MarkLoramTUFCfan

Thank you, Come on the Skipper. Statement too on the club website: http://www.torquayunited.com/news/article/2016-17/statement-from-the-chairman-3217186.aspx A major stumbling block whereby Gaming International went outside of the Memorandum to explore purchase of the freehold of Plainmoor? Hmm. Who knows? Attention now on the bloke who owns Truro City and, quite possibly, the supporters trust. Thank you for your interest. Good luck to those who follow speedway at Poole and Swindon. For the uninitiated there was another Mark Loram. Brixham born, played for Torquay United, something of a wasted talent who should have played at a higher level.

Not a great deal to report at Torquay United. Gaming International's memorandum of understanding to buy the club expires this weekend. The local paper says the current owners are exploring the proverbial "Plan B" (although no one has the foggiest what this may entail). The assumption, although it's hard to be sure, is that "it's off". It's possible, of course, that the memorandum will be extended again. South Devon is finally waking up to what's been happening. Probably anyway. Supporters have been writing to the local mayor; the supporters trust is waiting in the wings with a community ownership proposal. The town newspaper is belatedly showing an interest even though its chief football writer takes the view that fans aren't really bothered about behind-the-scenes shenanigans. The editor has pushed it a step further however and has revealed that Gaming International has taken the lead in pushing for the freehold of Plainmoor to be made available. The club itself has taken a backseat in dealings with the council: http://www.torquayheraldexpress.co.uk/ball-firmly-in-the-council-s-court/story-29552681-detail/story.html A spot of digging reveals GI has worked with Moirai Capital Investments, another Swindon-based company, on a stalled redevelopment project for the Milton Keynes Bowl. Moirai also dallied with a leisure centre project in Paignton before the council changed its mind. Maybe Moirai passed on the news that the council is short of cash and that Torbay offers rich pickings. Hopefully it has proved not to be quite as straightforward as this. GI continues to say nothing. Not a word for public consumption.

Torquay United has made a statement today about the Gaming International deal. This is what we’ve learned: It’s not Gaming international with whom the club has entered a Memorandum of Understanding. It’s Riviera Stadium Ltd: formed 22 March 2016; sole director Clarke Osborne; sole shareholder Gaming International. Discussions with Torbay Council centre upon the freehold of Plainmoor which has been in council ownership since 1910 (as opposed to discussions about a new site at this stage). The supporters’ trust has had the ground listed as an Asset of Community Value; there’s local confidence that a series of covenants ensure the ground will always be used for recreational purposes. This will be put to the test by Riviera’s/GI’s intentions. Torquay United (possibly at the behest of GI) has, through today’s statement, effectively told the council “to get a move on” in order to save the deal. According to the memorandum they’ve got twelve days. Should GI secure the freehold they will become Torquay United’s landlord regardless of whether the football club remains a subsidiary or becomes an independent business again. http://www.torquayunited.com/news/article/2016-17/statement-from-the-chairman-3193806.aspx

Here we go. From the Torquay Herald Express: http://www.torquayheraldexpress.co.uk/torquay-united-sizeable-loan-will-have-to-be-paid-back-if-gaming-international-deal-falls-through/story-29512023-detail/story.html http://www.torquayheraldexpress.co.uk/torquay-united-david-thomas-questions-why-the-media-was-barred-from-monday-s-agm/story-29506674-detail/story.html http://www.torquayheraldexpress.co.uk/torquay-united-david-thomas-speculates-on-what-the-obstacles-are-holding-up-the-gi-takeover/story-29511972-detail/story.html

Little doing at today's Torquay United AGM. Nothing new revealed; shareholder concerns not addressed; press excluded. Gaming International apparently have until 31 July to do the deal or withdraw. Unless, of course, the period of exclusivity is extended.

Thank you for the interest in this both here and on the Swindon Stadium thread. Shareholder AGM at Plainmoor on Monday 11 July. Local paper expects an announcement, one way or the other, to be made then. We'll see. Current owner of Truro City FC being flagged up as an alternative bidder. Complex.

