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RTB?
Jun 29, 2014 21:49:38 GMT
Post by Jem on Jun 29, 2014 21:49:38 GMT
Could I please ask OXVOX how you might use the Right to Bid and what leverage it might have with regards to all the takeover talk and potential stadium issues?
Thanks
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Post by ZeroTheHero on Jun 29, 2014 22:25:45 GMT
If you are taking to the OV committee, I'd hope and expect that they would consult their membership (and quite possibly more widely) before deciding even WHETHER they would use it as 'leverage' never mind in what way and for whom.
It gives us (at least a limited) protection against the sale of the stadium from under us - whoever owns it - and bargaining it away is not something to be done lightly.
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RTB?
Jun 29, 2014 22:39:24 GMT
Post by Si Bradbury on Jun 29, 2014 22:39:24 GMT
Make no mistake, if or when the RTB is required, we will consult and poll our membership with the question, providing them with all the facts at our disposal plus any supplementary information, committee thoughts and recommendations. We would also want to involve all fans as ZTH suggests if possible. After all it effects us all.
It continues to offer protection against the sale of the stadium and carpark to Oxford United. It gives us the right to make our own bid over a 6 month period.
At this moment in time we have received no notification that is has been activated.
Worth mentioning (I know Junior has asked) that when we made representation to Mark Ashton's office late on Friday, we were informed Mark Ashton was unable to speak with us due to confidentiality and legal reasons. When we suggested he may like to discuss the RTB we were politely informed that if he had needed to speak to us, he would have done it during the Due Diligence process.
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RTB?
Jun 30, 2014 10:49:11 GMT
Post by rickspangle on Jun 30, 2014 10:49:11 GMT
Is it correct to assume that if the RTB is not activated by any potential buyer of the club, then a takeover will not reunite the club with the stadium? In which case the club will still be in the hopeless position it is now, i.e. never able to support itself with revenue generated from the stadium.
Also, if the stadium is demolished for housing by the current owner would the RTB need to be activated? Presumably the club would have to agree to tear up the 25 year lease, but what if the club is owned by FK so he is the one making that decision? My guess is that the council would also need to agree, but in that situation we could end up in a stadium that is worse than the current one, and still paying rent for it.
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Post by m on Jun 30, 2014 11:00:08 GMT
we were informed Mark Ashton was unable to speak with us due to confidentiality and legal reasons. ....and yet that's a hanging offence for Lenagan! (not aimed at you BB, just using your post to make a point)
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Post by oufcyellows on Jun 30, 2014 11:51:54 GMT
Make no mistake, if or when the RTB is required, we will consult and poll our membership with the question, providing them with all the facts at our disposal plus any supplementary information, committee thoughts and recommendations. We would also want to involve all fans as ZTH suggests if possible. After all it effects us all. It continues to offer protection against the sale of the stadium and carpark to Oxford United. It gives us the right to make our own bid over a 6 month period. At this moment in time we have received no notification that is has been activated. Worth mentioning (I know Junior has asked) that when we made representation to Mark Ashton's office late on Friday, we were informed Mark Ashton was unable to speak with us due to confidentiality and legal reasons. When we suggested he may like to discuss the RTB we were politely informed that if he had needed to speak to us, he would have done it during the Due Diligence process. So if they ain't looking at the stadium at present why is everyone assuming they r only in it for the land deal?? Surely if they r only buying the club that gets them no closer to developing near or on the stadium site than il or kassam could at present
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Post by Mark Sennett on Jun 30, 2014 12:26:37 GMT
