Barrow look for investment

[Damien]

Barrow look for investment from fans:

Barrow Raiders’ board of directors are seeking new investment through the sale of debentures, which will allow new members to effectively take a part-ownership in the club.

Under Barrow Raiders constitution, all debenture holders are members of the club, and it is the members who have the power to elect their board of directors of choice and to provide some influence on the direction of the club at company meetings.

The number of club members has been dwindling through the passage of time, and the last two AGMs have struggled to be quorate with only 21 members attending in 2024 and it needing to be rescheduled in 2023 after failing to reach the minimum of 20 attendees, excluding board members.

https://www.barrowrlfc.com/latest-news/board-of-directors-request-for-investment/

 

[Lucy_1873]

Shame to hear they are struggling. 

Edited February 12 by Lucy_1873

[Eddie]

It’s a shame to hear the Chairman has has to prop the club up to such an extent, at considerable personal risk - the game is lucky to have people like him  

£1 per debenture with a minimum purchase of five. You’ll probably never get it back but it’s nice to have a small stake in a RL club. 

[Hopping Mad]

A telling quote from Barrow chairman Steve Neale:

"From a personal perspective, I can’t do much more. I have invested all my life savings, have sold a second property I owned, have re-mortgaged my house and taken personal loans to help the club through the deficit of the last three years."

[I'm planning to watch the Barrow-Hunslet game on Sunday, as it happens]

Edited February 13 by Hopping Mad

[Lucy_1873]

1 hour ago, Hopping Mad said:

A telling quote from Barrow chairman Steve Neale:

"From a personal perspective, I can’t do much more. I have invested all my life savings, have sold a second property I owned, have re-mortgaged my house and taken personal loans to help the club through the deficit of the last three years."

[I'm planning to watch the Barrow-Hunslet game on Sunday, as it happens]

Certainly is but I'm sure Barrow fans will buy some debentures. In an attack of ill timed and foolish pity I even gave £5 towards it. Hate to see clubs in distress 

[OriginalMrC]

Shows the fickle nature of club finances because not long ago Barrow were generating decent revenue. They have been a well run club with good people involved. I think all 3 Cumbrian clubs have struggled with the jump into the championship in recent years and the extra expenditure that involves. They are all capable of drawing big crowds but don't do on a regular basis which I think leaves them exposed.

[Jill Halfpenny fan]

6 hours ago, Hopping Mad said:

A telling quote from Barrow chairman Steve Neale:

"From a personal perspective, I can’t do much more. I have invested all my life savings, have sold a second property I owned, have re-mortgaged my house and taken personal loans to help the club through the deficit of the last three years."

[I'm planning to watch the Barrow-Hunslet game on Sunday, as it happens]

I thought they had been doing O.K

[Hopping Mad]

1 hour ago, Jill Halfpenny fan said:

I thought they had been doing O.K

In his statement, Barrow's chairman lists an impressive amount of good things going on at Craven Park. But if the foundation of it all is his apparently diminishing pot of money, the club could soon be in very serious trouble. 

Edited February 13 by Hopping Mad

[Griff]

Clubs' finances are far too dependent on results.

[Eddie]

2 hours ago, Griff said:

Clubs' finances are far too dependent on results.

Yes that’s what brings spectators in. 

[Wakefield Ram]

3 hours ago, Griff said:

Clubs' finances are far too dependent on results.

Clubs finances are far too dependent on wealthy benefactors. Halifax, Featherstone, Whitehaven, Swinton all had well-publicised financial problems last season. 

And it's the same in SL. 

[marklaspalmas]

For every single professional rugby league club:

Mutato nomine, de te fabula narratur.

[Wilderspoolmemories]

I'm in Warrington and a wire fan but i might put in a small amount of cash to do my bit for a smaller struggling club. They have a fairly decent ground, it's a shame to see them struggling really. 

[Damien]

20 minutes ago, Wilderspoolmemories said:

I'm in Warrington and a wire fan but i might put in a small amount of cash to do my bit for a smaller struggling club. They have a fairly decent ground, it's a shame to see them struggling really. 

