Birmingham Future In Doubt ? Alan Phillips Has Had Enough!

[ProudtobeaBrummie]

I've tried to set a just giving appeal up I've ask for help on doing it but no one seems willing even though I have spent all day getting lots of people ready to make donations including 4 people willing to donate 200 pound each I think we could hit 25000 in a few weeks I've managed to line up 3000-4000 just today.... All I need is a page to be set up but maybe mr Phillips was right no one cares enough

[weatherwatcher]

1. Where would the money be held and by whom.

2. A bank account would have to be set up with an account name and No so the money could be paid into it.

3. You could even set up a paypal account, that way you only need an email address to send the money and get it sent to that paypal account. This has got to be the eaiest way to pay any money on here these days.

4. All that would then remain to be done is to get in touch with a moderator or above to see if it is ok to set up a page to allow the e-mail address for the fund to be posted.

Think this is the best way forward and it could all be done in just a few days.

[greyhoundp]

I've tried to set a just giving appeal up I've ask for help on doing it but no one seems willing even though I have spent all day getting lots of people ready to make donations including 4 people willing to donate 200 pound each I think we could hit 25000 in a few weeks I've managed to line up 3000-4000 just today.... All I need is a page to be set up but maybe mr Phillips was right no one cares enough

 

Why not ask mr Brian Buck for his help with this, I know everyone trusts this man, and rest assured the monies raised would be in safe hands.

[Guest]

1. Where would the money be held and by whom.

2. A bank account would have to be set up with an account name and No so the money could be paid into it.

3. You could even set up a paypal account, that way you only need an email address to send the money and get it sent to that paypal account. This has got to be the eaiest way to pay any money on here these days.

4. All that would then remain to be done is to get in touch with a moderator or above to see if it is ok to set up a page to allow the e-mail address for the fund to be posted.

Think this is the best way forward and it could all be done in just a few days.

May I add - and I fancy some Posters will slam me for saying this!!! - my advice would be to discuss the whole affair with a solicitor before establishing a fund. It may even mean a solicitor will need to refer or discuss the project with the Charity Commissioners. Good luck to the project but please go carefully - let your mind rule your venture rather than just a good heart. All success to you.

[ProudtobeaBrummie]

Weatherwatcher I wouldn't have a clue about the above I'm useless at things like that which is why we need someone who knows what there doing to take the time to set it up

 

Then I will spend as much time as possible getting people to donate which I think is fair enough

[greyhoundp]

I've tried to set a just giving appeal up I've ask for help on doing it but no one seems willing even though I have spent all day getting lots of people ready to make donations including 4 people willing to donate 200 pound each I think we could hit 25000 in a few weeks I've managed to line up 3000-4000 just today.... All I need is a page to be set up but maybe mr Phillips was right no one cares enough

 

 

I would suggest you set a "Go Fund me Account" just giving is purely for Charities, whereas Go Fund me is for anyone and everything, here is a link..

 

http://www.gofundme.com/tour/

[Guest]

May I add - and I fancy some Posters will slam me for saying this!!! - my advice would be to discuss the whole affair with a solicitor before establishing a fund. It may even mean a solicitor will need to refer or discuss the project with the Charity Commissioners. Good luck to the project but please go carefully - let your mind rule your venture rather than just a good heart. All success to you.

 

 

Weatherwatcher I wouldn't have a clue about the above I'm useless at things like that which is why we need someone who knows what there doing to take the time to set it up

 

Then I will spend as much time as possible getting people to donate which I think is fair enough

 

 

 

 

I would suggest you set a "Go Fund me Account" just giving is purely for Charities, whereas Go Fund me is for anyone and everything, here is a link..

 

http://www.gofundme.com/tour/

 

I would still urge all caution and sound out possible legal advice before committing yourself too far.

[weatherwatcher]

 

 

I would suggest you set a "Go Fund me Account" just giving is purely for Charities, whereas Go Fund me is for anyone and everything, here is a link..

 

http://www.gofundme.com/tour/

This is a far better idea than mine but not being a Birminham supporter and living mailes away from there I would suggest that someone from Birmingham get this sett up and as soon as possible. Get someone in the know to do it and get a solicitors knowladge on the subject before you go about it.

Not sure as I know nothing about the management set up at Birmingham but there has got to be someone there who has go Birminghams speedway team at heart and who also wishes to save the team.

Have a few words in the right ears ears and I am sure you will get this sorted out before it is to late to save them.

This country needs all the teams it has left, to lose anymore would speell dire consequnses to the speedway in this country.

We are in a bad state as things stand now over here we can't afford to keep seeing teams going by the wayside year after year until our sport is just a long lost memory, and all you can do is read about it in books on the internet or from people like us that used to go and watch it.

Best of luck to you in this venture, but please get it done the right way.

