Brentwallet - Slimmer or Bulging??

[Lundan Cabbie]

Corporate on match days are massive these days. Executive boxes in the PL start around £25,000 per season. Obviously you can't hope for that in League One but you can expect a good percentage of it if the facilities are excellent and even more so in the Championship. Then of course they will have the other 300 plus days to exploit.

 

[The Grumpy Loyal]

“The Championship is a very expensive place to be. It’s an expensive place potentially to get to."

“The current infrastructure of the club would not sustain it in the Championship over a period of time."

Those statements don't equal the following assertion...

Brent knows and has stated many times that he couldn't organically fund the side successfully in the next tier up.

In the first instance he's stating a fact, then saying we may have to spend more to get there. Which may not be the case, given our demonstrable ability for promotion with this team.

In the second instance, he's speaking about our current infrastructure. Which currently amounts to three decent stands, a concrete terrace and portakabins. Of course that's inadequate to support a Championship side long-term, but we all know that's changing very soon.

You make it sound like bolting on bigger banqueting facilities is some sort of game changer.

What it may do is add a few hundred thousand a year to the current banqueting income, possibly. Which hopefully when you take off the amount we have to pay Hallett back each year, will still see a profit. Or it may not. Who knows.

Lets just hope that when these new facilities balloon, an infrastructure is put is place that fully itilises it. Argyle will have to try and drag themselves into the modern era, rather than bungling along with the sort of embarrassing fiasco scenario we got with the ticket office when a big game arose. People paying top dollar for proper corporate, should Argyle offer that, certainly wouldn't be returning customers if Argyle were to cock that up aswell.

I think you'l find that the banqueting facilities WILL be a game changer, Grumps.

I can remember Brent saying that we were emulating Exeter Chiefs and that their facilities brought in £millions per season.

I'm not saying that we would get that straight away, we would have to build up a clientele, but it would appear to be a considerable amount more than a MERE few hundred thousand pounds!!!

Excellent. I’ll look forward to those “£millions per season” rolling in at Home Park. :lol:

It’d be interesting to fast forward two or three years and see which of us is closer to actual financial reality!

If the banqueting facility made £1k a day, 5 days a week that would be circa £250k per year. I don't know a great deal about this particular industry but i cannot see how it would make even half of that.

It’s more than just “banqueting” though. The Chiefs make a seven figure sum annually on their facilities, if properly run we should be looking to emulate that.[/quote]

You live in an absolute dreamworld.

If we got the the top end of the Football Premier League, then yes we should be looking to match the corporate revenue of a club at the absolute top end in the Rugby world.

As it is we are team in the third division of the football league.

And as for the trolling jibe you made earlier, don't be so pathetic. Standard cheap retort from people who don't like the point being made and cannot produce a credible counter-argument.

 

[Mork]

Well said Grumpy! Too many are sleep walking straight into what I think will be massive disappointment, when the hypothetical money doesn’t materialise.

 

[Biggs]

Well said Grumpy! Too many are sleep walking straight into what I think will be massive disappointment, when the hypothetical money doesn’t materialise.

What hypothetical money? Massive disappointment at what?

The new facilities will provide us with the opportunity to make lots more cash than we do currently. If it’s a great success and fully booked up all the time, then it will make a considerable amount of money. If it’s not, then it will be less.

Either way, it will be more than we make now with 1950s era facilities. Where’s the negative angle here? Especially before we know 1) the details of said banqueting and corporate facilities, and 2) how successful they are in practice.

 

[Wagga Wagga]

What a depressing thread this is. I genuinely think there should be a separate section on here for “Argyle politics”. I and many others get fed up of seeing crap like this on the main board all the time. It takes away from what’s going on on the pitch.

 

[NorfolkGreen]

Well said Grumpy! Too many are sleep walking straight into what I think will be massive disappointment, when the hypothetical money doesn’t materialise.

What hypothetical money? Massive disappointment at what?

The new facilities will provide us with the opportunity to make lots more cash than we do currently. If it’s a great success and fully booked up all the time, then it will make a considerable amount of money. If it’s not, then it will be less.

