Save Stirling Albion

[MIFTHEBINO]

Hi all,

You have maybe read a bit of the media coverage about our campaign to save my wee club Stirling Albion. If not, then here is a link to one of the articles-

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/2009/05/06/supporters-aim-to-buy-stirling-albion-in-a-british-football-first-86908-21336456/

http://www.sportinglife.com/football/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/09/05/06/SOCCER_Stirling_Albion.html&TEAMHD=soccer#


Our club is going to fold if we dont do something and we are trying to get as many "real" football fans signed up to our campaign as possible. We need you guys who are as equally passionate about your team as we are at our wee club to sign up- I am sure you couldn't imagine life without Hibs to watch on a Saturday- we are the same at Stirling.

We basically have the begging bowl out to fans of all clubs to help us save our club.

Our current chairman has been in charge for over 25 years and has brought us to the brink of financial collapse. If sucessful, we aim to never be in debt again and involve the local communty to try and build a decent support in years to come.

For your £40 investment, you would have a real say in the running of our club, but note, this is not like the Ebbsfleet model thats been done before. We will return your money if we are unsucessful at taking over our club (see our terms and conditions). Any businesses can also help and there is details on the website as well.

To read more about our plans, please visit http://www.buystirlingalbion.org.uk/


Thanks for reading.

[Calvin]

From a quite scan of the website it looks to be a great scheme. I really hope that you succeed with your plans, it would be a great shame to lose such a team.

[MIFTHEBINO]

Thanks mate, we have already had a few Hibs fans sign up and it would be great to get more onboard.

Every membership/donation is vital for us to survive.

[DaveF]

I know £40 ain't a lot but it's not something I can throw at you guys at the moment, however that may change in the months ahead.

Good luck with the campaign :agree:

[--------]

I know £40 ain't a lot but it's not something I can throw at you guys at the moment, however that may change in the months ahead.

Good luck with the campaign :agree:


Same here. If I find myself with £40 gash in the next few months, it's yours. :agree:

[Pete]

From a quite scan of the website it looks to be a great scheme. I really hope that you succeed with your plans, it would be a great shame to lose such a team.

This might sound very harsh...but why?

I think there are far too many full-time or even semi-pro teams for an area the size of the central belt to support.

Maybe this is part of the natural process where some clubs find out their realistic level.

[Calvin]

This might sound very harsh...but why?

I think there are far too many full-time or even semi-pro teams for an area the size of the central belt to support.

Maybe this is part of the natural process where some clubs find out their realistic level.

I am all for the regionalisation of the lower league teams of Scotland in a pyramid system involving two top leagues. However, for a team to go down the tubes due to financial mismanagement is a shame and the small teams like Stirling and many others across the lower leagues can only be good for the towns they represent.

[majorhibs]

This might sound very harsh...but why?

I think there are far too many full-time or even semi-pro teams for an area the size of the central belt to support.

Maybe this is part of the natural process where some clubs find out their realistic level.

I dont think we as Hibs fans should ever have the attitude there is too many small teams around Scotland in the present setup, imo its glaringly obvious what there is too many of, glory hunters.
Having worked with far too many of said glory hunters who profess to support 2 teams located in the west of Scotland but who actually live in the central belt, or south west, north east you name it, and hearing the same old "it wis ma dad that goat me intae supportin thum" etc lines, as Hibbies we really imo should be on the side of the wee teams, after all they are in the same boat as us but in this instance I would imagine if even a small percentage of Stirling's glory hunting population backed this initiative then they wouldnt have financial worries for a good while to come.
To the O.P and your campaign, hope it all turns out the way you'se are looking for. Best o luck from me :agree:

[Onceinawhile]

Why?

[Lucius Apuleius]

I am obviously a glory hunter. Coming from Stirling and supporting the Cabbage.:greengrin

Joking aside it would be extremely sad for the Albion to go down. Not been there since some friendly we played them in a few years ago, but gawd I loved Annfield. (even when they beat us 4-1 there!!!)

[MIFTHEBINO]

Cheers guys.

There is a donation button on there as well if you haven't got £40 just now. Every £ counts.:thumbsup:

[monktonharp]

Why?:tsk tsk:how disrespectful. you either back him or you dont, but you dont have to come across as - we are so much bigger than you- why should we support you in your hour of need. smacks of Jamboism.:wink:

[iwasthere1972]

Hi all,

You have maybe read a bit of the media coverage about our campaign to save my wee club Stirling Albion. If not, then here is a link to one of the articles-

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/2009/05/06/supporters-aim-to-buy-stirling-albion-in-a-british-football-first-86908-21336456/

http://www.sportinglife.com/football/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/09/05/06/SOCCER_Stirling_Albion.html&TEAMHD=soccer#


Our club is going to fold if we dont do something and we are trying to get as many "real" football fans signed up to our campaign as possible. We need you guys who are as equally passionate about your team as we are at our wee club to sign up- I am sure you couldn't imagine life without Hibs to watch on a Saturday- we are the same at Stirling.

We basically have the begging bowl out to fans of all clubs to help us save our club.

