Smurf Tweet

[Trentham Lakes Valiant]

TBH, it's perfectly simple. The Commercial Dept have to find £1m per year or we are not financially viable

[werstayinup]

This is a direct pm off Smurf on Twitter, who asked me to post:

 

Hi Please post on OVF.I do not make bold statements just facts Ecx Wolves and Cov our gate receipts circa 30k.Payroll of whole club 300k pm

 

Shortfall 210k pm before other income.I have Inv 600k in improvements in Club so far which is a one off.Cup proceeds should reduce my input

 

Pardon my French but what the **** are the commercial department doing???

[The French Connection]

I wish he wouldn't do this! Its so much better when we stick to supporting the Club and he sticks to running it!!

 

There's no need to set hares running like this - counter-productive.

[geosname]

TBH, it's perfectly simple. The Commercial Dept have to find £1m per year or we are not financially viable

 

We must be viable, smurf is a successful business man, we are near the top of league 1 and adams is doing a great job

[Fosse69]

I don't understand that. 5500 x £20 = £110,000. Including Coventry and Wolves, our gate receipts so far this season are > £1.5m.

 

As for the rest...we desperately need a review of the commercial department. Just exactly what John Booth brings to table for Vale instead of Sports Global ltd. and footballtradedirectory.com for example.

A home gate of 5500, less STs would give say 2000 at an average of £15 each a total of £30k. Away visitors of 1000 at £15 gives £15K, larger crowds attract higher police costs. Seems to relate to Normans figs. But the total monthly pay budget will include other income and presumably a % of ST money. Now he has explained, briefly, the figures it is not quite so frightening. Although the STs were below expectations, perhaps with our good form, gates will improve, remember pay on the gate costs a fan more than STs on a match basis, thus income could improve.

[werstayinup]

Don't shoot the messenger guys. I'd just seen his original tweet and raised on here, then got a DM on twitter out of the Blue off Smurf asking me to post. These were basic responses to a couple of questions asking why we were losing that much.

 

FAO DOHA 4200 season tickets less than 1k home gate fans way below budget

Too be honest I misjudged appetite for success this will not be case next season.

Do not forget 20% all revenue is VAT

 

This thing does annoy about smurf and that's the blaming of the fans which he has done a fair bit of late,we have more fans now than we have had for a while and they should be praised,smurf this is not the way to attract fans to the club,i would suggest you find out what people like Booth bring to the club(and paid to do so),don't forget fans also plough a lot of their hard earned mainly low paid income into the club.

[werstayinup]

We must be viable, smurf is a successful business man, we are near the top of league 1 and adams is doing a great job

 

Agreed,if the commercial department cant make money now then they never will.

[butt lane vale fan]

http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Smurthwaite-s-warning-Vale-finances-Chairman-says/story-20259411-detail/story.html

[werstayinup]

http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Smurthwaite-s-warning-Vale-finances-Chairman-says/story-20259411-detail/story.html

 

I could be being thick but if you cant spend more than 60% of income,how can we lose money?

[geosname]

Forgot about ST's!

 

I can understand NS' disappointment with only 4200 ST sales after an automatic promotion season. Have to remember though that they'd gone up in price and SoT is one of the most economically depressed areas in the UK. Burslem alone has a child poverty level of 32% which is some indication of the local economic situation.

 

Clearly however there's a shortfall in the commercial department. IIRC Brentford and Rotherham for example made £3-5m in commercial revenue last season. Our turnover sounds to be dramatically less. What's holding us back and forcing Norman to have to pay out of his own pocket?

 

But then again Doha, if everyone had bought a ST there would be far less income.

[Fosse69]

I could be being thick but if you cant spend more than 60% of income,how can we lose money?

We can only spend 60% of turnover/income on players, but are spending more than 40% on other things. Norman is making up the difference.

[fraggle]

Could you PM smurf back Butt Lane and tell him to keep his mouth shut please... He's just creating unwanted apathy amongst supporters, when after the Sentinel and shirts debacle he should be getting on with his business quietly...along with his team, to fill the holes in the budget!!!!

 

Amen, night all!

[fraggle]

Let's remind ourselves it's christmas. Fans will pick and choose games, if we are performing in and around the playoffs post Xmas I can see a return to much higher gates if we're serious about giving it a shot this year.... Burton type gates..

[Fosse69]

Forgot about ST's!

 

I can understand NS' disappointment with only 4200 ST sales after an automatic promotion season. Have to remember though that they'd gone up in price and SoT is one of the most economically depressed areas in the UK. Burslem alone has a child poverty level of 32% which is some indication of the local economic situation.

 

Clearly however there's a shortfall in the commercial department. IIRC Brentford and Rotherham for example made £3-5m in commercial revenue last season. Our turnover sounds to be dramatically less. What's holding us back and forcing Norman to have to pay out of his own pocket?

An analysis of other clubs income would be useful. I think Brentford are a special case, moving grounds in London, producing a res development at the old ground, and hotel, res development etc at the new ground, at London prices.

[butt lane vale fan]

I hope I'm getting paid by the letter for all this:

 

I constantly looking for revenue streams .Fans are not at fault they are enjoying football I just thought there would be more appetite for

more success But when rumours are replied with facts they do not like reality where I have to face it

Lessons will be learnt and I will restrain my desire to progress and just consolidate what we have which is the message I am receiving

 

The Dev squad is costing 25k a month