SBITC and Woodlands school (1 Viewer)

[Senior Vick from Alicante]

Their is a rumour going around on Facebook that Dave Bust and the SBITC have taken over the running of the 3g pitch at the former Woodlands School. The rumour is that they have put all the prices up and are limiting pitch times to the clubs that currently use it.
Do SISU have any involvement with the SBITC? It seems a bit stupid to alienate the very people that you would want to encourage as I thought Bustys boys were a charity?

 

---

[Nick]

They are a charity.

Got any links or screenshots or more information?

 

[Nick]

Could be something about this?

 

[hill83]

Panic over.

Probably not though.

 

[Nick]

Looks like it is bluecoats.

Costs have gone up to run it properly, they have put prices up because improvements need to be made. they have said let us know if this is ok otherwise you will lose your slot.

A bloke is kicking off saying he wont be held to ransom.

Bit of a non story I think.

 

[Senior Vick from Alicante]

Do you think the Academy could be relocated their though?

 

[Mcbean]

Any room for a a grandstand ?

 

[SBitC]

The terms and condition of the grant from the Football Foundation state that the pitch has to be maintained and in good order for the full length of the terms and conditions of the contract (21 years). In order to do this, the Football Foundation recommends that a full size 3G pitch should put aside a sinking fund of circa £20,000 per year to cover ongoing repairs and maintenance, and eventually replacing the pitch surface.


We (SBitC) were approached 12 months ago but a number of partners including the school, County FA and local authority about taking on the running of the pitch, as there had been no consistent booking or pricing policy and no fund had been set aside to meet the requirements of the sinking fund, as stipulated in the Football Foundation contract. Therefore not only was the quality of the facility at risk of being compromised without the necessary repairs and maintenance fund, the Football Foundation had also said there was a risk of their original grant being clawed back if the sinking fund and a football development plan supporting grassroots football wasn't established - therefore risking potential closure of the facility.


SBitC are a self-financing charity, and are completely in support of grassroots clubs in the local area. This has been evidenced in a number of ways,as an example includingthe provision of over 50 free coaching qualifications for local club coaches through a grant from Sport England, and the group match day experience that provides discounted tickets and behind the scenes access for local junior football clubs offering a unique experience for local children and coaches. As part of the agreement to taking over the facility, we will also be working with key stakeholders to implement a football development plan to maximise the usage of the site for local grassroots football.

As part of us taking on the running of Bluecoat School 3G, SBitC have

It in a financial model to secure the long-term future of the facility and to maintain the high quality and standards of the pitch. This has included a standardised pricing structure with small increases. For example a third of the pitch for an hour has increased from £32.50 to £35 per hour.

Of all the existing users of the facility, we have managed to accommodate the requirements of all teams and age groups after giving them first refusal to continue their booking at the site. We are still awaiting confirmation from a small number of teams whether or not they wish to continue using the site and their slot is being held open for them whilst we await confirmation.

We are happy to discuss this openly with anyone who may be interested, so please contact [email protected] if you have any questions.

 

[Nick]

Makes perfect sense if the extra money needs to be raised to be able to be eligible for funding and to keep everything up to scratch.

 

[chiefdave]

Was it being run by the school themselves previously? Sounds like its all been done on a shoe string and SBITC are putting a proper plan in place to ensure the facility doesn't suddenly disappear.

 

[SkyBlueScottie]

So, to recap. Its nothing to do with Sisu, and even if it was, a £2.50 increase in rental price hardly breaks the bank.

 

[Senior Vick from Alicante]

That's put that one to bed then. PUSB

 

[Captain Dart]

Maybe put it in SBITC thread.

 

[pastythegreat]

Their is a rumour going around on Facebook that Dave Bust and the SBITC have taken over the running of the 3g pitch at the former Woodlands School. The rumour is that they have put all the prices up and are limiting pitch times to the clubs that currently use it.
Do SISU have any involvement with the SBITC? It seems a bit stupid to alienate the very people that you would want to encourage as I thought Bustys boys were a charity?

