Following the purchase of the pitch covers earlier this year, the Trust was left with a substantial surplus of funds from what is commonly referred to as the “Bowlee Fund”. Whilst the bulk of the funds were raised around three seasons ago, the money has been protected in a high interest account throughout that time to the extent that the interest raised during that time has paid for the majority of the cost of the pitch covers.
But those funds were not raised to simply sit in the bank account acquiring interest for the Trust. The Trust is committed to acting on behalf of its members and the Football Club, and are looking to see what can be funded with the surplus of funds that will prove to be beneficial for both supporters and the Football Club.
Since the purchase of the pitch covers, the Trust has investigated a number of different projects, and we are currently in a consultation period with supporters as for the next step. A meeting was held at Spotland on Tuesday 30th July, where projects were discussed and ideas exchanged. Following the consultation period, members will be balloted with choices of what to do with the money. No funds will be spent without member approval.
Video Screen / Scoreboard
One possible project that has been investigated has been the installation of a video screen inside the ground. The intention of this is that it will improve the match going experience for supporters, improve the quality of the stadium, and act as a revenue stream for the Football Club.
The Trust has held discussions with various video screen companies with a view to such an installation. The ideal location would be in the corner of the ground between the Sandy Lane terrace and the Main Stand. This is ideally located in terms of installation due to the electrics that are already installed in that part of the ground, and its 150 degree visibility will ensure that it can be viewed by everyone in the Main Stand, the Willbutts Lane Stand, the Pearl Stand and around 80% of those who go in the Sandy Lane terrace. It would also be visible to everyone in the club’s executive boxes.
The screen would come with football specific software and would allow for various matchday options from advertising, match information, community use and video action. It could be controlled wirelessly from either the main stand or the pitch. It is protected from both the elements and any stray shots that might come its way, and would come with a two year warranty. The screen is made up of a number of blocks and in the long term, they can be replaced individually rather than requiring a full replacement of the screen.
The cost of a screen of area 5.12m by 3.83m would be something around £50,000 including the fitting with bigger screens costing more if this was something supporters wanted to pursue. The screen would be deemed to be a portable asset and as such would be classed as a Football Club asset rather than a Stadium Company asset.
Floodlight Upgrade
Another project that the club has asked the Trust about is to contribute towards an upgrade of the floodlights. The floodlights are currently at a level of 350 lux, but new rules that are being introduced for the start of the 2014-5 season insist that all Football League clubs have Floodlights that have a 500 lux rating. There will be penalties in place for the Football Club should these improvements not take place.
Quotes have been obtained for the upgrade of around the £75,000 mark and this is something that has to be spent whether or not the Trust contributes towards it. Unfortunately, the necessity of this spending means that the money must come from somewhere and understandably things like the player budget will be affected by this enforced upgrade.
Many supporters have raised the point of the floodlights being a Stadium Company issue rather than a Football Club issue, but the upgrade is only required by the Football Club due to the rules being put into place by the Football League and as such will have no impact on any of the other parties involved at the Stadium. Therefore, the funding must come from the football club.
Alternative Projects
Other issues have been put forward by supporters with regards to possible projects.
It was suggested at the Fans Forum that the funds could go towards converting the Sandy Lane terrace into a seated stand, and therefore making the ground fully all seated. Having spoken to the club, it was felt that the club are very happy with the state of the Stadium as things are and the choice this allows supporters to have, and as such, there are no plans with regards to making any such changes to the Stadium.
The original plan of the funds was for the money to go towards a permanent training facility for the football club, and Dale manager Keith Hill stated at the Fans Forum that for the development of players, this is something that must be addressed. However, the board stated that they have looked hard and long to find suitable facilities and it has been a fruitless task. The search continues but the funding of such a development is not on the agenda for the foreseeable future.
One suggestion was for the funding of sprinklers to be put into the facilities at Rochdale Cricket Club which is one of the current training locations for the football club. Concerns were raised by both the Trust and the Board of Directors as to spending money on a third party’s facilities.
The Trust have on several occasions in the past couple of years spoke to the club with a view to offering financial assistance to help the Football Club to takeover the Stadium Company.
The Trust would like to invite any supporters to have their say on these matters or other possible projects by emailing the Trust at mailbox@daletrust.com. The intention is to have a members vote early in September to allow decisions to be made and further fundraising activities to be organised if required.