I'm glad this topic has come up as it's a chance to clarify two things: OxVox’s role in the takeover process and the Right To Bid. Following various enquiries, I was also today contacted by the media and explained it to them. Firstly the RTB has not been triggered at this point. Secondly it's worth saying that we spent months working on the RTB for exactly this situation. If an interested party has an offer on the Kassam Stadium accepted then this would trigger the right to bid. We have always said that we would share full details of this bid with our membership and the fan base and give the committee's own recommendations to the membership on whether to remove or invoke the right to bid. The OxVox membership would then be asked to vote on what action to take. This would happen if a 3rd party or the owners of Oxford United made a bid on the stadium. We’ve also been very clear that any deal would have to benefit Oxford United. And not just benefit Oxford United in the short term but also the long term. It’s our belief that the club should own the stadium. It’s been clear since we moved to the Kassam that separate companies owning the ground and club has put a financial strain in terms of rent. If any owner of Oxford United put the asset in the name of a subsidiary company, this would automatically cause concern. Even if they let the club use it rent-free in the short term, at any moment – let’s say if the owner wanted some extra cash for other projects, or if he wanted to realise the stadium’s capital value by selling it to a disinterested investor – that could and would change at the drop of a hat. Preferably it needs to be an asset of the club, but at the very least held in trust for the club. I have already said publicly that Charlie Methven has contacted us to talk about the right to bid. I have explained all of the above to him in great detail, and also explained that our metrics for judgement would be the same, no matter who the potential owner may be. Like many Oxford United fans over the last 20/30 years, I know Charlie pretty well but that’s not the point. We made it clear to him that transparency and open-dealing with fans is what we want for the future of Oxford United. As a result, we have asked his group to return to lay out in more detail their plans for both the stadium and the club, so that, were Ian Lenagan to accept any offer Charlie made, we could swiftly advise the membership on whether to activate or remove the right to bid, were he to make any move to acquire the stadium. Naturally, we would also make public what he had told us, so that fans could examine that plan for themselves.
To ensure total independence and transparency, I have also been contacting Mark Ashton on a continual basis, to ask that he go through the same process with us – and, by extension, with the fanbase that he would be asking to support him financially if his consortium took over. Of course, it would be nice to think that this process would be being aided by the owner of Oxford United. Instead, we have still heard nothing from Ian Lenagan, and Mark Ashton’s secretary told me that he is not allowed to speak to us, owing to confidentiality agreements (presumably with Ian). However, when I raised the RTB with her, she did say that she is sure “it would have come up in due diligence”. Which at least confirms that he is bidding! Finally, I just want to return to the subject of openness. You can be 100% sure that the moment any new owner comes in, they will be all over the local media, playing on fans emotions and asking for support. That’s fine. But in our view, you can’t have it both ways – you shouldn’t expect to treat the fans with contempt by not speaking to them as to why you SHOULD own the club when they still have a chance to express their view, and then turn around a few days later and suddenly come over all “We’re in this together and I need your help”.
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RTB?
Jun 30, 2014 12:30:20 GMT
Post by Gary Baldi on Jun 30, 2014 12:30:20 GMT
I especially agree with the last paragraph. The way it is happening could create tension on what should be a positive thing.
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RTB?
Jun 30, 2014 12:55:24 GMT
Post by onlyoneunited on Jun 30, 2014 12:55:24 GMT
Quick question for Mark. Is there a long-term plan for Oxvox to get a permenant member onto the OUFC board? I'd like to see this written into a constitution for the club and for the position to be electable for the fan-base (with fixed terms and maximum terms set). This way there would always be a member of the Supporters' Trust involved in these kinds of negotiations.
Understand that this is by no means a simple issue, but would like to know if this was an stated desire by Oxvox?
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Post by Mark Sennett on Jun 30, 2014 13:11:25 GMT
That is a key opbjective of ours and we discussed it with Ian Lenagan at length. We would happily discuss this with any future owner of the club too.
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RTB?
Jun 30, 2014 13:16:37 GMT
Post by onlyoneunited on Jun 30, 2014 13:16:37 GMT
Fantastic news. As far as I can see this is essential for all football clubs, not just Oxford United. Though with recent developments it obviously highlights why this is necessary. Glad Oxvox are already on the ball with it and look forward to seeing it implemented one day!
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RTB?
Jun 30, 2014 13:21:23 GMT
sarge likes this
Post by Long John Silver on Jun 30, 2014 13:21:23 GMT
It's a pity IL won't even come out and say he can't say anything at present due to confidentiality agreements. Even Ashton has at least said that!