[robert72]

Instead of a pointless fund I would make waves at every tv & radio station that covers the Birmingham area,you would have a much better chance of saving the brummies than raising a few quid that you won't know who pockets it.

[The Pedaler]

Weatherwatcher I wouldn't have a clue about the above I'm useless at things like that which is why we need someone who knows what there doing to take the time to set it up

 

Then I will spend as much time as possible getting people to donate which I think is fair enough

 

There is a supporters club and there is a supporters liaison committee, or something along those lines. Would they not be the right organisations to help you? Have you contacted them?

[arthur cross]

I've tried to set a just giving appeal up I've ask for help on doing it but no one seems willing even though I have spent all day getting lots of people ready to make donations including 4 people willing to donate 200 pound each I think we could hit 25000 in a few weeks I've managed to line up 3000-4000 just today.... All I need is a page to be set up but maybe mr Phillips was right no one cares enough

Wonderful that you're keen to get an appeal going and you may well be able to "hit 25000 in a few weeks".

 

But, realistically, is that going to be anywhere near enough to make real progress or are you more likely to end up with enthusiastic folk soon finding they've generously chucked their money into simply catching-up the existing debts, leaving the Brummies still lurching along with plenty of loss-making home meetings for the rest of this season before there's any proper chance to find a more medium/long-term solution for the Brummies during the winter.

 

Figures have been bandied about like "losing £5,000 per home meeting" ... well, in that case, with 11 home Elite League meetings to go, seeing out the rest of the season's going to cost £55,000 and that's without working out the size of the debts already stacked up ... suddenly, that £25,000 you hope to hit in a few weeks is going to be smashed up just as fast as it's been collected.

 

Pledges of rescue-money are great but there's an important skill as well in using those pledges effectively.

 

From my distance, the biggest problem isn't even the amount of debt involved ... it's actually the very thorny problem of persuading the GRA to unlock speedway's access to Perry Barr because there's little point collecting generous donations for a team who don't have a home track to race upon.

 

So, as soon as possible, try to find out the following 3 separate answers about the Brummies' debt ...

 

1. How much is owed in rent-arrears to the GRA (and what will it take to restore relations with the GRA, perhaps the stadium-rent always kept a week ahead) ?

 

2. How much is owed elsewhere ?

 

3. Realistically, how much are the Brummies going to lose while completing the rest of this season because it's highly unlikely a team near the bottom of the table is suddenly going to break-even or make a profit even if it clears the previous regime's debt.

 

Whether any supporters group, however well meaning, can manage to answer the above questions is highly debatable unless there's a willingness by such a supporters group to harness its efforts with anything being done on a more official level by the BSPA or SCB ... this isn't the time or place for different factions of speedway to belittle one another when they all want the eventual solution of the Brummies continuing.

 

And it'll be a massive help if someone already well known to the Brummies fans can be the figurehead of any survival hopes, even if that person isn't necessarily directly doing any of the fundraising ... i appreciate this may be a difficult situation for the Brummies given the most obvious candidates for such a role are the team manager or captain but Jack Lee's relatively new to the club after many years managing at a lower level and Danny King's transfer request a while back has been well documented.

 

Of course, the top priority is to see the Brummies continue but, within that target, there's still room for co-ordinating the rescue plan in the hope any such rescue doesn't just bring everyone back to the same desperate situation a few months/years later.

 

Glasgow are a good recent example, albeit during an off-season rather than mid-season, of a club whose future appeared bleak but who've still survived ... other clubs have recovered from nightmare finances with fewer headlines but, nearly always, with carefully-directed rescue-funding rather than chucking money at the situation in panic-fashion.

 

But in the Brummies' current plight, that breakdown with the GRA remains a massive obstacle.

[ProudtobeaBrummie]

I've spoke to Chris Simpson and he has said get in touch with mark bagnall ... I've contacted him via twitter but no response yet

[greyhoundp]

You really do speak far to much sense arthur, i did mention a figurehead earlier in Brian Buck.

 

and Radio WM as most of us know, are big supporters of midlands Speedway.

Edited June 29, 2014 by greyhoundp

[ProudtobeaBrummie]

All valid points if I can leave it to you guys who are more in the know and have more knowledge on what to do for the best I will support you...

 

I'm more than happy to raise the funds and give up time for the cause if set up

 

 

If anyone wants to contact me I'm brimmies1986 on twitter direct message me and I can give you my number

 

Together we can do it but we all need to stick together and be in agreement on way forward

 

I've also spoke to people who are happy to make monthly donations after the initial fund raising

[Starman2006]

You think this is still all about rent? It's gone way, way beyond that, I'm afraid.

 

 

Enlighten us. We are all ears..

[Deano]

I'm messaged the supporters club. Perhaps they could offer the use of an account, Their accounts may have conditions attached.