It's incredible Gaming International is attempting to take on a potentially bigger project in Torquay when it's struggling to get Swindon right. What price Swindon if attention is being diverted elsewhere? GI has a choice at Torquay. It could try to maximise the potential of Plainmoor, leased from the council, which has a capacity of 6,000 and has been completely rebuilt in the last twenty-five years. Or it could go looking for another site.Torquay and Paignton are hilly towns with hardly any available flat land. There's Clennon Valley in Paignton between Goodrington beach and the zoo. There's Torquay rugby club on the sea front next to the railway station. Both have been mooted in the past. Each brings problems. Then there's Nightingale Park which is over to the left as you reach the outskirts of town from Newton Abbot. It's promising but it's landfill, swampy, possibly contaminated and near houses. It's not straightforward but probably the only site going in town. Fail on that one and it's Teignbridge and the wrong side of Newton Abbot. At that rate, as much as you'd love to see their revival, you might as well be talking a joint site with Exeter Falcons in the wilds of Chudleigh Knighton or Bovey Tracey. Only joking. I think. GI's name first cropped up just after Christmas. A statement about a bid, and a memorandum of understanding, was made at Easter. That's it really. GI has said absolutely nothing, the present owners very little. The local press hasn't said much either aside from a few snippets about GI operating Poole and Swindon. They're giving the impression GI runs dog tracks in Japan (do they?) and it's all progressing swimmingly with the new stadium in Swindon. We're told GI do what they do very well. The present owners of Torquay United are all of pensionable age. They took the club on in an emergency last year and have very little money to put in. They've survived by cutting costs and relying upon gates which are above average for the league. The directors have told the press they hope to remain in place following a GI takeover. Matters may come to a head very soon. We may know more after the shareholders AGM on 11 July. The key point to remember is the council owns Plainmoor. Torquay United has leased it since the Year Dot. The council also owns Nightingale Park and the playing fields of the school next to Plainmoor. The council is short of cash and needs building land. The playing fields overlook the sea at Babbacombe. GI may need to pull off a three-card trick for this to proceed. Otherwise it might just be an infuriating timewaster.

Is it common knowledge that Gaming International has recently lodged a bid for Torquay United AFC? GI signed a memorandum of understanding for the purchase of the club with the current owners in March 2016. This was due to expire on 1 July but it's believed the arrangement has been extended for another month. Clarke Osborne, chair of GI, registered a company called Riviera Stadium Ltd in March. There's been speculation about a possible site close to Riviera Way the main route into the town (it's at the back of the crematorium for those who know the area). This site, like the Plainmoor ground, is owned by Torbay Council. The speculation is that GI is only interested in the football club if it can do a land deal with the council. If that's not forthcoming it's expected GI will lose interest. Torquay supporters are slowly becoming aware of GI's mixed record in developing and replacing sports stadiums. We've heard about the saga at Swindon and know also about what happened at Reading (and at the dog track at Milton Keynes). Those of us with long memories recall that Clarke Osborne was on the scene when GI (in its former guise as the operator of Eastville) saw off Bristol Rovers in the mid 1980s. Extra digging has revealed how GI once attempted to sell Hereford United's ground to a supermarket; we've learned too of its failure to see through more than one football stadium project in Bristol. There have been a number of online discussions amongst Torquay United supporters the most recent being: http://torquayfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=8858 http://www.​torquayfansforum.co.uk/thread/11946/tufc-takeover-bid-gaming-international Any thoughts or information would be warmly appreciated. Many thanks for your time. Best wishes for the future of speedway in Swindon.

I've been reading the Swindon Stadium thread. I've not been able to check the entire forum but is it known that Gaming International (stadium operators at Poole and Swindon) has an offer on the table for Torquay United FC? In March 2016 Gaming International signed a memorandum of understanding with Torquay United's present owners for the purchase of the club. It's now July and neither party appears to be keen on discussing the progress of the deal. The speculation is that Gaming International has little interest in the affairs of the football club but plenty of enthusiasm for the construction of a new stadium. To this effect Clarke Osborne, chair of Gaming International, has incorporated a company called Riviera Stadium Limited. ​Any deal would be subject to the approval of Torbay Council, owners of the Plainmoor football ground as well as the most likely site for a new stadium. Without this permission it is suspected Gaming International would have no interest in the football club alone. ​Torquay supporters are aware of Gaming International's record at Reading and Swindon with respect to stadium redevelopment. There have been several online discussions amongst our supporters, the most recent being: ​http://torquayfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=8858 http://ww​w.torquayfansforum.co.uk/thread/11946/tufc-takeover-bid-gaming-international ​Any comments or observations would be warmly appreciated either here or on one of the Torquay United forums. Thank you in anticipation. ​