There is no 3G pitch at woodlands! Only in powerleague and that's all privately owned by them and has nothing to do with woodlands

Sent from my SM-G928F using Tapatalk

 

[duffer]

There is no 3G pitch at woodlands! Only in powerleague and that's all privately owned by them and has nothing to do with woodlands

Sent from my SM-G928F using Tapatalk

Yep, Powerleague is 3G, but private 5-a-side/7-side hire, and when Woodlands were there the kids got to play on it during the school day as I recall.

I think it's pretty expensive, but it always looks fairly busy so is presumably doing quite well. There's Goals up at AT7 too, which I think is the same kind of thing. Neither has owt to do with SBiTC, as far as I know.

 

[Nick]

He had the school wrong, it is Bluecoats

 

[duffer]

Looks like it is bluecoats.

Costs have gone up to run it properly, they have put prices up because improvements need to be made. they have said let us know if this is ok otherwise you will lose your slot.

A bloke is kicking off saying he wont be held to ransom.

Bit of a non story I think.

In fairness Nick, I think I know this chap and he's not kicking off on his own behalf, it relates to the team he's involved with. They've already budgeted for training costs for the year, and have been surprised that the deal's been changed at short notice is how I'm reading it. I've no axe to grind against SBiTC, who do some very good things, but there are two sides to this.

If you've been involved in running a club (especially one with a few kids teams) you'll know how tight funds are. To have things changed this late in the day when most training slots elsewhere have been booked up is going to cause a bit of pain. I'd look for some kind of compromise here, personally.

My proposal would be to hold this season at the rate previously agreed, with a commitment from the team to book next year at the increased rate. SBiTC get guaranteed utilisation for two seasons, the team get predicatabilty as to costs. That's just my opinion though...

This has nowt to do with SISU or CCFC, or the Council or Wasps. On that basis there might actually be a negotiation possible.

 

[letsallsingtogether]

Makes perfect sense if the extra money needs to be raised to be able to be eligible for funding and to keep everything up to scratch.

Exactly mind you when the Highs do the Highs centre do the same will that alsoake sense?

 

[chiefdave]

If you did that Duffer where would the money to cover the shortfall come from?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Broken Hearted Sky Blue]

If you did that Duffer where would the money to cover the shortfall come from?
We could always have a collection at a home game we've done it for others before

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[stupot07]

If you did that Duffer where would the money to cover the shortfall come from?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

And what happens if that team folds at the end of the season? Or just decided to go elsewhere, there wouldn't be a legally binding contract in place to lock the team into the second season.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[hill83]

Exactly mind you when the Highs do the Highs centre do the same will that alsoake sense?

Has anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like?

 

[sw88]

Do you think the Academy could be relocated their though?

Id get to a few games if it was

 

[duffer]

If you did that Duffer where would the money to cover the shortfall come from?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Unless I've misread there isn't a shortfall, what SBiTC are trying to do is build up a contingency fund. So there isn't, presumably, a risk of the facility suddenly going broke - they just need to put a plan in place to build up reserves. The increase in price and required length of contract is (I'd guess) designed to slowly build that contingency, the problem is that the changes have seemingly been done with very little notice.

In the immediate term if SBiTC can't fully rebook the slots from the team who may now walk away (and I'm guessing the team here were looking to book a fair amount of time) then this may actually cost them more this year in lost utilisation than they would've made from the increase. To be clear, I'm not accusing SBiTC of being horrible people here, I'm absolutely sure they're not. But what they're doing seems a little harsh on the team involved and might not be even in their SBiTC's own best interests when considered in the round.

All I'm saying is that I think that there might be room for negotiation here, and it might be in everyone's best interests to do so.

 

[duffer]

And what happens if that team folds at the end of the season? Or just decided to go elsewhere, there wouldn't be a legally binding contract in place to lock the team into the second season.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

I would think there would be a contract or agreement of some kind, as there is when entering into any kind of booking like this - that would protect both sides. The club in question is pretty big in terms of the number of kids teams that they run, and very well-established - it's not a Sunday League outfit.

 

[MusicDating]

Has anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like?

