up with all this betting jargon with Yankee’s, Canadian’s, blah blah blah’s. I wouldn’t even go near a modern day fruit machine or whatever they’re called nowadays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerrumonside ref Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 2 minutes ago, Josef K said: Yes that’s how it works, i couldn’t have put it better myself. I’m not really up with all this betting jargon with Yankee’s, Canadian’s, blah blah blah’s. I wouldn’t even go near a modern day fruit machine or whatever they’re called nowadays. I don’t mind the odd bet on sport I know, but I steer well of gambling on random machines or on things I don’t know for the sake of it. Well done if you’ve kicked the habit - you’ll have more beer money each year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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