Save London Skolars Gofundme Page Please help

[Archie Gordon]

14 minutes ago, Sports Prophet said:

I don’t understand how Skolars as a community grassroots club are in any different position from any other grassroots club and the costs of participating in the amateur game in London and the South East.

So what is this money actually for and how will what it’s funding, become sustainable so the club aren’t reaching out for future public funding.

...

Fair question.

[DoubleD]

11 hours ago, IM2 said:

secret is in the first word. what was needed was proactive help. anyway not arguing with you. you carry on with your view mate and we will beg to differ

Not sure we were arguing..............I asked you a question, which you never elaborated on. 

Feel free to define what proactive help you believe a governing body should provide to a private independent business within their remit

[EssexRL]

9 hours ago, Archie Gordon said:

Fair question.

The circumstances of the last season or so has landed Skolars in a different position to other amateur clubs - hopefully temporarily. However if you want a positive incentive - today the club are hosting primary school children from Haringey in a tag RL tournament. There are 33 teams! I am not sure anyone else in London is doing that.

As I have said before, keeping Skolars going is about more than the club. The club promotes RL in a borough with a population of 265,000. That is bigger than the pop of Oldham and Rochdale, for example.

Honestly donating is voluntary; so if you don't think it is a good idea don't do it but if you are thinking about it think more widely than the club.

[Archie Gordon]

7 minutes ago, EssexRL said:

The circumstances of the last season or so has landed Skolars in a different position to other amateur clubs - hopefully temporarily. However if you want a positive incentive - today the club are hosting primary school children from Haringey in a tag RL tournament. There are 33 teams! I am not sure anyone else in London is doing that.

As I have said before, keeping Skolars going is about more than the club. The club promotes RL in a borough with a population of 265,000. That is bigger than the pop of Oldham and Rochdale, for example.

Honestly donating is voluntary; so if you don't think it is a good idea don't do it but if you are thinking about it think more widely than the club.

All that is true but it is equally true of other London & SE clubs. I just wondered what the £10k was for and it's still not clear to me. 

I say that as a good friend of the Skolars. I hope they raise £20k.

[del capo]

5 minutes ago, EssexRL said:

The circumstances of the last season or so has landed Skolars in a different position to other amateur clubs - hopefully temporarily. However if you want a positive incentive - today the club are hosting primary school children from Haringey in a tag RL tournament. There are 33 teams! I am not sure anyone else in London is doing that.

As I have said before, keeping Skolars going is about more than the club. The club promotes RL in a borough with a population of 265,000. That is bigger than the pop of Oldham and Rochdale, for example.

Honestly donating is voluntary; so if you don't think it is a good idea don't do it but if you are thinking about it think more widely than the club.

Are they in debt ? Their company accounts don't look that healthy.

Clearly good work  with youngsters on the park but so often  unfortunately that is the easier part of running a big community club.

Have they for instance plugged into the substantial Pupil Premium funds available for that primary school activity ?

[Griff]

2 hours ago, del capo said:

Are they in debt ? Their company accounts don't look that healthy.

Whose accounts do?

And that includes most of Superleague.

[newbe]

As I said in a post about Newcastle Thunder. You raise the money for next season, but what about the following season's. I wish them luck. I take it monies raised will not go.on wages to people involved with the club administration or players.

[del capo]

1 hour ago, Griff said:

Whose accounts do?

And that includes most of Superleague.

With a deficit in retained earnings of £525k  and called up shares of over £400k maybe the shareholders should be the first  to put their hands in their pockets...............

[Griff]

3 minutes ago, del capo said:

With a deficit in retained earnings of £525k  and called up shares of over £400k maybe the shareholders should be the first  to put their hands in their pockets...............

They already have.   To the tune of £400k.

