The CIC Meeting at The Louden - Twitter

[ThatsWhyWeirChamps 0]

I don't think you'll find 20k people willing to sacrifice £180-240 a year. That's almost a season ticket these days. Maybe a tenth of that. That said, when we get promoted to the premiership, I hope the boycotting of other grounds leaves about 5k fans with a load of money in their pockets.

 

Remember, not everyone has to commit to that, that's just weighted averages based upon what others have achieved. If you can't commit to £20, commit to £10, if you can't commit to £10 - buy a scarf or take part in one of the other activites.

 

The sky really is the limit with it, it's about engaging the entire support and trying to get everyone engaged with the Club and trying to make it a success again.

 

At the end of the day, what do we have to lose?

 

I pay a gym membership I never use! I have phone contracts coming out my arse! I pay £30/month for my broadband - none of them are as important as Rangers, and something which really engages the community and makes supporting Rangers more than just turning up and paying my money on a Saturday is definitely appealing to me.

[Zappa 0]

Not in this day and age and definitely not with this board

 

Yes, the current majority shareholders and their elected boardroom are a total deal breaker for a Club run membership scheme at the moment, but it would be a different story if the ownership structure changed to a more trustworthy one.

[rbr 1,247]

Yes, the current majority shareholders and their elected boardroom are a total deal breaker for a Club run membership scheme at the moment, but it would be a different story if the ownership structure changed to a more trustworthy one.

 

But I dont see that happening anytime so , do you Zappa

[Zappa 0]

But I dont see that happening anytime so , do you Zappa

 

I live in hope that someone trustworthy like Dave King or Jim McColl (or both!) eventually buy a large majority share in the Club and if that happened, then I think a combined fan membership/ownership scheme run by the Club would be the way forward to get the fans more involved and generate a substantial ongoing revenue stream for the Club.

 

For me, that's a far more likely and certainly more achievable goal than the RST reaching a 50% shareholding or a new independent CIC scheme getting 20k direct debit subscribers.

[BEARGER 1,829]

Just back from the meeting ...

However, in the short term; it was the unanimous decision of the meeting that a CIC was the way forward to unite Rangers fans in the worldwide diaspora in a fund raising scheme with the object not just of buying shares but also funding other projects.

 

I read elsewhere that it was mentioned money could go to other things e.g. youth development, is that not a function of the club board? This may put some fans off who are only interested in a scheme where all monies raised would go to buying shares in the club.

[BrahimHemdani 1]

I read elsewhere that it was mentioned money could go to other things e.g. youth development, is that not a function of the club board? This may put some fans off who are only interested in a scheme where all monies raised would go to buying shares in the club.

 

It was put forward as an advantage but I'll try to explain more in the piece I am writing now!

[der Berliner 3,231]

As I see it, this stuff is essentially another way of running a membership scheme. If, as I have pointed out, a club membership scheme is being run via the club, yet not by the club, with people independent from the club look after it, I could see people investing. You'd have AGMs like that of the company, can elect a board overseeing the activities, where the money goes and whatnot. As I noted before, e.g. Stefan Klos recently became the cashier of Borussia Dortmund's membership scheme. We sure have some trusted guys somewhere, people all Bears would follow here.

[SteveC 150]

I don't think you'll find 20k people willing to sacrifice £180-240 a year. That's almost a season ticket these days. Maybe a tenth of that. That said, when we get promoted to the premiership, I hope the boycotting of other grounds leaves about 5k fans with a load of money in their pockets.

 

50p a day, or a pint or so a week...for Rangers? seems reasonable

[andy steel 0]

As I see it, this stuff is essentially another way of running a membership scheme. If, as I have pointed out, a club membership scheme is being run via the club, yet not by the club, with people independent from the club look after it, I could see people investing. You'd have AGMs like that of the company, can elect a board overseeing the activities, where the money goes and whatnot. As I noted before, e.g. Stefan Klos recently became the cashier of Borussia Dortmund's membership scheme. We sure have some trusted guys somewhere, people all Bears would follow here.

 

There is an element of that to it; but in reality, how many of us would be willing to back a club run membership scheme at the moment?

 

Apologies for the long wait in getting feedback up.

[andy steel 0]

BH is writing up a report for your delectation but has been delayed by unreasonable romantic demands...tbf, he was at a Rangers meeting this morning, then was being filmed by a Rangers documentary crew this afternoon; respect is due.

 

Some highly unscientific thoughts from one who was entirely cynical but is now a little more amenable to the concept:

 

presentation was very good if heavily weighted on the 'best case scenario' side of the bed; hardly surprising. The details are fairly well known but broadly if a CIC comes about the 'plusses' would be:

 

the thing is set up by a solicitor, and initially only the solicitor & the SDS rep would have any legal powers at all. This changes when fans are elected in future by popular vote, say for talking's sake when 5,000 fans vote, most likely from the working party but could be anyone who stands and persuades enough people to vote for them. This ought to reduce internecine squabbling and allow a moving on from the past, since there'll be no worries about certain personalities pushing themselves forward undemocratically,

 

the CIC vehicle allows high net worth investors to contribute, alongside us paupers, but still retains that element of OMOV. Brahim will post his own thoughts on this as I believe he may not be quite 100% convinced. I, too, wonder whether HNWI's would be willing to throw money away without a quid pro quo but time will tell. Clubs in eg Germany seem to manage it well enough. I remain uncertain as to whether complete fan ownership can generate enough investment to get us to the level we need to get to; time will tell.

 

this vehicle, should it gain enough popular support, can be used as an arm twisting lever when dealing with boards. For instance, money can be given direct to the club for specific purposes and be ring fenced thusly; also, it would lent at 0% interest thus saving the club getting loans from Wonga type people.

 

there's not much more detail, the general thinking seemed to be that if this could be a vehicle which allowed previous disputes to be forgotten, and become a bus which we can all jump onto, then it would be well worth swallowing any things we don't like in order to finally get a Rangers fan body which might achieve something. Now, it may be that in the rush to get unity we are missing potential pitfalls but overall it seems like a price worth paying to finally move on.

 

Rangers fan ownership is not like other clubs: we have to deal with a fanatically hostile media and lunatic fans of other clubs who would, I have no doubts, buy into any scheme in order to sabotage it. They're that nuts! Nothing is ever easy for us, and this would be no exception. Still and all, I'd say there was a good bit of merit to this idea.

 

Finally, highlight of the day for me, this day and pretty much any day of the last 20 years - I spent 3 hours sitting next to, and discussing Rangers, with Colin Jackson...nothing anyone said about CIC's could top that. I said to the great man on leaving that it was an honour to chat with him and I meant it. If this scheme is going to work, I think it will need legends who pulled on the Blue Shirt to front it up: if Colin Jackson said go for it, I probably would; likewise Walter Smith, say, or Sandy Jardine. No matter what age we are we still idolise our heroes...maybe we need to call on them to do yet more service in the cause.