I was thinking the same. £5, or a little more, is nothing really to help a club and it is nice thought to have a stake in a RL club.

[gnidir]

So, what would it cost to buy the club?

 

Please excuse my ignorance. Are there a total of 25k 'shares'?

[Sports Prophet]

19 hours ago, OriginalMrC said:

Shows the fickle nature of club finances because not long ago Barrow were generating decent revenue. They have been a well run club with good people involved. I think all 3 Cumbrian clubs have struggled with the jump into the championship in recent years and the extra expenditure that involves. They are all capable of drawing big crowds but don't do on a regular basis which I think leaves them exposed.

This ability to draw good crowds somewhat leads me back to the regionalisation of footy. Would the three Cumbrian clubs be better served playing together in a revamped professional pyramid which includes a North Western third tier with with predominant local rivalries?

Too often in the professional game, personal interests take precedence over the wider collective interests which in turn could improve individual positions anyhow.

Edited February 14 by Sports Prophet

[lucky 7]

On 13/02/2025 at 03:08, Damien said:

Barrow look for investment from fans:

Barrow Raiders’ board of directors are seeking new investment through the sale of debentures, which will allow new members to effectively take a part-ownership in the club.

Under Barrow Raiders constitution, all debenture holders are members of the club, and it is the members who have the power to elect their board of directors of choice and to provide some influence on the direction of the club at company meetings.

The number of club members has been dwindling through the passage of time, and the last two AGMs have struggled to be quorate with only 21 members attending in 2024 and it needing to be rescheduled in 2023 after failing to reach the minimum of 20 attendees, excluding board members.

https://www.barrowrlfc.com/latest-news/board-of-directors-request-for-investment/

 

All Rugby League clubs worldwide are always seeking new investment to grow their club on all levels.

I wish Barrow all the best like i do all Rugby League clubs.

[Eddie]

1 hour ago, Sports Prophet said:

This ability to draw good crowds somewhat leads me back to the regionalisation of footy. Would the three Cumbrian clubs be better served playing together in a revamped professional pyramid which includes a North Western third tier with with predominant local rivalries?

Too often in the professional game, personal interests take precedence over the wider collective interests which in turn could improve individual positions anyhow.

In a word, no. Who would watch a three team league. 

[Eddie]

7 hours ago, Wilderspoolmemories said:

I'm in Warrington and a wire fan but i might put in a small amount of cash to do my bit for a smaller struggling club. They have a fairly decent ground, it's a shame to see them struggling really. 

Just done it. I wouldn’t have donated to a crowd fund but I like how Barrow are offering debentures rather than asking for donations - so for the price of a quickly forgotten round of drinks with some mates or chippy tea for my family I now have a tiny stake in the club. Never been to Barrow and I probably never will but I’ve always had a soft spot for them for some reason.  I now have two QR codes for a Debenture Sale event in Barrow on May 1st though, no idea what that is! 

[Eddie]

5 hours ago, gnidir said:

So, what would it cost to buy the club?

 

Please excuse my ignorance. Are there a total of 25k 'shares'?

No I think it means you can buy as many debentures as you like but you’ll have a maximum of 25,000 votes. So one vote per debenture up to 25,000. It doesn’t say how many votes there are in total, I should think shareholders will have more. 

Edited February 14 by Eddie

[Sports Prophet]

2 hours ago, Eddie said:

In a word, no. Who would watch a three team league. 

Yes, that is exactly what I was proposing. A three team league

[The Masked Poster]

11 hours ago, marklaspalmas said:

For every single professional rugby league club:

Mutato nomine, de te fabula narratur.

Bonjour. Dos de fumar 

[The Masked Poster]

Edit, sorted.

Edited February 14 by The Masked Poster

[Eddie]

2 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

Yes, that is exactly what I was proposing. A three team league

Sorry I misunderstood. What were you proposing? 

[Sports Prophet]

29 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Sorry I misunderstood. What were you proposing? 

Nothing which hasn’t been suggested before, but various third tier regions rather than a national League 1 allowing for more localised rivalries to develop.