18 months without ‘ live “ football

[TeemuVanBasten 3,327]

On 03/05/2020 at 10:50, Faded Jaded Semi Plastic SOB said:

Be a good opportunity for Evans to take his money and leg it way from that lot down the road, real danger of teams like them going out of existence........

Marcus Evans makes his money as an elite ticket tout, buying up thousands of boxes and corporate hospitality tickets etc for major sporting events.

And there aren't going to be any of those major sporting events for some time. So Ipswich may find that he can't afford to prop them up through this.

[Faded Jaded Semi Plastic SOB 1,042]

That is why I wondered if he would see this as an opportunity to get out........

[Well b back 3,283]

20 hours ago, sgncfc said:

The crucial thing is not necessarily a vaccine, it's having a treatment. Specifically one which prevents people dying. There has already been massive progress on this and many countries are throwing money at it. Treatment promotes recovery and therefore potential immunity.

It's very pessimistic to think we still won't have a crowd strategy in place before September 2021.

This is the latest FA letter, which states clubs are already preparing for next season behind closed doors

England's Football Association chairman Greg Clarke has said it is hard to see fans returning to matches "any time soon".

If the Premier League and EFL were to resume this season matches would take place behind closed doors, while clubs are also preparing for the possibility of playing the 2020-21 campaign without fans.

"The reality is that we just don't know how things are going to pan out," Clarke wrote in a letter to the FA governing council.

"With social distancing in place for some time to come, we do face substantial changes to the whole football ecosystem. For example it's hard to foresee crowds of fans - who are the lifeblood of the game - returning to matches any time soon."

Clarke's letter also spelled out the financial crisis facing the governing body and warned a budget cut of £75m will be "sensible" this year, with a worst-case scenario projecting a £300m loss over four years.

 

[Kenny Foggo 1,116]

If it's 18 months before live games in front of fans return then it will be just not football that will be bankrupt ....there will be little pubs still about, hardly any places to eat and as for shops ....

 

 

On 03/05/2020 at 11:51, Pugin said:

Why??? If an effective vaccine is available in, say, October 2020 then I believe mass gatherings will be allowed, subject to evidence of vaccination.

[Hoola Han Solo 448]

Ipswich fans haven’t seen any football for around 18 years, and they’ve coped.

[Capt. Pants 4,296]

20 minutes ago, Well b back said:

This is the latest FA letter, which states clubs are already preparing for next season behind closed doors

England's Football Association chairman Greg Clarke has said it is hard to see fans returning to matches "any time soon".

If the Premier League and EFL were to resume this season matches would take place behind closed doors, while clubs are also preparing for the possibility of playing the 2020-21 campaign without fans.

"The reality is that we just don't know how things are going to pan out," Clarke wrote in a letter to the FA governing council.

"With social distancing in place for some time to come, we do face substantial changes to the whole football ecosystem. For example it's hard to foresee crowds of fans - who are the lifeblood of the game - returning to matches any time soon."

Clarke's letter also spelled out the financial crisis facing the governing body and warned a budget cut of £75m will be "sensible" this year, with a worst-case scenario projecting a £300m loss over four years.

 

Looking likely now. That's 1.25 years worth of season ticket refunds coming my way.

 

[sgncfc 1,259]

6 hours ago, dylanisabaddog said:

I hope you're right but I heard a scientist on the radio yesterday point out that it is entirely possible that a viable vaccine or cure won't be found. Obviously the virus can still be defeated by lockdown but unless you do it like China that takes time. 

There are dozens of research projects under way, pretty much all of them fully funded - lack of funding is the main reason why historically research projects take so long to produce results. There is also multi-national co-operation so the brains and resources on this are like nothing ever known before. We have reason to be optimistic that one of them will come up with an effective treatment.

I get that people have to be prepared for the worst case but it isn't likely that crowd events will be off the agenda for so long.

[nutty nigel 7,645]

All I am confident about is that football will return and Norwich City will have a club. More confident of that than I am of seeing it.