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RTB?
Jun 30, 2014 14:06:50 GMT
sarge likes this
Post by pottersrightboot on Jun 30, 2014 14:06:50 GMT
if RTB was a real live issue I'd expect a full meeting of all interested OxVox members to be called. This is not something that can be done by internet poll! I sense some frustration - at last - between Oxvox committee and our very quiet chairman. About time. The lack of communication between club and supporters over the last two months has been nothing short of negligent.
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RTB?
Jun 30, 2014 14:50:42 GMT
sarge likes this
Post by Si Bradbury on Jun 30, 2014 14:50:42 GMT
if RTB was a real live issue I'd expect a full meeting of all interested OxVox members to be called. This is not something that can be done by internet poll! I sense some frustration - at last - between Oxvox committee and our very quiet chairman. About time. The lack of communication between club and supporters over the last two months has been nothing short of negligent. Yes you are right. The point we are making is that we would want to engage with our membership fully as it is their decision and calling a meeting would enable us to coherently get our views across to each other and debate this for the benefit of Oxford United. I assumed we were doing some poll but with hindsight, a meeting on this would be far more constructive.
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Post by Jem on Jun 30, 2014 15:02:59 GMT
Thanks Mark and Brahmabull, you're clarification is much appreciated!
It seems such a shame that you guys, volunteers in the cause of OUFC, have to go through all this stuff, whilst our Chairman and his family do absolutely nothing to communicate with the fan base and the wider community!
It's about time the local media really get stuck into this!!
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RTB?
Jun 30, 2014 19:21:40 GMT
sarge likes this
Post by one trick Raponi on Jun 30, 2014 19:21:40 GMT
I'm glad this topic has come up as it's a chance to clarify two things: OxVox’s role in the takeover process and the Right To Bid. Following various enquiries, I was also today contacted by the media and explained it to them. Firstly the RTB has not been triggered at this point. Secondly it's worth saying that we spent months working on the RTB for exactly this situation. If an interested party has an offer on the Kassam Stadium accepted then this would trigger the right to bid. We have always said that we would share full details of this bid with our membership and the fan base and give the committee's own recommendations to the membership on whether to remove or invoke the right to bid. The OxVox membership would then be asked to vote on what action to take. This would happen if a 3rd party or the owners of Oxford United made a bid on the stadium. We’ve also been very clear that any deal would have to benefit Oxford United. And not just benefit Oxford United in the short term but also the long term. It’s our belief that the club should own the stadium. It’s been clear since we moved to the Kassam that separate companies owning the ground and club has put a financial strain in terms of rent. If any owner of Oxford United put the asset in the name of a subsidiary company, this would automatically cause concern. Even if they let the club use it rent-free in the short term, at any moment – let’s say if the owner wanted some extra cash for other projects, or if he wanted to realise the stadium’s capital value by selling it to a disinterested investor – that could and would change at the drop of a hat. Preferably it needs to be an asset of the club, but at the very least held in trust for the club. I have already said publicly that Charlie Methven has contacted us to talk about the right to bid. I have explained all of the above to him in great detail, and also explained that our metrics for judgement would be the same, no matter who the potential owner may be. Like many Oxford United fans over the last 20/30 years, I know Charlie pretty well but that’s not the point. We made it clear to him that transparency and open-dealing with fans is what we want for the future of Oxford United. As a result, we have asked his group to return to lay out in more detail their plans for both the stadium and the club, so that, were Ian Lenagan to accept any offer Charlie made, we could swiftly advise the membership on whether to activate or remove the right to bid, were he to make any move to acquire the stadium. Naturally, we would also make public what he had told us, so that fans could examine that plan for themselves. To ensure total independence and transparency, I have also been contacting Mark Ashton on a continual basis, to ask that he go through the same process with us – and, by extension, with the fanbase that he would be asking to support him financially if his consortium took over. Of course, it would be nice to think that this process would be being aided by the owner of Oxford United. Instead, we have still heard nothing from Ian Lenagan, and Mark Ashton’s secretary told me that he is not allowed to speak to us, owing to confidentiality agreements (presumably with Ian). However, when I raised the RTB with her, she did say that she is sure “it would have come up in due diligence”. Which at least confirms that he is bidding! Finally, I just want to return to the subject of openness. You can be 100% sure that the moment any new owner comes in, they will be all over the local media, playing on fans emotions and asking for support. That’s fine. But in our view, you can’t have it both ways – you shouldn’t expect to treat the fans with contempt by not speaking to them as to why you SHOULD own the club when they still have a chance to express their view, and then turn around a few days later and suddenly come over all “We’re in this together and I need your help”. Re: the lack of PR/communication from IL he's playing this ridiculously badly for a man who may still be in charge of the club if neither of the deals currently on the table/being discussed work out. Thanks for the clarification on the RTB process Mark & Brahma. It's obviously one thing having the power to invoke the RTB if it comes to that and entirely another being able to put in a rival bid. Do OxVox have any particular irons in the fire about this? I'm not asking for specific details, just whether you've started the ball rolling in any way. My advice if Charlie's group aren't successful over the coming days and weeks whatever you do don't lose his phone number!