 

In all honesty I think this season is dead and buried, but if any fighting fund could be used to pay off a GRA debt and others outstanding by the speedway, then at least a promoter could have a chance of starting with a clean balance sheet.

[greyhoundp]

I think clearing that debt with the GRA has to be uppermost in the minds of the BSPA, they hold a bond from the Brummie promotion, maybe that can be used to clear the rental debt, thus clearing the way for another promotion in 2015.

[Deano]

I've put something on the brummies forum.

 

 

 

EDIT:

 

This fund has been offerred a £1k donation from a very credible source.

Edited June 29, 2014 by Deano

[Guest]

Wonderful that you're keen to get an appeal going and you may well be able to "hit 25000 in a few weeks".

 

But, realistically, is that going to be anywhere near enough to make real progress or are you more likely to end up with enthusiastic folk soon finding they've generously chucked their money into simply catching-up the existing debts, leaving the Brummies still lurching along with plenty of loss-making home meetings for the rest of this season before there's any proper chance to find a more medium/long-term solution for the Brummies during the winter.

 

Figures have been bandied about like "losing £5,000 per home meeting" ... well, in that case, with 11 home Elite League meetings to go, seeing out the rest of the season's going to cost £55,000 and that's without working out the size of the debts already stacked up ... suddenly, that £25,000 you hope to hit in a few weeks is going to be smashed up just as fast as it's been collected.

 

Pledges of rescue-money are great but there's an important skill as well in using those pledges effectively.

 

From my distance, the biggest problem isn't even the amount of debt involved ... it's actually the very thorny problem of persuading the GRA to unlock speedway's access to Perry Barr because there's little point collecting generous donations for a team who don't have a home track to race upon.

 

So, as soon as possible, try to find out the following 3 separate answers about the Brummies' debt ...

 

1. How much is owed in rent-arrears to the GRA (and what will it take to restore relations with the GRA, perhaps the stadium-rent always kept a week ahead) ?

 

2. How much is owed elsewhere ?

 

3. Realistically, how much are the Brummies going to lose while completing the rest of this season because it's highly unlikely a team near the bottom of the table is suddenly going to break-even or make a profit even if it clears the previous regime's debt.

 

Whether any supporters group, however well meaning, can manage to answer the above questions is highly debatable unless there's a willingness by such a supporters group to harness its efforts with anything being done on a more official level by the BSPA or SCB ... this isn't the time or place for different factions of speedway to belittle one another when they all want the eventual solution of the Brummies continuing.

 

And it'll be a massive help if someone already well known to the Brummies fans can be the figurehead of any survival hopes, even if that person isn't necessarily directly doing any of the fundraising ... i appreciate this may be a difficult situation for the Brummies given the most obvious candidates for such a role are the team manager or captain but Jack Lee's relatively new to the club after many years managing at a lower level and Danny King's transfer request a while back has been well documented.

 

Of course, the top priority is to see the Brummies continue but, within that target, there's still room for co-ordinating the rescue plan in the hope any such rescue doesn't just bring everyone back to the same desperate situation a few months/years later.

 

Glasgow are a good recent example, albeit during an off-season rather than mid-season, of a club whose future appeared bleak but who've still survived ... other clubs have recovered from nightmare finances with fewer headlines but, nearly always, with carefully-directed rescue-funding rather than chucking money at the situation in panic-fashion.

 

But in the Brummies' current plight, that breakdown with the GRA remains a massive obstacle.

Many, many, many points here that I have thought about, considered posting - then changed my mind about because has I done so the usual lot would have been on here belittling and criticising/belittling me for making them. Well said. Let's hope something can be done to save Birmingham Speedway.

[Leicester Hunter]

Enlighten us. We are all ears..

Fair enough. As arthur cross has highlighted in #231, all sorts of figures are being bandied about at the moment. We know that the Brummies have been locked out of Perry Barr, so that is quite serious, but we don't know what is owed elsewhere. Losses being made on meetings week on week, riders not being paid, that sort of thing. Then there's the added difficulty of knowing whether the operating company is insolvent or not. The Phillips' are insisting that they are not. What I do know is, a substantial six figure sum was asked for by last Friday, or the whole thing could be over, and again, nothing specific was mentioned as to what that money was for.

 

One thing that has come out over the last few days is this; The Phillips' have admitted ploughing £400,000 into the venture since they took over at the end of 2011. If that doesn't include sponsorship and monies from interested third parties, that figure could top over half a million pounds, and even if it includes this season so far, it is plain to see that a business plan, if one actually existed at all, wasn't worth the paper it was printed on.

 

But what is particularly sticking in most Brummies fans' throats at the moment, is the fact that when the Fans Liaison Group was formed a short time ago, they were told that there were no debts, and that the club was viable. Hope that helps.