Concrete ideas to turn Moseley round

[southernmose]

Right, developing out of the Blackheath match thread, I think it’s about time we sourced practical things that the club could do to pull itself together and get back on track. I don’t want sack the board/management suggestions - it’s easy to whinge and those decisions are well above anyone posting on here’s pay grade.

Practical, achievable things that can be done without adding to the workload of hard pressed volunteers. The 1873 Club is a good idea, but I think possibly (while we need to bring in the serious sums) outside the pocket of many supporters. So we need something down a level (as well, not instead of).

My starter for 10? OK, shamelessly pinched from Batley RLFC and tweaked a bit... a pledge list.

Get people to sign up (and yes, i’m Prepared to be the first name on the list) to pay a fiver to the club every time they win a match. No money for draws or losses. Assuming we were flying you’re laying yourself open to £20 a month and frankly that seems like a nice problem to have. Batley targeted 250 signing up for that one. Draw for a shirt or something every month for the subscribers. Similar to the 300 Club but they seem to manage having both.

Any other suggestions? I’ll be adding more of my own to this thread as they occur to me. Sick of wallowing in “isn’t it all sh*t” and time for a bit of action.

[southernmose]

Next up, what about adding a “whatever you can afford” standing order tier to the 1873 Club?

We want the people giving a thousand a year plus and they’re very welcome. Unbelievable that there’s no facility (advertised) to give £10-20 a month... it’s crucial to the rebuilding of London Welsh.

[southernmose]

Solar panels for the stand roof? Massive bit of flat space up there and sell back into the grid..

[southernmose]

Blaydon make a killing from a weekly car boot sale on their car park. Are we allowed to do that?

[southernmose]

Overt campaigning to remember the club in your will?

[southernmose]

Deals with local pubs/clubs to sell tickets rather than just advertise? LW did that in Oxford and it’s one of the few things that got traction.

[southernmose]

Advertise for board level investment? Can’t be too proud IMO.

Fans share issue? Minimum £100? I’ve got shares in the Severn Valley and would put money in for a snazzy certificate....

Tie it in to the 150th somehow.

[southernmose]

The view from the ex top of Salford RL... great, great article on why it’s not all about marketing and leaflets. Should be printed out, framed, and put on the wall of the club offices.

“Be bold or possibly die.....”

medium.com/@iampaulmcnally/the-state-of-it-c39618d801f

Time to abolish season tickets?

[southernmose]

Moseley Business Breakfasts?

[cheshmos]

So Southernmose how do you purpose to move any of your good ideas on

[southernmose]

In the first instance waiting to see what if anything generates any interest on here. I’ve got a few candidates of my own as to which are the better ones.

Living 80 miles away I probably can’t run a car boot...

The next step is to work up the ideas a bit and then get them in front of the decision makers at the club. Just sounding off on here is no good. This is stage one. There are some things, like share issues, which will work or not work because the board says so (or not).

The most no brainer obvious one for me on the list at the moment is the lower tier 1873 membership. It amounts to turning down money because it doesn’t exist at the moment...

[southernmose]

Back to Batley for inspiration, and possibly building a bit on the idea of the open-contribution tier of Club 1873, how about an Independent Squad builder fund? Batley's has existed 14 years and in that time contributed to the signing of 140 players. Alongside the obvious events, they've got people committed to giving monthly and annual donations - see the website below

bissa.co.uk/?page_id=55

In all seriousness, this one's a great idea, but I've got no idea who to approach about it. Is it one for the club, Club 1873, MSA? I know enough influential people read this board so who do I send it to? Logically it sits within something that already exists at Mose, rather than developing yet another new organisation.

It just strikes me that we need to make it as easy as possible for people to give the club money - that's the difference between us and others at the moment IMO. All clubs do the same fundraisers as us, but it seems like we're off the pace in simply doing a Bob Geldof and putting our hands out. Seems to work for others just saying "you like us and support us, sign here to hand over money regularly" I get that not everybody could or would want to, but I bet there are more than a few that could manage £5-10 a month on top of the season ticket, 300 Club and MSA membership. If we don't ask anyway, then we'll never get.

Also, if anyone else has any ideas then do add them to the thread - it's a bit lonely talking to myself but at least I've stuck my head above the parapet!

[veitchy]

Apart from posting 300 Club draw results, event announcements and the occasional sad notice of the loss of a MPA member(and they don't get any more sad than last week's), I think that only once in all the time I have had access to this board have I ever posted anything else! Having read all your posts, southernmose, this seemed the ideal time to make it twice!

First, I congratulate you on coming up with a number of what appear to be excellent ideas and for the entirely positive way in which you have put them across. There is much there that needs to be considered in detail and, I am sure, much that can be put into action - as long as enough dedicated volunteers can be found to do so.