This is like an inspired but obscure comedy on some random Sky channel that really should be mainstream. Bravo Hill :happy:

 

[SBitC]

Good evening all.
In the interest of openness and clarity we just thought we'd respond to one or two points that have been made.

In terms of timescales, we took over the contract to run the facility on 1st September this year, so it became our responsibility for bookings from that date - hence the slightly late notice. Whilst it wasn't ideal, all bookings prior to that date were/ could have been done through the school.

With regards to the suggestion on offering this particular team a discount, this would mean that one team were paying less money than everyone else - which obviously wouldn't be fair to those other clubs and teams. Part of our proposal to take on the facility included a full budget to cover contingency fund, staffing/ site supervision etc. so we have to make that budget balance. Unfortunately we can't have one price for one team and everyone else paying a higher rate. Similarly we aren't in a position to give everyone 12 months grace to budget for the new pricing structure, because it is estimated that the facility will need resurfacing in the next 5 years at a significant cost - which we will work with the school to cover.

All other teams that used the site have agreed without any issue to the new terms - including a number of teams from the same club.

We work very closely with this club and we are actually hosting one of their disability teams at the Oldham game on Saturday, where their players will form the guard of honour and do a demonstration on the pitch at half time. We will also be supporting the club by providing free coaching to support their volunteers on the disability side of the club during the 2016-17 season.

It is unfortunate from our point of view that this issue couldn't have been resolved more privately, and there is an open invitation from us to give more details around the terms of the facility grant to include a contingency budget and our pricing structure, with those who have raised their concerns.

 

[hill83]

This is like an inspired but obscure comedy on some random Sky channel that really should be mainstream. Bravo Hill :happy:

I stole it off the internet.

 

[Bennets Afro]

I played up there Monday night and it was £70 for an hour for the bigger pitch at the back

 

[letsallsingtogether]

Exactly mind you when the Higgs centre do the same will that also make sense?

 

[ajsccfc]

I can't stand those Goals and Powerleague pitches. They suit players with good feet and quick responses, and I hate all those people.

 

[letsallsingtogether]

Good evening all.
In the interest of openness and clarity we just thought we'd respond to one or two points that have been made.

In terms of timescales, we took over the contract to run the facility on 1st September this year, so it became our responsibility for bookings from that date - hence the slightly late notice. Whilst it wasn't ideal, all bookings prior to that date were/ could have been done through the school.

With regards to the suggestion on offering this particular team a discount, this would mean that one team were paying less money than everyone else - which obviously wouldn't be fair to those other clubs and teams. Part of our proposal to take on the facility included a full budget to cover contingency fund, staffing/ site supervision etc. so we have to make that budget balance. Unfortunately we can't have one price for one team and everyone else paying a higher rate. Similarly we aren't in a position to give everyone 12 months grace to budget for the new pricing structure, because it is estimated that the facility will need resurfacing in the next 5 years at a significant cost - which we will work with the school to cover.

All other teams that used the site have agreed without any issue to the new terms - including a number of teams from the same club.

We work very closely with this club and we are actually hosting one of their disability teams at the Oldham game on Saturday, where their players will form the guard of honour and do a demonstration on the pitch at half time. We will also be supporting the club by providing free coaching to support their volunteers on the disability side of the club during the 2016-17 season.

It is unfortunate from our point of view that this issue couldn't have been resolved more privately, and there is an open invitation from us to give more details around the terms of the facility grant to include a contingency budget and our pricing structure, with those who have raised their concerns.

Fair play to you.
First time we have had a reply.
just waiting for Sisu,CCC now.

 

[hill83]

I can't stand those Goals and Powerleague pitches. They suit players with good feet and quick responses, and I hate all those people.

I always, without fail, turn my ankle on the powerleague pitches.

 

[stupot07]

Exactly mind you when the Highs do the Highs centre do the same will that alsoake sense?

Tbh, this was a point I made when higgs were trying to get us to pay for replacement equipment. I'd presumed that wear and tear would have been already been incorporated into the rental costsm

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[Brylowes]

I played up there Monday night and it was £70 for an hour for the bigger pitch at the back

What, played up about the new pricing structure.
Or played football up there.