There was a coo

[big al]

59 minutes ago, Cowdenleith said:

You’re missing the point I think.

It sounded like the club would have liked to have kept a small core from last season, but it became clear that they could not match wages, even from other LL clubs.

The wage budget for this season is substantially down, that being said, it’s disappointing that a couple of older heads couldn’t be recruited.

Someone will correct me if am wrong, but that’s how I understood it.

Pretty much what’s been portrayed as the situation yeah.

Very alarming as the budget will be well down next year and down abit the following season again unless some new source of funding appears. 

[cowdenbeath]

11 minutes ago, big al said:

Pretty much what’s been portrayed as the situation yeah.

Very alarming as the budget will be well down next year and down abit the following season again unless some new source of funding appears. 

It’s quite dire as you say need some sugar daddy coming in and buying the club.

[Blueminer]

1 hour ago, UsedToGoToCentralPark said:

Will go to every home game possible in the league this year, probably limit my away games though, will take each cup game as it comes.

Might buy a few extra 5050 tickets with the cash saved from not going to away games.

Good man, every little helps.

[Cowdenleith]

1 hour ago, UsedToGoToCentralPark said:

Will go to every home game possible in the league this year, probably limit my away games though, will take each cup game as it comes.

Might buy a few extra 5050 tickets with the cash saved from not going to away games.

I’ve started a couple of tickets weekly in the Blue Brazil lottery online (can buy a block number of weeks, don’t need to do it each week), it was really easy to do.

I figured that anyone buying tickets now is pure profit to the club, as the prize fund is already established whether I was in it or not. If that makes any sense, seemed logical to me. 

[Cowden316]

Do you think there would be appetite for a large Football Card say 100 team's 10 pound a go £600 to club and one prize of £400 to the winner. This could be continual until all filled then started again.

 

[NELLY 1]

1 hour ago, Cowden316 said:

Do you think there would be appetite for a large Football Card say 100 team's 10 pound a go £600 to club and one prize of £400 to the winner. This could be continual until all filled then started again.

 

Best to get it on fb mate. Then people share etc then likely you will get more people taking a team that way. Even a fiver a team is ok. All the help the club can get I'm sure would be appreciated.. 

Edited July 31, 2022 by NELLY 1

[Burnieman]

Genuine question, because I don't know the answer.

I'm assuming the Cowdenbeath no longer own Central Park and have to pay quite a hefty rent to the stockcar promoters, as well as pay for upkeep for footballing purposes? This in turn will continue to hold the club back and potentially even push them over the edge.

Therefore is it not a viable option to leave that behind and share with Hill of Beath or even Kelty, while exploring options back in Cowdenbeath?

 

[Cowdenleith]

11 minutes ago, Burnieman said:

Genuine question, because I don't know the answer.

I'm assuming the Cowdenbeath no longer own Central Park and have to pay quite a hefty rent to the stockcar promoters, as well as pay for upkeep for footballing purposes? This in turn will continue to hold the club back and potentially even push them over the edge.

Therefore is it not a viable option to leave that behind and share with Hill of Beath or even Kelty, while exploring options back in Cowdenbeath?

 

Pretty much, yeah.

Read the posts from about page 56 through 58 which details a lot of it.

[cowdenbeath]

10 minutes ago, Burnieman said:

Genuine question, because I don't know the answer.

I'm assuming the Cowdenbeath no longer own Central Park and have to pay quite a hefty rent to the stockcar promoters, as well as pay for upkeep for footballing purposes? This in turn will continue to hold the club back and potentially even push them over the edge.

Therefore is it not a viable option to leave that behind and share with Hill of Beath or even Kelty, while exploring options back in Cowdenbeath?

 

The club haven’t owned the ground since 2007 when Gordon McDougall sold the club and stock car company to the current owners.

Donald Findlay later bought the football club from them,

Its certainly expensive being there by the sounds of things.

Don’t how well a ground share would work, doubt the Haws would want one couldn’t see their pitch handling so many games on it.

Kelty , in my opinion it’s never a good idea to leave your town.

A new ground something like a Spartans set up would be great but I can’t see how we would finance something like that.