If what football has become ends with this virus I won't care. People worry about money as if it was their own. Why do people have this need for our club to have more and more money? We don't see any of it. Tickets aren't reduced through it. It just all goes out of the game into the pockets of players and their agents.

I can honestly say that after over 50 years of going to Carrow Road my enjoyment of the game and all that surrounds it has never changed regardless of how much money has been in the game. It's certainly not a better game for what it has become. However it might well be better for what it could become.

 

Edited May 4, 2020 by nutty nigel

[dylanisabaddog 5,015]

18 hours ago, TeemuVanBasten said:

Marcus Evans makes his money as an elite ticket tout, buying up thousands of boxes and corporate hospitality tickets etc for major sporting events.

And there aren't going to be any of those major sporting events for some time. So Ipswich may find that he can't afford to prop them up through this.

From memory, The Sunday Times rich list thinks Evans is worth around £650m with his ticket activities netting him £30m a year. 

[TeemuVanBasten 3,327]

2 hours ago, dylanisabaddog said:

From memory, The Sunday Times rich list thinks Evans is worth around £650m with his ticket activities netting him £30m a year. 

Usually a large proportion of these people wealth is made up by the value of the shares they have in their businesses, and isn't very often going to translate into having large personal cash reserves. Also, the value of his businesses and other investments is about to fall sharply if profits are eradicated. 

It isn't good business to sit on a big pile of cash is it, because interest doesn't really exist anymore, he's going to have that money invested in the stock market and the stock market isn't exactly flying. Unless he's into gambling and has been shorting stocks in which case he'd have made himself a mint through this.

 

[dylanisabaddog 5,015]

1 hour ago, TeemuVanBasten said:

Usually a large proportion of these people wealth is made up by the value of the shares they have in their businesses, and isn't very often going to translate into having large personal cash reserves. Also, the value of his businesses and other investments is about to fall sharply if profits are eradicated. 

It isn't good business to sit on a big pile of cash is it, because interest doesn't really exist anymore, he's going to have that money invested in the stock market and the stock market isn't exactly flying. Unless he's into gambling and has been shorting stocks in which case he'd have made himself a mint through this.

 

Speaking completely from memory I think he has a 'tax efficient' structure which means it is virtually impossible to know exactly how his money is invested. A lot was in property but no idea if that's commercial or residential. But he's probably one of the richest owners in League 1 and even in the current financial climate would he would walk away from the £100m they owe him? Quite where he draws the line though is interesting. He couldn't find a buyer before the virus so it would be even harder to offload for money now. This may all be in the interest of Ipswich in the event that he says enough is enough and writes off his loan and walks away. 

[essex canary 508]

Another relevant point is that the worst squad to grace the old farm derby clubs in the last 60 years creates a wage bill only around 15% of ours and almost certainly shorter term contracts than ours. 

Portman Road is full of empty seats with an entrenched policy of social distancing. I don't know the balancing act entirely but given those facts Ipswich must be far less vulnerable than some

[CANARYKING 644]

They are predicting social distancing for another twelve months so that’s next season gone

[Ren 75]

The way football is acting I am not sure I am going to miss it.  

 

[Surfer 1,547]

The answer to the problem of people gathering at grounds against lawful prohibition is martial law. Set a very firm example and they will stop.

The answer to people crowding at pubs and homes to watch games is also martial law. No rabble likes the look of cold steel, and we must simply deport anyone who objects to Australia. 

Sending all foreign, and I am ashamed to admit some native born, mercenaries at the root of this disruption to the natural peace of the realm to Australia is the policy of HM’s Government.
Some may conjecture this punishment is too harsh, but it is only fit and proper that some sacrifices be made by the colonies for the benefit of our Commonwealth. 

Fortunately, if correspondence from Melbourne can be believed, everyone in Australia already has a yellow and green scarf so certain teams may enjoy a considerable advantage in these circumstances. Official reports will be available by regular mailboat to allow the situation to be monitored and brought to proper conclusion. 

The Queen has graciously consented to the use of the POHM logo on commemorative shirts to raise charitable funds for alleviation of poverty for those formerly employed in the industry. 