You have focussed on Club 1873, which is mainly why I, as Treasurer of that organisation, am responding. My colleagues and I are well aware that we have fallen behind our intended timetable for rolling out the more affordable aspects of Club 1873 membership. However, We already have plans to rectify that in the near future. I am also aware that there is potential to create other more affordable forms of membership, as well as the possibility of a corporate membership.

You have given so much thought to tangible ways of helping the club financially, principally via Club 1873, that the least I can do is to thank you for your suggestions and propose that we meet to discuss them further. I have no idea who you are or if we know each other but, either way, I really would appreciate the opportunity of having a meaningful discussion about your proposals and I look forward to agreeing a time when we can do so. We won't do that here, but you will find my contact details at the end of MPA programme pages and sections in MM, so please email me and we will take it from there.

Thanks again and best regards, Veitchy.

[southernmose]

Many thanks for the response - funnily enough I did email you this morning along those lines but got a bounce back notice from your email address. I copied the message I sent you and my email into a personal message to you on here so perhaps we can take it from there? Or an admin/comms team can put us in touch?

[veitchy]

Hi southernmose, thanks for yours and sorry you had a problem with my email facility, which has just started rejecting emails for no apparent reason. However, seeing your note, I found yours in the spam folder and have retrieved it, so will reply to it. My computer back-up guru is changing our email arrangements on Friday.

[nobby]

I will support southernmost or any other supporter for that matter to promote any ideas, thoughts, initiatives, incentives or whatever which will keep Moseley moving forwards - preferably in an onwards and upwards trajectory.

However, I cannot get away from the simple yet complex conundrum that THE MOST IMPORTANT PROMOTION, in my view, is the score at the end of each game. Even a single, scrappy, begrudging, stolen 3 - 0, even a one point score difference - so long as it is a WINNING score difference then, as old Bruce used to say, "POINTS MAKE PRIZES - BUMS ON SEATS" and the other prizes, survival, possible promotion will follow.

Come on Mooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooose

[Westcountry Mose]

Some thoughtful ideas from southernmose.

When I drew up a new will several years ago I had a clause inserted that the MSA would receive 1% of my residual estate. Not knowing who could be running the club in the future, I thought it better for any proceeds to go to those who have Moseley Rugby running through their blood rather than into any corporate coffers.

[petespan]

Is there any MSA representation on the board? ...

[Phil]

Feb 16, 2019 19:56:27 GMT petespan said:

Is there any MSA representation on the board? ...

No.

[petespan]

Wouldn’t it be nice if there was? Wouldn’t it be “modern” and “forward thinking” (not like the 1970’s) ... it wouldn’t even have to be voting rights if that wasn’t possible? Do the board not want to hear petitions and ideas (grievances!?) from the fans/members? Do they not want us to know of the workings and big decisions? ... 🤫 oops have I said too much? ...

[Phil]

Instead of sniping on the forum, why don’t you air your grievances to Dave Warren next Saturday?

[petespan]

will I have to join the queue? ...

....

Sorry if it came across as “sniping”, reading it back it was a bit! ...

So in the spirit of the tile of this thread “CONCRETE ideas to turn Moseley round” in a way it kind of makes my point about MSA representation on the board? That there be a formal(ish) way of passing up ideas etc up to board level via the MSA? (Rather than sounding off and “sniping” on here) It can only be good for the board too? To have that same formal(ish) access “downwards” and outwards to a pool of people who have Moseley’s best interests at heart?

Would be a good way to bring the club together, give everyone a stake in the decision making and potentially counter the “stuck in the 70’s” accusation that, true or not, is regularly levelled? ...

[martyn]

Just a few thoughts


if every member / season ticket holder could each sell a signboard at the club that would raise @ 200 / 250k for there club ?


Joining the Club 1873 , at all levels , would no doubt help


Likewise the club would be delighted if more people put there hand up and offered some time to help out regarding various matters at the club

Anybody up for helping there club ?

[martyn]

699 members on this message board and nobody has come back to offer help

2 guys Phil and Southermose offered likes , which is fab

Not good enough offered support

[southernmose]

Feb 19, 2019 19:21:49 GMT martyn said:

699 members on this message board and nobody has come back to offer help

2 guys Phil and Southermose offered likes , which is fab

Not good enough offered support

Steady on, I'm literally meeting some people at Club 1873 to discuss the ideas on this thread, as discussed a couple of posts above. Perhaps others too will have been inspired to offer help without writing "I'm offering help" on this thread. Maybe not, but we can't actually know. So as a direct result of this thread, something is happening that wasn't happening before. Whether anything will come of it who knows, but I've put my hand up anyway.

I had hoped for more people chipping in with more ideas (I certainly haven't got all the answers), but even so...

All ideas continue to be welcome if anyone wants to add them.

[Phil]

Feb 19, 2019 19:21:49 GMT martyn said:

699 members on this message board and nobody has come back to offer help

2 guys Phil and Southermose offered likes , which is fab

Not good enough offered support

I think I already do enough Martyn!