[Cowdenleith]

20 minutes ago, cowdenbeath said:

 

A new ground something like a Spartans set up would be great but I can’t see how we would finance something like that.

Yes, something of that size would work.

I used to be a big speedway and Edinburgh Monarchs fan. Though I don’t go often now, I still have family that do, so keep an eye on things.

The Monarchs situation is not dissimilar to Cowden’s in some ways, a stadium in Armadale well past it’s best that they rent, and the owners have been wanting to sell it for years. Finally, the Monarchs were told they are out after 2022. The owners of the club have identified a plot of land in an industrial estate in Livingston and with a supportive council they seem to have almost got all the permission sorted.

The speedway team are not owned by a sugar daddy, they do have a few backers I believe with a bit of money to get the project off the ground, and a basic track and facilities built, but lots more money needs to be raised.

It makes me think that if they can manage it, could Cowdenbeath do similar?  Obviously Livingston is a much bigger area with more land available probably, and you have mentioned that it would be important to remain near/in the town which I agree with.  If it was a community project, like Spartans, it may gain more local support as well.

 

Edited July 31, 2022 by Cowdenleith

[Burnieman]

Reading through pages 56-58, it looks like your only choice is to move away from the crippling costs and seek a groundshare, unless you can find a benefactor/buy Central Park.  LL football for the foreseeable plus Central Park running costs doesn't equal long term survival.

As was said, a Spartans type set-up would be ideal but that comes with a price tag of around £2m I'd say, over and above any land costs.

[cowdenbeath]

2 minutes ago, Cowdenleith said:

Yes, something of that size would work.

I used to be a big speedway and Edinburgh Monarchs fan. Though I don’t go often now, I still have family that do, so keep an eye on things.

The Monarchs situation is not dissimilar to Cowden’s in some ways, a stadium in Armadale well past it’s best that they rent, and the owners have been wanting to sell it for years. Finally, the Monarchs were told they are out after 2022. The owners of the club have identified a plot of land in an industrial estate in Livingston and with a supportive council they seem to have almost got all the permission sorted.

The speedway team are not owned by a sugar daddy, they do have a few backers I believe with a bit of money to get the project off the ground, and a basic track and facilities built, but lots more money needs to be raised.

It makes me think that if they can manage it, could Cowdenbeath do similar?  Obviously Livingston is a much bigger area with more land available probably, and you have mentioned that it would be important to remain near/in the town which I agree with.  If it was a community project, like Spartans, it may gain more local support as well.

 

Aye heard about the speedway moving to Livi.

I was in Armadale for the first time in years at the end of the season for a match and passing by noticed houses we’re getting closer to the speedway stadium.

I guess the owner was just waiting for the right time to sell up.

Imagine there are more people interested in the Monachs than us so more people to get involved in serious fundraising.

I think with all the community things Spartans were able to tap into various grants for that side of things.

Not sure who would have actually built Ainslie Park could have been the council from what they got for selling City Park not really sure though,

 

[cowdenbeath]

10 minutes ago, Burnieman said:

Reading through pages 56-58, it looks like your only choice is to move away from the crippling costs and seek a groundshare, unless you can find a benefactor/buy Central Park.  LL football for the foreseeable plus Central Park running costs doesn't equal long term survival.

As was said, a Spartans type set-up would be ideal but that comes with a price tag of around £2m I'd say, over and above any land costs.

Doubt we would ever buy Central Park it would probably cost less starting from scratch.

We would need a really serious investor for something like that to happen.

[Burnieman]

1 minute ago, cowdenbeath said:

Doubt we would ever buy Central Park it would probably cost less starting from scratch.

We would need a really serious investor for something like that to happen.

It helps for sure, but not necessarily vital.  If you have involvement in the local community, youth structures, ladies/girls teams etc then that opens doors to financing.  Cowden in the Community type stuff for example. Not easy and not a quick fix, but I'd say you need to start planning for the future because that is the way things are headed.

The days of football clubs at this level running one team and a reserve team and holding a hand out for grants or Council backing are long gone.