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RTB?
Jun 30, 2014 21:38:20 GMT
Post by Snake (RIP) on Jun 30, 2014 21:38:20 GMT
I'm glad this topic has come up as it's a chance to clarify two things: OxVox’s role in the takeover process and the Right To Bid. Following various enquiries, I was also today contacted by the media and explained it to them. Firstly the RTB has not been triggered at this point. Secondly it's worth saying that we spent months working on the RTB for exactly this situation. If an interested party has an offer on the Kassam Stadium accepted then this would trigger the right to bid. We have always said that we would share full details of this bid with our membership and the fan base and give the committee's own recommendations to the membership on whether to remove or invoke the right to bid. The OxVox membership would then be asked to vote on what action to take. This would happen if a 3rd party or the owners of Oxford United made a bid on the stadium. We’ve also been very clear that any deal would have to benefit Oxford United. And not just benefit Oxford United in the short term but also the long term. It’s our belief that the club should own the stadium. It’s been clear since we moved to the Kassam that separate companies owning the ground and club has put a financial strain in terms of rent. If any owner of Oxford United put the asset in the name of a subsidiary company, this would automatically cause concern. Even if they let the club use it rent-free in the short term, at any moment – let’s say if the owner wanted some extra cash for other projects, or if he wanted to realise the stadium’s capital value by selling it to a disinterested investor – that could and would change at the drop of a hat. Preferably it needs to be an asset of the club, but at the very least held in trust for the club. I have already said publicly that Charlie Methven has contacted us to talk about the right to bid. I have explained all of the above to him in great detail, and also explained that our metrics for judgement would be the same, no matter who the potential owner may be. Like many Oxford United fans over the last 20/30 years, I know Charlie pretty well but that’s not the point. We made it clear to him that transparency and open-dealing with fans is what we want for the future of Oxford United. As a result, we have asked his group to return to lay out in more detail their plans for both the stadium and the club, so that, were Ian Lenagan to accept any offer Charlie made, we could swiftly advise the membership on whether to activate or remove the right to bid, were he to make any move to acquire the stadium. Naturally, we would also make public what he had told us, so that fans could examine that plan for themselves. To ensure total independence and transparency, I have also been contacting Mark Ashton on a continual basis, to ask that he go through the same process with us – and, by extension, with the fanbase that he would be asking to support him financially if his consortium took over. Of course, it would be nice to think that this process would be being aided by the owner of Oxford United. Instead, we have still heard nothing from Ian Lenagan, and Mark Ashton’s secretary told me that he is not allowed to speak to us, owing to confidentiality agreements (presumably with Ian). However, when I raised the RTB with her, she did say that she is sure “it would have come up in due diligence”. Which at least confirms that he is bidding! Finally, I just want to return to the subject of openness. You can be 100% sure that the moment any new owner comes in, they will be all over the local media, playing on fans emotions and asking for support. That’s fine. But in our view, you can’t have it both ways – you shouldn’t expect to treat the fans with contempt by not speaking to them as to why you SHOULD own the club when they still have a chance to express their view, and then turn around a few days later and suddenly come over all “We’re in this together and I need your help”. I feel sorry for you, Mark, but keep at it as you can’t do any worse in terms of due diligence than the previous attempts of OxVox (Merry) and FOUL (Kassam). It’s dead easy to be taken in, as I well know when the club is desperate so I hold my hands up on this one - www.oxfordmail.co.uk/archive/1999/05/08/6636148.U_s_fans_ready_to_hit_back_at_Mellor/
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RTB?
