donations to the OSC
 

going back a couple of months I put out a request for donations to the OSC of simple stuff we can use such as raffle prizes and stationary etc.

Thanks to MARTY71 from Ipswich who has put two boxes of printer paper into the kitty. If anybody still doles out karma then spread the wealth Martys way. It is sometimes the simple stuff like paper and ink that eventually stop people doing things for the club because they seem to do nothing but put their hands in their own pockets - this does get on top of you and sooner or later you (or your missus/Mr) puts a stop to it.

Not everybody can get to a meeting, not everybody wants to get to a meeting, those that do don't necessarily want to get involved with things. This is a way that everybody can help out. This season we have had raffle donations from Blackpool, paper from Ipswich, offers of membership help and calendar making from Bristol. Not much coming out of Accrington though (apologies to those that do help though - you all know who you are).

Re: donations to the OSC
 

Macca,
Most other SC's are free, why do we need to pay??/
Where does the money go??

Re: donations to the OSC
 

It's not a case of having to pay mate, it's a way of helping out the Club, and the OSC alike. Noone is forcing you to do 'owt.

Re: donations to the OSC
 

I would happily give my time for free, i know where you're coming from, but my tenner wouldn't matter a jot.

I earn a reasonable amount, but I couldn't make any diff to ASFC.

But if my time and experience is any help to you, I will give you everything in my power.

PS I wasn't slagging you

Re: donations to the OSC
 

Another thing,

i will ask NCFC to provide something for a raffle, prob worth nowt to ASFC, but worth A TRY.

Bryan Gunn used to live next door to me in Framingham Earl,Norfolk

Re: donations to the OSC
 

I can thtink of one football club that has a free official supporters club.

The price for memberships for adults are £5 at any home match or OSC meeting (as you are already donating to the club by being there), £8 national members and £10 international members.

At present you recieve your membership card and limited run, one season issue badge. The membership entitles you to join in with choices made by the OSC regarding future plans and ways of helping the club. There are plans (and have been for a while to be fair) to expand what you get for your money to include christmas cards, newsletters etc.

The main reason for becoming a member of any supporters body is identifying yourself as affiliated to that particular body. Wherever I go on holiday, people dont have to ask me where I am from; the badge, the shirt etc give it away.

All monies raised by our OSC go into the football club but via something that we approve of. We wouldn't just give them a cheque for x amount so that they could go out a buy a duffer or a bronze statue of Frank Martindale etc. But in the past we may have spent money on decorating the clubhouse, new carpets, etc. The point is - we decided what the money goes on. As the club has progressed so has the expenditure and we cant generally afford the things the club now needs like a roof or a new bar. Not unless we drastically increase the OSC and drastically increase our activities. We should have a 1000 members at least through our home crowd - that would double last years fundraising. We should - and will by the start of the new season -have at least one event planned per month in the sportsbar that should raise at least £150 per event. Thats another £1800.

etc etc

little things that should be done as standard and will be given the passage of a little time and we have more money to do something with. There were numerous dissenters last season against the OSC and I was one of them, I hope that some events this season have gone a long way to swinging their opinion and that next season I can sit back and wait for the memberships to come flooding in.

In essence it is a only donation to the club, but via a means of getting that money to something you would like to see it go towards.

We all recognise that Stanley could benefit from improved corporate facilities, but I wouldn't contribute personally to that as I would not see the benefit - apart from the long term increased revenue streams that in turn filter down to improved players and general facilities. Whatever the club does it does so with the view that it will be beneficial to the long term stability. But sometimes it may not remember to paint the turnstiles or whatever. Thats where we can come in. Personally I'd rather hoard any funds until such time as we have something constructive to put it towards. At this moment in time 10 grand would go a long way towards a bar behind one goal!

Re: donations to the OSC
 

Why dont you set up the Stanley Supporters Trust, then all money goes to the proper channels, one day we will have a fan on the board, believe|||

Re: donations to the OSC
 

Supporters Trusts are generally only set up when there is a problem with administration, liquidation, or the like.

Without having looked too deeply at it, it involves a lot more legalities, a lot more red tape and a lot more effort. There is nothing wrong with the current structure at the club, but from an OSC perspective it needs a lot more input from a lot more people. Also I may be wrong but FT's usually involve employing full time staff to man them. We can afford to pay minimum wage to an 18 year old for around five hours a week at the moment.

Next idea please

Re: donations to the OSC
 

No, no, no.
The Trust are all non earning members of the public.

There are a lot of clubs owned by fans, I'll let you research.

Again, I will gladly give my time for free.

OSO

Re: donations to the OSC
 

I think you`ll find the board ARE fans.

Re: donations to the OSC
 

Yes they are,
but think about it, a supporters trust could seee ACFC in the hands of the fans.

I know I am, I'm sure I Am, I'm Stanley 'til I die.

Re: donations to the OSC
 

I wouldn`t trust it in the hands of the fans.

We`d right now be drinking Craney + Robert`s transfer fees. :D

Re: donations to the OSC
 

Zero, you're prob right, but if you were on the board, you could have done your best. We avina laf.

Anyway, more fun will be had on Naaarwich to London line on sat because Binner fans will be on same train. Should be fun!!!!!!!!!

we're the bessssth fusssshtbal shcporters in the world.

Oh lot's of wine,makes me feel fine.

On the ****s City

Re: donations to the OSC
 

Yella,
If you`re from Norwich and also a fan of Stanley ( which is most welcome) there is no better way to pledge you`re support than becoming a National Member of the OSC. It`s worth signing up now just for the sake of getting an OSC badge for the year Stanley returned to the league, imagine showing that to your grandchildren. Knowing you were a fully paid up champion of the cause.