[OriginalMrC]

Hope Skolars continue to do great things but also wondering what this money will be used for 

[IM2]

5 hours ago, EssexRL said:

The circumstances of the last season or so has landed Skolars in a different position to other amateur clubs - hopefully temporarily. However if you want a positive incentive - today the club are hosting primary school children from Haringey in a tag RL tournament. There are 33 teams! I am not sure anyone else in London is doing that.

As I have said before, keeping Skolars going is about more than the club. The club promotes RL in a borough with a population of 265,000. That is bigger than the pop of Oldham and Rochdale, for example.

Honestly donating is voluntary; so if you don't think it is a good idea don't do it but if you are thinking about it think more widely than the club.

well said. did the job for me. main thing is to keep as much of the infrastructure going. hopefully keep a FTE person and ensure we can use the pitches etc. 3g is expensive to use. idea for me is the club tries to keep as many of the standards they had in L1 that are doable. medical, transport to games, kit, a no sub model etc. also keep the local activity going. for example a bunch off schools were playing touch at New river ran by Skolars today. hopefully the club may also push to go back into L1 in the medium term as well. also this isnt a funding page set up by the club its by me and a few ex players and fans and we will oversea how the money is spent for bets use.

[IM2]

38 minutes ago, Griff said:

They already have.   To the tune of £400k.

yes I personally spent around £350k before I left. I know since the another £50k+. no one does this to make money. 

these players are on of the reasons for doing it https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:London_Skolars_players. this is just a subset

 

[Archie Gordon]

14 minutes ago, IM2 said:

well said. did the job for me. main thing is to keep as much of the infrastructure going. hopefully keep a FTE person and ensure we can use the pitches etc. 3g is expensive to use. idea for me is the club tries to keep as many of the standards they had in L1 that are doable. medical, transport to games, kit, a no sub model etc. also keep the local activity going. for example a bunch off schools were playing touch at New river ran by Skolars today. hopefully the club may also push to go back into L1 in the medium term as well. also this isnt a funding page set up by the club its by me and a few ex players and fans and we will oversea how the money is spent for bets use.

That explains things much better than the funding page. But it also throws up an oddity. Who owns/runs the Skolars if someone on the outside (are you?) is drip feeding £10k into the operation with conditions attached?

[EssexRL]

13 hours ago, Archie Gordon said:

That explains things much better than the funding page. But it also throws up an oddity. Who owns/runs the Skolars if someone on the outside (are you?) is drip feeding £10k into the operation with conditions attached?

There are shareholders (like me) and then there are Directors (and some ex-Directors like IM2). Most, maybe all, Directors are shareholders. I am not a Director. As with any company shareholders own the club but Directors run it on their behalf. People have supported the club in lots of ways including one off funds to help. The thing that impressed me about the club when I first came along was the overall passion for the game the people who run it had and how open they were to fans. It always felt much more than being just about Skolars. They were - and remain - committed to building the sport in a sustainable and sensible way. Although well off by many people's standards there was no way the owners could grow the club given the costs they faced, as explained. The last 4 years have been about trying to get new investment in. Twice we nearly got there but were let down.

I am biased and I am sure that things could have been done better. I might also have offered shares rather than donations and I think it would be good to be specific about what the money will be used for on the funding page as IM2 has explained above.

As an aside I do wonder if the latest era of RL in the capital had started with Hector and Skolars rather than Fulham whether things would have been different.

Edited November 10, 2023 by EssexRL

[IM2]

On 09/11/2023 at 03:08, Sports Prophet said:

I don’t understand how Skolars as a community grassroots club are in any different position from any other grassroots club and the costs of participating in the amateur game in London and the South East.

So what is this money actually for and how will what it’s funding, become sustainable so the club aren’t reaching out for future public funding.

Surely the club, having made to step away from the professional ranks, needs to change its revenue and cost structure to be sustainable as a grass roots club.

To be honest, I have always found Skolars to be a halfway house without the necessary backing or leadership to succeed at the professional level and by this fundraising scheme alone, I am not convinced the club is well placed to shift its model to become a sustainable grass roots amateur footy club.