Jun 30, 2014 21:40:10 GMT
Post by uptheus on Jun 30, 2014 21:40:10 GMT
Mark/OxVox,
We know that Charlie's good friends/on strong talking terms with Ian and his sons etc, so do you know or can we presume that Charlie would also know the intentions of Ashton's objectives?
I believe Charlie knows, hence why the urgent rush to put together a consortium to counteract Ashton's.
And if this is the case, then the Ashton bid obviously isn't good for the club?
Oh, and I know you/OxVox are close to Charlie so I also believe that you/OxVox know more than you've let on to date. I can understand why you've not divulged more at present, but I urge you to divulge all if you/OxVox indeed have more information as it's imperative that all fans know the full story?
Please don't take the last paragraph the wrong way.
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RTB?
Jul 1, 2014 8:04:57 GMT
via mobile
Post by outsidethebox on Jul 1, 2014 8:04:57 GMT
Sounds like this is an important time to join/rejoin Oxvox. Just shows how useful getting this RTB was and why FK fought against it.
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RTB?
Jul 1, 2014 8:59:55 GMT
Post by londonroader on Jul 1, 2014 8:59:55 GMT
Make no mistake, if or when the RTB is required, we will consult and poll our membership with the question, providing them with all the facts at our disposal plus any supplementary information, committee thoughts and recommendations. We would also want to involve all fans as ZTH suggests if possible. After all it effects us all. It continues to offer protection against the sale of the stadium and carpark to Oxford United. It gives us the right to make our own bid over a 6 month period. At this moment in time we have received no notification that is has been activated. Worth mentioning (I know Junior has asked) that when we made representation to Mark Ashton's office late on Friday, we were informed Mark Ashton was unable to speak with us due to confidentiality and legal reasons. When we suggested he may like to discuss the RTB we were politely informed that if he had needed to speak to us, he would have done it during the Due Diligence process. BB, have you any idea what the Due diligence is being carried out for, is it to buy the club, the ground or both?
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RTB?
Jul 1, 2014 9:59:03 GMT
Post by Mark Sennett on Jul 1, 2014 9:59:03 GMT
Yes we are always working on scenarios in case we need to raise a counter bid if that's what members want us to do. So we would not be at a standing start. LR - We don't know about that but when i mentioned to Ashton's secretary about the right to bid she simply said 'that would have come up in due dilligence.' Snake - Thanks for the comments and the reminder! We are doing everything we can to research all parties and remain independent. We are calling on all parties including the Lenagans to give us more info as the fans need to know the direction the club is taking. Sean - Only Charlie can answer that question. But he did say on radio he felt it was very important to have an alternative option on the table and he has a good releationship with Ian. So it's probably a safe assumption you're making. But we've divulged all we know at present. Today's Ox Mail further hits home our position on the RTB: www.oxfordmail.co.uk/sport/oxfordunited/11310652.So_quiet_as_Oxford_United_return_to_training/
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Post by John Lennon on Jul 1, 2014 10:11:31 GMT
Sounds like this is an important time to join/rejoin Oxvox. Just shows how useful getting this RTB was and why FK fought against it. I think you are right. When everything going well, some feel there is no reason to join a supporters trust. But at a time like this, our supporters trust are vital, and they are working hard on behalf of members, and the good of the club. I hope others join OxVox, as a strong supporters trust, backed by a large number of fans, will be in a stronger position to deal with things that happen in and around our football club.