Nah think on !

Re: donations to the OSC
 

Southport fans have recently set up a Supporters Trust - I could find out the whys and wherefores if there is enough interest in taking this forward

Re: donations to the OSC
 

as chairman of the OSC i would say no there isn't enough interest. There isn't enough interest in what it is now let alone going to the effort of rebranding, repackaging it to get pretty much nowhere further down the line than what we are now.

The board is sound, the ownership of the club and its finances are sound. Accrington Stanley is under threat whatsoever and yet we see fit to change things! next they'll be calling for Coleys head!!! oh hang on a minute .........

Re: donations to the OSC
 

I've just had a quick shufty about and some of the lesser known facts are that half of the elected board (up to 14 - almost a full meet for the OSC) must stand down after a year whilst no member can run more than a two year term. Thats crazy. Its okay for clubs where they have at least hundreds to choose from but seeing as our 'active' fan base is less than 10 we would struggle to fulfill the most basic of election principles. Secondly rules such as if there is a ballot then it must be independantly verified. What? Notts County have been verified by Luton Supporters Trust. I wouldn't drive from here to Carlisle just to check they aren't fiddling their elections.

More to the point, it involves a lot more work by the fan, or rather by their elected board. The people here who are doing things do as much as they are able to allowing time for family and work and personal life.

The answer is not to change the format, it is to change the people. There are a lot of people at Stanley who talk a good fight but dont show their faces when there is work to be done. How about the next OSC meeting we try to get 50 people there who all want to put their hands up and offer ideas, offer help towards construction of a bigger and better OSC. The willingness is on th etop table to take the club to levels it has never been. But if you, the local fan, is not interested in taking it there then why should anybody else? The Crown Crowd do not seem to want to get involved so should we concentrate on them? or should we concentrate on those further afield who do seem to want to get involved? The correct answer is both. There are currently 4 positions filled on the committee and I think that we can have 9, we can also have sub committee's that are elected to look after such and such a thing but without the numbers it isn't going to happen.

Looking at other supporters clubs around the country it is evident that a lot of them make their money via organising away travel (out of our hands), via lotteries (out of our hands) via Supporter club shops (no room) etc

The things that fans can do to raise money are generally already being done by the club anyway. Even the junior reds which I believe we tried to organise a couple of years ago is now being done by the club! and why not? the fans didn't seem able to do it and I'll wager that it was lack of effort and interest by the wider body and only two or three people trying to do as much as they could with limited time available.

Many hands make light work, I think that many of you - and the people you sit/stand with at Stanley should take a look at yourselves and ask if there is something more you could do, an hour and a half a month at a meeting (at the most) is not too much to ask is it? to come along and try to offer ideas of what can be done. Next season we WILL be having one night a month where we book somebody for the sportsbar. Now this might cost the OSC £200 for an artist and we might only make £100 but if the bar make £400 then we have made a donation to the club worth more than the £100 loss.

If these nights are successful we will get better artists and try to have a couple of nights where we book somebody well known ut again its down to you lot. We will also be doing the race nights, curry nights etc etc but if it is still only the usual four or five sticking their hands up then it wont happen. The Open Day needs many hands but how many people have actually helped? All it involved was coming to a meeting (in the pub) and contributing ideas of how we can improve something, or what the pitfalls are and then making a couple of phone calls afterwards to verify things or compare quotes. If less people help then fewer people have to make more phone calls and it starts to get expensive and time consuming to the individual who maybe next time will keep quiet when ideas are being talked about. When I first mentioned the Open Day, I was kinda hoping somebody else would step forward and take it off me and I could sit in the wings and just voice ideas and offer assistance, as it is it feels a bit like a millstone around my neck and if it fails it comes down to me. However I am sure that with the small but dedicated team around me that is not going to happen, so thanks for that guys. I just wish there was three times as many of you. Never mind eh, it will make victory all the sweeter!

Re: donations to the OSC
 

Hope things get better soon Macca. I recently just applied for my Membership over the site so when that comes through I will try and become as useful as possible, descpite the fact my family calls me useless :p

I only live 15 mins from Accy so shouldn't be difficult to make meeting etc.

Re: donations to the OSC
 

yes, I got confirmation yesterday off Paypal, can either post it for you or give it you at the match tomorrow?

Re: donations to the OSC
 

erm probably best to post it if you don't mind mate, taking my Dad to the game tomorrow so wont really have time to go to the Sports Bar or anythin' I'm afraid.

Re: donations to the OSC
 

But where do we find you? The old regime of the OSC was in the clubhouse after nearly every match taking subs. I've been in a couple of times this season and never seen anyone. I even sent you a PM asking where I could renew my membership and didn't even receive a reply.

Re: donations to the OSC
 

I am in the clubhouse practically every home game beforehand from 2 at the latest and afterwards for at least half an hour. Usually given away by the membership book in front of me with box of badges etc.

Agreed though that if you cant see me its awkward, from next season there will be a reserved signposted table at every game so there will be no excuse. As for a pm...? sorry dont recall having seen it. I spend a lot of time on here day and night and ALWAYS respond to my PMs, if not immediately but sooner or later. I only delete them when answered, I have just checked and cannot find one. I will not actively be seeking new members now as it is only two and a half months until they are expired, so most people who are having one already do. However anybody who is still after signing up, and we certainly want you to, I will be at the bottom of the Crown steps tomorrow handing out leaflets for Rochdale away.

As I said back in October, I only took over as chairman of the OSC because nobody else wanted to do it. I only took membership secretary on as well because nobody else would do it. I allocate what time I can to what I can.

See you all tomorrow