Mr Speaker, the Prime Minister and Cabinet are confident of the full support of this Parliament for these modest and sensible measures.  
 

[Van wink 2,994]

I just wonder what adjustments could be made to get some sort of a crowd in the ground. First thing would be to ban away fans so that there is more local control over procedures for entering and exiting the ground, maybe timed entry by seat number. Only season ticket holders, no casual sales so that all those who attend know the drill. Under 50’s only possibly? Facemasks, obviously, we are all going to have to get used to wearing those. How man could we get in the ground with some form of social distancing? 

Edited May 5, 2020 by Van wink

[Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 3,865]

1 hour ago, Van wink said:

How man could we get in the ground with some for of social distancing? 

If you have stay 2m apart, I'm guessing 5,000 maximum. 

[Van wink 2,994]

Yeh that’s the sort of figure I imagined but maybe more if we hold our breath

[City 2nd 191]

On 03/05/2020 at 11:18, lake district canary said:

We will not be bankrupt and neither will many clubs. Ways will be found to mitigate the circumstances around football, some clubs may go to the wall, but most will survive in some form or another and if as is likely, football as a spectator sport cannot happen until September 2021, then so be it. 

Virtually the whole of the economy is going to have to restructure and evolve into something more sustainable and football is no different.  It is going to be a challenge to get through the minefield of the TV finances and player contracts, but it will have to be done if there is no 20/21 season. 

The likelihood of a season behind closed doors to keep things going is something that I hope doesn't happen, but it will be something that TV companies might push for, with the possibility of getting many more subscribers on board.  It would keep things going to a certain extent, but how the lower leagues could survive it, I don't know.    Any TV deal would have to include money filtering down the leagues more than it does now. 

So if they are going down the "behind closed doors" route for maybe a year, then it is understandable why they are pushing for the same thing to finish this season off - it could be the way of things for some time.  I'm not sure if I would prefer closed door football to no football, but I guess once you get your head around it, there is some logic to it, especially if it means clubs keep getting money coming in through TV. 

Q. On what evidence do you make the statement “we will not be bankrupt?”

it is a well known fact that the owners of NCFC are not putting money into the club now, and we rely on the self financing model! With it being well voiced by the top clubs that multi million transfers won’t happen in the next transfer window ( and probably the one after) and with a Covid debt voiced by the club to be a hit of somewhere near 35 million £ should matters actually recommence in June ( which its likely it won’t) so it could become a bigger debt, where do you see the finances coming from to keep the club afloat as there is no income other than season ticket and merchandise sales which in themselves are unlikely to keep the club afloat, particularly as senior club officials and players have not agreed to any cuts to their own salaries (yet), and season ticket and cup ticket sales may well likely have to be refunded?

Imo we are odds on to fall by the wayside along with several other EPL and EFL clubs should the restrictions around Covid 19 remain and no return to football is possible in the format we know it in June, and next season is affected too the same extent.

[Indy 3,323]

Well as other parts of industry are now starting to face consequences, thus football will too.

Thats the way of life at present, those who will be strongest will survive those in weaker positions will suffer the most.

[Jim Smith 2,345]

Well as we were budgeting for a £16m profit and have deferred £18m of tax for a year we should not be bankrupt in the short term!

[daly 512]

On 03/05/2020 at 11:51, Pugin said:

Why??? If an effective vaccine is available in, say, October 2020 then I believe mass gatherings will be allowed, subject to evidence of vaccination.

Cannot see a vaccine being available for at least 12 months and then 

[daly 512]

We

3 hours ago, Jim Smith said:

Well as we were budgeting for a £16m profit and have deferred £18m of tax for a year we should not be bankrupt in the short term!

Cannot see football recovering from this current situation, players wages running into millions still being paid, no revenue coming in for the foreseeable future Many many clubs folding and footballers stacking shelves at supermarkets. The greed that has come into the game by players agents etc has come back to bite them back. Too much fear for any form of crowd gathering pubs, restaurants, movie theatres etc the list is endless

Hopefully a vaccine will eventually become available but no one knows how effective it will be.