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Post by woodstockyellow on Jul 1, 2014 11:12:35 GMT
Think you guys have done a lot of good work on this and kept the fans involved which cant be said about our chairman. This is also a big time for our club so ive just joined Oxvox.
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Post by Si Bradbury on Jul 1, 2014 11:40:07 GMT
Think you guys have done a lot of good work on this and kept the fans involved which cant be said about our chairman. This is also a big time for our club so ive just joined Oxvox. We all need to stick together, fans, day-to-day club staff, manager, coaches and players. We will come through this and it will be better on the other side. Keep asking the questions. Answers will eventually come.
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RTB?
Jul 1, 2014 11:48:47 GMT
via mobile
sarge likes this
Post by woodstockyellow on Jul 1, 2014 11:48:47 GMT
I do feel like the fans have come together more than last season, but Its for the wrong reasons. We are now all worried about our club on and off the pitch. I just hope we can all have a team and club we can be proud of and give our full backing too. IL and co dont seem to realise we are the most important people at our club. Hope that changes.
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Post by one trick Raponi on Jul 1, 2014 14:13:26 GMT
Thanks for the update Mark. Oxford fans would be much worse off without OxVox fighting our corner. Keep at it!
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RTB?
Jul 1, 2014 18:02:48 GMT
Jem likes this
Post by Snake (RIP) on Jul 1, 2014 18:02:48 GMT
Yes we are always working on scenarios in case we need to raise a counter bid if that's what members want us to do. So we would not be at a standing start. LR - We don't know about that but when i mentioned to Ashton's secretary about the right to bid she simply said 'that would have come up in due dilligence.' Snake - Thanks for the comments and the reminder! We are doing everything we can to research all parties and remain independent. We are calling on all parties including the Lenagans to give us more info as the fans need to know the direction the club is taking. Sean - Only Charlie can answer that question. But he did say on radio he felt it was very important to have an alternative option on the table and he has a good releationship with Ian. So it's probably a safe assumption you're making. But we've divulged all we know at present. Today's Ox Mail further hits home our position on the RTB: www.oxfordmail.co.uk/sport/oxfordunited/11310652.So_quiet_as_Oxford_United_return_to_training/If nothing get sorted by the 15th of July then Court Place Farm would cost you nowt to hold an unofficial open meeting and there is plenty of room in the clubhouse. It also has a very reasonably priced bar. I’m also sure that Colin Taylor and Co. (especially TAG) would appreciate as many fans as possible attending that game as it’s always Oxford City’s most lucrative game of the season. Kick off is at 7:45 so getting there early is a decent suggestion given the limited parking options and therefore many United supporters will have some time to kill pre-match. Not that I want to put any of my crazy suggestions into your head...
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Post by Mark Sennett on Jul 2, 2014 8:22:32 GMT
We've done a lotof media interviews and made fora posts but the committee was keen to do a united statement of our position. This was posted this morning and is as follows:
OxVox is calling on Oxford United and all parties that are interested in acquiring a stake in the club, to come forward and discuss their plans with the Supporters Trust and our entire fanbase. Despite the lack of communication from the board of Oxford United and a refusal to respond to the requests of the OxVox committee, we invite all those involved, including all consortia, to be open with their business plans and outline their vision for the club. We have recently been approached by the consortium led by local businessman Charlie Methven and we’ve invited him to provide further details about his plans so that we can relay this information to our fanbase. While we do not expect to be part of any confidential offers and commercial information of any private transaction, we do expect that fans are provided as much information as possible. Despite several attempts to contact Mark Ashton, whom we can confirm is in advanced discussions over potential ownership, he has refused to enter into any dialogue with OxVox despite the Asset of Community Value being placed on the Kassam Stadium. The stadium ownership remains a key component for the medium to long-term prospects of Oxford United and any agreement to purchase the stadium would trigger the Right to Bid. We have always been clear on what would happen in this situation. We would seek detailed information on the bid and then make recommendations to our membership to vote to either remove or activate the right to bid. We have also been very vocal that in order to recommend that the Right to Bid is removed, the club would have to own the stadium itself rather than a subsidiary company. At the very least the stadium would have to be held in a trust.