Either way, it will be more than we make now with 1950s era facilities. Where’s the negative angle here? Especially before we know 1) the details of said banqueting and corporate facilities, and 2) how successful they are in practice.

To be fair, we don’t know that they will make “lots more cash” or “a considerable amount of money”, but there is the potential for an increase to revenue, it would be interesting to know the projections.

 

[Lundan Cabbie]

You live in an absolute dreamworld.

If we got the the top end of the Football Premier League, then yes we should be looking to match the corporate revenue of a club at the absolute top end in the Rugby world.

As it is we are team in the third division of the football league.

On match days yes but companies and organisations aren't using Sandy Park for their conferences just because they are a top end Rugby Union club. They choose to go there because of the facilities and the experience that it offers. If Argyle can replicate the same, clients will come regardless of the club's league status.

 

[Bermudian Green]

On match days yes but companies and organisations aren't using Sandy Park for their conferences just because they are a top end Rugby Union club. They choose to go there because of the facilities and the experience that it offers. If Argyle can replicate the same, clients will come regardless of the club's league status.

Now don't you be bringing your northern business knowledge to us down here, we know's what we'm doin.

 

[Argy1e]

You live in an absolute dreamworld.

If we got the the top end of the Football Premier League, then yes we should be looking to match the corporate revenue of a club at the absolute top end in the Rugby world.

As it is we are team in the third division of the football league.

And as for the trolling jibe you made earlier, don't be so pathetic. Standard cheap retort from people who don't like the point being made and cannot produce a credible counter-argument.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't they build that stand when they were in the second division and then were able to use the money generated to help them become a top side?

Your arguments are full of holes. They're not based on facts, not based on sense, so must be driven by some agenda. Grow up.

 

[The Grumpy Loyal]

You live in an absolute dreamworld.

If we got the the top end of the Football Premier League, then yes we should be looking to match the corporate revenue of a club at the absolute top end in the Rugby world.

As it is we are team in the third division of the football league.

And as for the trolling jibe you made earlier, don't be so pathetic. Standard cheap retort from people who don't like the point being made and cannot produce a credible counter-argument.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't they build that stand when they were in the second division and then were able to use the money generated to help them become a top side?

Your arguments are full of holes. They're not based on facts, not based on sense, so must be driven by some agenda. Grow up.

How can you accuse me of not basing arguments on facts, when there now seems to have arisen a counter argument fantasy that Argyle will be rivalling the Chiefs corporate offer!?

You have Jimsing listening to Brent then saying “I can remember Brent saying that we were emulating Exeter Chiefs and that their facilities brought in £millions per season.”

So it’s a bit rich accusing me of not using facts or sense, when a counter-argument is based on a a pipe-dream that we’ll be pulling in Chiefs-like numbers before too long.

As far as income goes, we’re all guessing to a large degree aren’t we?

The underlying point I was making is that in my opinion a projection of a few hundreds thousand in extra income is more realistic than some seven figure sums being bandied around.

 

[IJN]

Us doing so well is really getting to you isn’t it?

Give it up ‘Loyal’.

Most of us are very happy as to where we are.

 

[Greenskin]

Us doing so well is really getting to you isn’t it?

Give it up ‘Loyal’.

Most of us are very happy as to where we are.

Don't think that's very fair comment TBH. No doubt Grumpy is as happy as I am [which believe me is very happy] about Argyles fantastic progress and form at the moment. Great stuff and long may it continue. It's just that visions come to mind of a few years ago when Argyle were working up the leagues under Stapleton and Sturrock when the Trust in Stapes, year on year progress, organic growth etc mantras were trotted out in response to people who suggested that there was a possible limit as to how far the club could go using those philosophies and which proved to be correct. You can be sure that, if Argyle are not prepared adequately for the championship, then the same cycle will kick in as it has on four previous manifestations from the 1960's onwards-the worrying aspect is that nothing seems to have been learnt at top levels of the club,vis a vis Mr Hallett's statement in a Q and A session on here that no financial assistance would be sought from outside sources. Why would that be? For sure Argyle had their fingers burnt in entrusting their future to a group as much interested in a pie in the sky world cup bid as on field fortunes but one bad apple and all that-equally for sure rigorous due diligence would need to be carried out, but other clubs of a similar stature [and less] to Argyle have greatly benefitted from the input of extra assistance from outside in recent and not so recent times. Seems a strange outlook to me-of course such individuals don't grow on trees but they're highly unlikely to be found without actually looking for them. If a real, comprehensive effort was made to seek such help was undertaken and proved fruitless, then fair enough, it would be accepted by myself that Argyle would be very unlikely to progress beyond a midpoint second tier spot but until that happens then I would also maintain that the much vaunted conferencing facilities etc are not likely to provide more than a useful, rather than game changing,facility.