 

[cowdenbeath]

1 minute ago, Burnieman said:

It helps for sure, but not necessarily vital.  If you have involvement in the local community, youth structures, ladies/girls teams etc then that opens doors to financing.  Cowden in the Community type stuff for example. Not easy and not a quick fix, but I'd say you need to start planning for the future because that is the way things are headed.

The days of football clubs at this level running one team and a reserve team and holding a hand out for grants or Council backing are long gone.

 

In the last year or so the Cowden in the community has really taken off the people behind it have done a lot of things in a short term.

Your right it’s the sort of thing that has to be built on and I’m sure it will.

[Cowdenleith]

24 minutes ago, cowdenbeath said:

Aye heard about the speedway moving to Livi.

I was in Armadale for the first time in years at the end of the season for a match and passing by noticed houses we’re getting closer to the speedway stadium.

I guess the owner was just waiting for the right time to sell up.

Imagine there are more people interested in the Monachs than us so more people to get involved in serious fundraising.

I think with all the community things Spartans were able to tap into various grants for that side of things.

Not sure who would have actually built Ainslie Park could have been the council from what they got for selling City Park not really sure though,

 

The Monarchs fanbase has really dropped in the last decade or so, I think a regular crowd is now 4-500, maybe for a Glasgow match or play off 700 or 800, so not all that different to Cowdenbeath.

Their loyal fans are a generous bunch, have kept them going financially in different ways, so some parallels to Cowden there as well.

I’m sure Ainslie Park is owned by the council with Spartans having a really long lease. I know a good sum was raised for the construction through National Lottery grants at the time, though must have been other funds as well.   Spartans have a great set up, I know from my daughter playing that their girls section is one of the best run and most successful in attracting the best players.

[parsforlife]

It’s funny I find the comparisons between Spartans and Cowden.    Ainslie park is little more than a back pitch at a leisure center with a stand a some turnstiles,   In terms of location Central Park isn’t that much different, with depending on where you park passing the leisure center is fairly common.  

i think it’s unfortunate timing really,  I believe  Cowdenbeath have explored potential other sites in the town, if the timing was right when councils were spending some cash in the 2000s then maybe they would have aligned things up with something like the high school redevelopment and got something built there. As it is there’s no obvious source of money to build another facility.

I here the talk of becoming a bigger club with more links into the community, which is absolutely brilliant if it can be pulled off, but the current situation at Central Park is surely restrictive in developing that,  pretty hard to have boys and girls through the age groups playing and training at one location when your struggling to get access for 2 hours a fortnight.

[tamthebam]

54 minutes ago, parsforlife said:

It’s funny I find the comparisons between Spartans and Cowden.    Ainslie park is little more than a back pitch at a leisure center with a stand a some turnstiles,   

And the turnstiles were built and paid for by Spartans' tenants at the time.. Who were some obscure franchise who should have taken the block with them when they moved to their new subutteo stadium 

[Cowden_T.I.D]

That standard of football is embarrassing though. Bo'ness Athletic won 10-0 yesterday and our ex headless chicken Tiwi scored four goals. The jump to even the Lowland League is huge and let's be brutally honest if Sinclair was a proper player he wouldn't be at Cowdenbeath.
How is Cammy Graham getting on?

He was on trial at arbroath and got offered a deal but wanted to play

[cowdenbeath]

9 hours ago, parsforlife said:

It’s funny I find the comparisons between Spartans and Cowden.    Ainslie park is little more than a back pitch at a leisure center with a stand a some turnstiles,   In terms of location Central Park isn’t that much different, with depending on where you park passing the leisure center is fairly common.  

i think it’s unfortunate timing really,  I believe  Cowdenbeath have explored potential other sites in the town, if the timing was right when councils were spending some cash in the 2000s then maybe they would have aligned things up with something like the high school redevelopment and got something built there. As it is there’s no obvious source of money to build another facility.

I here the talk of becoming a bigger club with more links into the community, which is absolutely brilliant if it can be pulled off, but the current situation at Central Park is surely restrictive in developing that,  pretty hard to have boys and girls through the age groups playing and training at one location when your struggling to get access for 2 hours a fortnight.

A lot of the community stuff is done at either the leisure centre 5 aside pitchers or the sports hub at Lumphinnans where we also train.