If a subsidiary company owned the stadium there might be short-term wins such as the club playing at the site rent free, or receive additional revenue, but this could be removed at the whim of any future owner. The only way to protect Oxford United’s long-term prosperity is for it to own the ground itself. We would only advise the membership to remove the Right to Bid if these criteria were met. Finally, should the club change ownership then we expect the new owners will ask for support from our loyal fanbase. We therefore once again ask you to break your silence and not treat our supporters with contempt by refusing to speak to them. We ask all Oxford United fans to unite behind the club staff, manager and players and to show those watching that we are united in our aims for success on the field and for the safe-guarding of our football club off it.
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RTB?
Jul 2, 2014 9:04:00 GMT
Post by Jem on Jul 2, 2014 9:04:00 GMT
We've done a lotof media interviews and made fora posts but the committee was keen to do a united statement of our position. This was posted this morning and is as follows: OxVox is calling on Oxford United and all parties that are interested in acquiring a stake in the club, to come forward and discuss their plans with the Supporters Trust and our entire fanbase. Despite the lack of communication from the board of Oxford United and a refusal to respond to the requests of the OxVox committee, we invite all those involved, including all consortia, to be open with their business plans and outline their vision for the club. We have recently been approached by the consortium led by local businessman Charlie Methven and we’ve invited him to provide further details about his plans so that we can relay this information to our fanbase. While we do not expect to be part of any confidential offers and commercial information of any private transaction, we do expect that fans are provided as much information as possible. Despite several attempts to contact Mark Ashton, whom we can confirm is in advanced discussions over potential ownership, he has refused to enter into any dialogue with OxVox despite the Asset of Community Value being placed on the Kassam Stadium. The stadium ownership remains a key component for the medium to long-term prospects of Oxford United and any agreement to purchase the stadium would trigger the Right to Bid. We have always been clear on what would happen in this situation. We would seek detailed information on the bid and then make recommendations to our membership to vote to either remove or activate the right to bid. We have also been very vocal that in order to recommend that the Right to Bid is removed, the club would have to own the stadium itself rather than a subsidiary company. At the very least the stadium would have to be held in a trust. If a subsidiary company owned the stadium there might be short-term wins such as the club playing at the site rent free, or receive additional revenue, but this could be removed at the whim of any future owner. The only way to protect Oxford United’s long-term prosperity is for it to own the ground itself. We would only advise the membership to remove the Right to Bid if these criteria were met. Finally, should the club change ownership then we expect the new owners will ask for support from our loyal fanbase. We therefore once again ask you to break your silence and not treat our supporters with contempt by refusing to speak to them. We ask all Oxford United fans to unite behind the club staff, manager and players and to show those watching that we are united in our aims for success on the field and for the safe-guarding of our football club off it. Hi Mark. This is a very important post. Do you think it'd be better if it were at the head of a new thread so that it doesn't get 'lost'? Maybe put it as a new thread on every section?!! Regards
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RTB?
Jul 2, 2014 9:06:48 GMT
Post by Mark on Jul 2, 2014 9:06:48 GMT
It's generally agreed that pretty much the only way a football club is viable if it gets the extra revenues generated by owning its own ground.
But what's to stop someone doing exactly what Kassam has done again:- 1. New owner buys club. 2. Club buys ground. -- wait a few years, perhaps ownership changes -- 3. Owner of club creates Stadco and sells stadium to Stadco. At this stage RTB is offered, and then what happens? Oxvox + businessmen own stadium but not the club? Oxvox + businessmen don't own the stadium and we're back to where we are under Kassam.
I am really struggling to understand how you can permanently have the stadium revenue belonging to the football club. Perhaps a Chelsea style option whereby Stamford Bridge can't be sold? Or it's owned by the council? Or a supporter's Trust? But every supporter's trust seems to end up running into financial difficulties, selling the club to a new owner, who demands the ground to make the ownership viable, with the inherent asset and revenue stripping. This is what will happen with Plymouth I reckon.
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