Mytte - to summarise - it is not volume or regularity of Comms, it is who to and content. It is not that we think you are not working hard, it is in-fact that you haven't been able to articulate a business plan. It is not that nobody knows who you are - it is that they do not know who the funding is coming from and whether you like it or not, that is a problem for you.
To take the issue 10 years ago, and yes it was much more compelling, it worked because it was simple. A) we do not want this guy, b) we'd like this guy, c) we are happy with this other guy just sell
At the moment we have put a detailed 30 page proposal into the Council. There are elements of it that are subject to the NDA, so we can't share the whole thing - but instead we have tried to get some of these messages out in a way that every supporter can understand, via the newsletters, articles and AGMs etc. In terms of the matched funding - it was a LOT of work to secure the £1m, and we are not in a position to give any further details at the moment - that's just a fact.
It would be great to give all of the background, but in fact it's not necessary. It's important to note (and we stressed this at the AGM many times) - the Trust is just a vehicle for the supporters to buy the stadium (THE SUPPORTERS to buy the stadium) - the fact we have secured matched funding and some other significant pledges from some of our more wealthy supporters should not matter - it's not a loan and doesn't give anyone any greater power than anyone else. We want every single supporter to own an EQUAL SHARE in the stadium, that's how it works with community shares, regardless of how much you invest - it's a truly democratic process that secures the stadium future.
It's likely that we'll get many £50 pledges into our crowdfunder (if we get the nod to go ahead), and we also know we'll get many more wealthier people stepping up. Look at other examples, you will see the bulk of the money comes from a relative few, but we want to include EVERYONE which is why we have taken on board feedback and floated a figure of £50 as a minimum share price.
This is not a "Trust" thing, it's a "Supporter" thing - we are just trying to facilitate matters.
The Trust board will be there to provide that management and administrative layer, and in future - we hope to have the stadium and a full-time team to do this. It's also important to point out that the Trust board will change over time, so there will be other people writing into this forum, and other people chairing and guiding the work. This is not a lifetime gig for me, and others will indeed move on in-time. It sounds like you were involved at some point in the past.
Regarding a business plan, we cannot factor in anything other than stadium rental costs at the moment and not any proposed developments which are all second phase / future projects - they in themselves will have a business plan.
The new Town End would be a unique one, first in the UK, a showcase for other stadiums, more than seats and a roof. The company behind this have been down to see the County Ground and meet us, they are well respected and Independently funded, and they have Swindon as first choice. Can't say much more as we have signed an NDA, but as a Town fan I am very excited about the prospect, and I hope it comes off regardless of the outcome in this saga.
It's very much on the back burner at the moment, needs a lot more looking into (devil is in the detail) and we need the stadium ownership to be resolved, one way or another. Even after that, getting these things introduced into Swindon won't be easy, there are planning hurdles and councillor approvals etc to consider, but it's definitely got potential. We are nowhere near that stage at the moment. If we don't own the stadium, we will never get there.The discussions with the company in question suggest a potential 10 year payback period to cover their costs which will be covered by 24/7 use of the stand, after which the Club/Trust/Council (whoever owns) would be given the majority profits from the stand going forward in time.
We have released the basic information about the stand to let fellow supporters know, but it mustn't confuse the overall discussion about who should own the County Ground - this is the only proposal on the Council table at the moment.