 

[The Grumpy Loyal]

Us doing so well is really getting to you isn’t it?

Give it up ‘Loyal’.

Most of us are very happy as to where we are.

Don't think that's very fair comment TBH. No doubt Grumpy is as happy as I am [which believe me is very happy] about Argyles fantastic progress and form at the moment. Great stuff and long may it continue. It's just that visions come to mind of a few years ago when Argyle were working up the leagues under Stapleton and Sturrock when the Trust in Stapes, year on year progress, organic growth etc mantras were trotted out in response to people who suggested that there was a possible limit as to how far the club could go using those philosophies and which proved to be correct. You can be sure that, if Argyle are not prepared adequately for the championship, then the same cycle will kick in as it has on four previous manifestations from the 1960's onwards-the worrying aspect is that nothing seems to have been learnt at top levels of the club,vis a vis Mr Hallett's statement in a Q and A session on here that no financial assistance would be sought from outside sources. Why would that be? For sure Argyle had their fingers burnt in entrusting their future to a group as much interested in a pie in the sky world cup bid as on field fortunes but one bad apple and all that-equally for sure rigorous due diligence would need to be carried out, but other clubs of a similar stature [and less] to Argyle have greatly benefitted from the input of extra assistance from outside in recent and not so recent times. Seems a strange outlook to me-of course such individuals don't grow on trees but they're highly unlikely to be found without actually looking for them. If a real, comprehensive effort was made to seek such help was undertaken and proved fruitless, then fair enough, it would be accepted by myself that Argyle would be very unlikely to progress beyond a midpoint second tier spot but until that happens then I would also maintain that the much vaunted conferencing facilities etc are not likely to provide more than a useful, rather than game changing,facility.

Fantastic precis, Greenskin.

 

[Andy Holland]

Us doing so well is really getting to you isn’t it?

Give it up ‘Loyal’.

Most of us are very happy as to where we are.

What a mean and petty comment :thumbdown:

I'm absolute certain he supports Argyle just as much as any of us and is delighted we've picked up so much lately. Those are well argued, well written and passionate posts and just because you don't agree with some of his views [I certainly don't], it doesn't mean you have to be an arse about it.

 

[jimsing]

The money from the new grandstand refurb should ensure that we have a better chance of remaining in the Championship, but it will need a billionaire to get us up to the Premiership, in my opinion.

You only have to look at the history of the clubs that have done it to remind ourselves that money is needed to be invested (borrowed, lent, go into debt, even with a millionaire willing to spend at the helm) in order to get a chance of promotion to the big one.

Cannot see it happening, to be honest.

The risk of spending what we don't have and paying it back when the club gets there is far too big a risk, although some have taken the risk and survived. Some have also taken the risk and fallen by the wayside. There are a few old First division clubs now wallowing in the depths of the EFL, eg Coventry City.

Of course, for every (old) first division team that has gone to the dogs, there are those that HAVE made it into the Prem (Huddersfield, Bournemouth, Swansea, names you wouldn't have associated with the top division in English football in the past), but I imagine we all want to see our football club in the Prem, even for just a single season, or would it be to see the likes of the opposition instead. We are miles away from any Premiership Club, and the support would come out of the woodwork.

Could PAFC cope?

The Premiership currently consists of the top six teams vying for Europe and the rest are all also-rans, vying to get as high as they can, or trying to keep out of the way of the trap door to back down from where they came from. Not too bad with the parachute payments available now, and, on the face of it, a good basis for getting back up again.

But how do WE get on the bandwagon?

Oh for that billionaire. I have a fancy that Brent will be in charge for longer than he or us expected!

We can but hope.