Jules
Sponsorship at the level that we will need will not be forthcoming, anyone with half a brain knows that. What could come in is investment based on the possibility of being more attractive to the Asian marketplace. If Assem Allam has been advised that Hull Tigers is the way to go, then he has been advised wrongly. We lost the chance to put this to Assem Allam because of the other name change application.
If the name change goes through there will be a loss of less than 10% of season ticket sales. In fact two other factors will be far more damaging than the name change relegation and a price increase.
Assem Allam wanted the KC to develop, something that you opposed. Without tangible assets the club has little value except its contracts and its brand. Assem Allam has invested in building the clubs contract asset, he invested in the player stock and the reward is the TV rights contract. The brand is the only other significant asset available.
I once believed that we should not just change the name of the club, but the whole principle of the clubs structure. I suggested that the club should change from HCAFC to Hull City Sporting Club and it should buy or invest in other professional local sporting clubs. It should build complexes that are capable of holding regional and national level events. Significant developments should be undertaken, such as turning Costello into a Hotel and county cricket ground simular to the Rose Bowl in Southampton. Developing sports based industries within the city to increase employment. I believed that Hull University and Hull City should develop a new centre for Sports Education.
As I said I believed in lots of things.
Because of my beliefs I read reports, attended meetings and lectures, developed contacts and tried to put together a viable plan. I spent hours doing the research to back up the plan.
Then things changed. The major banks involved in so many of the community based schemes got into trouble. Community assets where under scrutiny, government grants disappeared and investors who where once keen, shied away from even talking about putting their money anywhere near football.
So the inevitable happened, the only way the club can even start to stand on its own two feet is to be different, it has to become something that it isn't now. The name change isn't the solution. I do believe I know what the alternative is, but no one is willing to listen. Doors have become closed, its a pity, but that's the way of the world. Catering, matchday experience, more seats, forget it, not enough and not soon enough. The way forward is globalisation with major investor who needs global branding and who has the clout to do it.
But what do I know eh?
