So, we are told that Medway Council are to be the new Club sponser for next season. As usual we don't get to be told the size of the deal - except that, apparently, there is no financial implication for residents of Medway ( those who pay Council Tax ). I may have the wrong idea about sponsorship - but I thought that GFC are supposed to get money, in return for endorsing and promoting the sponsor ? If Medway Council are using public funds to sponsor GFC, then that is wrong. I would be livid if my taxes were used for such a purpose ( I don't live in Medway ). If Medway Council are not giving GFC any money - then- just exactly how are they sponsoring the Club ? I have a friend who works for MEMS. I am told that their sponsorship deal was worth £750,000. Allegedly. Mr. Scally wanted £1,000,000 for next season. MEMS were not prepared to increase the figure ( for a club, who, at the time of the negotiations were in danger of relegation ) - and a deal couldn't be reached. MEMS were also offering the use of their generators /service - for which GFC will now have to pay another contractor. I am also told that MEMS offered £8,000,000 for the Club - but PDS wanted £12,000,000. I don't necessarily blame Mr.S for refusing £8M , but - if he likes the feel of bank notes, what is Medway Council giving him - if not cash ?
Like our owner it's the Scallywags club and he does what he wants ..... what the fans feel is not important to him...... he's not a fan, just the owner!
Medway Council own our training ground so I believe as part of the deal, we will no longer have to pay rent on the use of the facilities. It may also help in our pipe dream of obtaining planning permission for a new stadium lol.
Firstly i will start off by stating i'm happy that Medway Council is sponsoring our club. Also i am for the ground to be renamed The Medway Priestfield Stadium, which is not out of proportion with the name currently used for the name of the main stand, also we are a Medway club, plus i as of yet cannot see any issues with the council logo. Secondly, although i do not agree and have never agreed with the building of a new ground, this deal can only help the Chairman and the club to form a relationship that will help them achieve in receiving their end goal. I can't stop progress and would never attempt to do so, my opinion is my opinion but i know my opinion may not fit with the future of our club and i happy to concede and accept that, if things are done properly. This is a good step in the right direction. Right thirdly and now my real massive beef! It is NOT PROPER nor TRANSPARENT for a local authority to NOT disclose the details financially or otherwise of the deal. This is a massive hang up for me. Surely there has to be a legal route where Medway Council are forced to reveal the details of the deal, who the hell pays them afterall! I'm can only assume the deal is non financial, so what is this a favours bloody deal!? Surely under financial regulations or via KCC the local authority cannot and should not remain quiet on whatever type of deal has been struck....they need to think how this looks to the public, we are a financial club, you are doing deals with that club, I'm sorry guys but you need to publish whatever deal has been struck in full and open detail.
Radio Kent reported it as a non - financial deal with it having no impact on Medway Council Tax Payers. There's an interview with the council leader somewhere where he states that very fact.
But there was a 'deal' even if non financial, albeit i don't see how it can be termed as non financial if the club benefit from any financial savings on training ground etc. I see a media report today where the Labour councillors are also asking questions, not far from the thoughts i am raising, but naturally I will try and avoid the political arguments within this. My points would be, this is not a company, ie such as MEMS - where we have to accept a certain amount of confidentiality (Private Sector). This is a local authority, they are accountable to the public - who (names) has the Chairman personally conducted this agreement with and what is the 'deal'? All of this should be open and transparent in every detail, I'm not feeling that at the moment. I'm not sure why this is even clouded in any secrecy, Medway Council can't have a competitor, they are the authority!
Submit a request for the details as a request under the freedom of information act to Medway council. They have a legal duty to respond in 20 working days. If they cite non disclosure due to commercial sensitivity then write back asking them to detail this. If you want some fun copy private eye into your e mails...
What area would it come under in the Council?....their emails contacts are different dependent on the department. https://www.medway.gov.uk/info/2001...u_can_t_find_what_you_re_looking_for_online/1
Most councils have an email address [email protected] Check their website if you can’t find it just sent it to the generic customer service e mail address but title it request under freedom of information act.
Here you go.. https://www.medway.gov.uk/info/200138/your_council/148/freedom_of_information_act_2000/1
If you think they are taking the piss by not replying tell them you want details how to complain to the data commissioner. Looking at their website they seem to be trying to hide the fact there is national scrutiny of FOI responses.