100% right 

[Griff]

2 hours ago, EssexRL said:

I might also have offered shares rather than donations ......

Take care with that if it ever comes to pass.  There are laws governing public share issues.

[del capo]

30 minutes ago, IM2 said:

100% right 

A good and in many ways revealing discussion. One  can only applaud the efforts of all who have invested their time and money in the Skolars over the years. 

But the reality that it has not , after everything , worked for Tier 3 leads to some fundamental questions.

How can the Game sustain fairly modest but ambitious semi pro clubs outside the North (if it really wants to ). ?

What is the right model or are differing ones appropriate?

And how does a club providing the same rugby offer as it always has -Skolars  it seems continue to provide for their members spectators  and wider community just as before-  transition into a major grassroots, voluntary based organisation ?

Maybe the RFL should be looking  in depth at the Skolars , perhaps Midland Hurricanes and maybe a couple of solid Community clubs  ( their legal  structures can  and do embrace all types )  ) to see what works and what doesn't.

 Lessons can and should be learned . And advice thereafter disseminated.

[newbe]

Should have followed Hemel Stags, regarding the infrastructure, got hold of a plot of land 40 years ago. Built a grandstand, spent £180, 000 on new changing rooms plus additional one's (£90,000) grant. Next season new pitch, drainage system, returfed, with pop up sprinkler system and levelled up. As for the playing side dropped out league1, SCL. Playing in East Premier with all local lads before going back in SCL. Think the club knew League1 was a mess. Swallowed  there pride n did the sensible thing to survive.  Sorry about going off topic. Without a sound business plan you find clubs will finish up the swanny without a paddle.

Edited November 10, 2023 by newbe

[Impartial Observer]

What happend to the money raised if the team does not compete in SCL next season?

[IM2]

not sure, why do you think they won't?

[EssexRL]

Great to see the club are half way there and some lovely comments from fans. 

[Eddie]

On 10/11/2023 at 14:16, newbe said:

Should have followed Hemel Stags, regarding the infrastructure, got hold of a plot of land 40 years ago. Built a grandstand, spent £180, 000 on new changing rooms plus additional one's (£90,000) grant. Next season new pitch, drainage system, returfed, with pop up sprinkler system and levelled up. As for the playing side dropped out league1, SCL. Playing in East Premier with all local lads before going back in SCL. Think the club knew League1 was a mess. Swallowed  there pride n did the sensible thing to survive.  Sorry about going off topic. Without a sound business plan you find clubs will finish up the swanny without a paddle.

The grandstand is a wreck now sadly, it’s taped off. However yes it’s great that they’ve got their own facilities, they do a decent pint as well. 

[Impartial Observer]

5 hours ago, IM2 said:

not sure, why do you think they won't?

Hopefully they will play in SCL but if I was going to donate I would like to know what would happen to the money if the worst happens. 

[EssexRL]

2 hours ago, Impartial Observer said:

Hopefully they will play in SCL but if I was going to donate I would like to know what would happen to the money if the worst happens. 

This is not just about transitioning to playing in SCL but also to retain infrastructure to hopefully find resources (investors) to maybe return to the semi pro level as well as keeping wider activities like schools engagement going. 

[del capo]

4 hours ago, EssexRL said:

This is not just about transitioning to playing in Skolars but also to retain infrastructure to hopefully find resources (investors) to maybe return to the semi pro level as well as keeping wider activities like schools engagement going.  

Sport Prophet earlier described SCL as in a 'Half way house ' situation and  IM2 ( who will know ) fully endorsed that view.

Unless they concentrate at least initially on seeking to do what a flourishing Community club does to succeed they are in serious danger of falling between two stools. After all IM2 himself spent £350k in an effort to keep them on the road and that didn't work.

They need to learn to walk again. And when they are ready to run they will need to be truly fit. Hopefully that will happen in the future but if they try too soon they could well lose even what they still have......

 

Edited November 13, 2023 by del capo