It looks odd. Medway council must be providing cash or services or both or it’s not sponsorship. Given the cuts to local government budgets through austerity of about 40% feck knows how they are affording whatever they are doing and god knows what’s going to get cut as a result. I suspect they might try and say the football club gives the district publicity and therefore they want to increase the profile of the area as part of a commercial strategy.. ask them to detail what this is based on, ask to see the projections. They are only supposed to do this kind of stuff if the get at least £10 back for every £1 spent. We have similar bollix up here putting on the tour de yorkshire cycle race and now the uci cycling world championships 2019. The **** is going to hit the fan when it all comes out.
Thanks for your help. I've sent an email so now it's wait and see. I will post up any reply when i get it.
I am just happy knowing that if there is any financial cost, Millwall, Charlton, Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs supporting locals are helping to support little old Gillingham.
I always like to keep a balanced view within a topic. So in the following link you will see a letter from Mr Scally dated 8th May sent to Councillor Maple, you will need to download it if you want to read it...https://www.gillinghamfootballclub.com/news/2018/may/chairman-response/ I did download it and all though i respect the reply, I'm just not convinced. I also have a saying in life along with a few others and one of them goes, if something don't feel right, it generally isn't...I call it gut instinct. If Medway Council and Gillingham Football Club, and i aim this mainly at the former as the local authority, have nothing to hide, then be open and transparent about it, rather than write letters and have to read reports telling us this is non financial, then do a full disclosure of the details, why is that so difficult!? This isn't about two companies doing business, where i would respect secrecy, this is public sector and private sector. It's simple, what is in it for my club, that is worth more than 500k-1M in sponsorship. Medway struck a hard deal, your words Mr Chairman, so what exactly was that deal that was worth more than £500k to you or OUR club - I always thought we was cash strapped, have we suddenly come in to money, I doubt it. As for not being a cost as i have seen in some reports to the tax payer, then who paid the wages of the people that fought that hard struck deal?
If the Council own your training ground and the club no longer have to pay to use it then instantly there is a cash implication to the Council who have no money of their own so it becomes a cash implication to the population of the Town. If you were receiving money for the use of something and that money is then taken away then there is a hole in the budget of whatever that money was used for. Either that thing is no longer being funded therefore the population or part of it are deprived of a service or the money is being found from elsewhere which says some other service is being cut to continue to pay for that one. If a club were getting £750k per season for ground sponsorship or club sponsorship and are now getting no money at all for the same thing then that is indeed a hard bargain and one I would totally not believe. What football club these days could afford to throw away real money in the lower reaches of the EFL? The Council in Plymouth loaned Argyle around £700k a couple of seasons ago to help pay off the Aministration money when we were in debt up to our eyeballs. That loan was at a favourable rate interest wise but there was interest to pay. The interest rate was around half of what it would have been if it had come from a Bank for example. However it was around twice as much as the Council would get from their reserves from a Bank so it was a good deal for both. All Councils have to have a reserve so it wasn't money they could use elsewhere. Had the Council just given the money to the club then all hell would have broken loose from the population.
States in the letter that we still be paying rent on our training ground too so I'm a bit more perplexed now with regards to what benefits this has for the club. Can only assume this is more around the GFC School and Community trust that will benefit then as opposed to the Football side of things. All rather odd.
Like you mate, I'm all for giving to the community, absolutely, that has always been my want in football, bringing back to the game what the Premier League stole from it. However, at our level we have always managed to maintain a certain amount of decorum and to me that is about making football, affordable to all. This season the club has given away some stupid offers, offers that we both took up. But all i want to do is pay a sensible price, I do not expect tickets to be virtually given away to us and they were! Now on the back of that...we had a perfectly good sponsor, no wait...a brilliant sponsor! No aggravation, the sponsorship deal at the time was disclosed too, so now why all the secrecy? Whether i like it or not we are a commercial enterprise, we should be dealing with companies that give us money to keep us afloat. Now unless the Chairman has come about a sudden unknown windfall (unlikely) we have suddenly become a charitable organisation where we do non financial business deals....hard struck business deals, I'm not sure how getting no financial recompense is hard struck but hey what do i know about running a business