Our current chairman has been in charge for over 25 years and has brought us to the brink of financial collapse. If sucessful, we aim to never be in debt again and involve the local communty to try and build a decent support in years to come.

For your £40 investment, you would have a real say in the running of our club, but note, this is not like the Ebbsfleet model thats been done before. We will return your money if we are unsucessful at taking over our club (see our terms and conditions). Any businesses can also help and there is details on the website as well.

To read more about our plans, please visit http://www.buystirlingalbion.org.uk/


Thanks for reading.

Good luck with your campaign.

Stirling Albion were our opponents when I went to see Hibs at Easter Road for the first time in the mid sixties. So I hold fond memories of your club.

[Dashing Bob S]

We know all about the issues with glory hunters etc, but they are ubiquitous across Scotland and there's no reason that Stirling Albion shouldn't be as big as say, St.Johnstone, or Falkirk, to name but two clubs close to them from towns of a similar size.

It seems though, that SAFC have been in secular decline since I've been following football, and this must be due to sustained previous mismanagement.

I'll be supporting the campaign and I hope it's a success.

[hibbybob]

We know all about the issues with glory hunters etc, but they are ubiquitous across Scotland and there's no reason that Stirling Albion shouldn't be as big as say, St.Johnstone, or Falkirk, to name but two clubs close to them from towns of a similar size.

It seems though, that SAFC have been in secular decline since I've been following football, and this must be due to sustained previous mismanagement.

I'll be supporting the campaign and I hope it's a success.

It wasn't that long ago that Strirling Albion put us out of the Scottish Cup ..... and we had a pretty good team at the time!

Good luck SAFC.

[MIFTHEBINO]

Dashing Bob S- Many thanks mate.

Thanks for the kind words.

We have been in decline due to not getting the community involved in the last 30 years. We are going to rectify that if we manage to save the club.ie.free entry to kids,etc

[davy]

If we all support Stirling, does that make us a bit like Romanov who tried to influence every Lithuanian team :duck: only kidding, I hope you guys survive but dont put us out of any upcoming Scottish cups

[Ghaax]

on behalf of spamheid & doddie - 40 quid posted

Why????????

Because!!! That's why!

Huv ye nae luv o' fitba'????


Ah luv then gemme 'n' ah understand!!!!

[MIFTHEBINO]

Amazing mate and it's greatly appreciated.

Every membership counts, thanks for your help.:thumbsup:

[krobertson12]

signed up last week. the proposed benefits look good. draws for tickets for games. as a football fan i would appreciate watching a game. and having my money involved in the club makes them part of my interest... bound to shout at the ref and cheer a goal! mon the bino's!

[davy]

shouldnt we want all the clubs who put Hibs out the cup to go extinct :devil:

seriously though community football should be supported and I might just buy into the scheme. BTW There were quite a few Jambos who supported us as well when they tried to buy us so not all people are the same.

Question though, If there is no chairman willing to put money into the club will S.A. be writing to donators periodically for even more money?

I also get the feeling a few more teams might follow the same route. But I have family in Callander now so maybe an option for visiting when Im up there.

[MIFTHEBINO]

krobertson12 - Fantastic mate, it's appreciated.:wink:

Davey- It's a one off payment and additional income will be of your choice.

Inital money raised is to buy the club and get rid of it's debts. A business plan is in place so that if our total income is ie. £100k, then expenses will be under £100k so we are not in debt again.
Thanks for the interest and I hope I have done enough to persuade you to sign up.:greengrin

[MIFTHEBINO]

The campaign team is doubling it's efforts to try and get fans of other teams to sign up as imost people get paid at this time of the month.

Please,please,please sign up to the campaign, every membership counts if we are to save our wee club.

At the end of the day, all your risking is £5 as you will get £35 back of your money if it doesn't come off and a part of our club if it does.

Thanks again to all those who have signed up- please spread the word to friends and family.

[MIFTHEBINO]

With father's day coming round, whats more quirkier than giving a membership as a present to your father or father in law. I think most sports daft dad's would love to own a piece of a senior football club. If you want the membership sent out for Fathers day, please send us an e-mail (campaign@buystirlingalbion.org.uk) once you have bought their membership (please use their details so it goes out to them).

http://www.buystirlingalbion.org.uk/

If you dont want to do it over the net, please send a cheque to

Stirling Albion supporters trust
PO Box 21602
STIRLING
FK7 1DD

with your details (or a letter saying if it's for fathers day for someone else) and make it out to "Stirling Albion Supporters Trust."

The campaign is ongoing, so please consider us for a membership, every membership is vital to us.

[NYHibby]

Since I'll be working near Stirling's stadium, I'm considering buying a membership. However, you're not actually buying a share of the team right? Its a membership that you have to renew every year. £40 isn't that much, but I would rather spend £100 or so, and actually own part of the club myself.

[MIFTHEBINO]

Fantastic mate.

You pay for £40 to be a member of the trust which owns the club. You will have an equal share of the vote as everyone else (your membership wont start till the first day we take over the club). All you have to do is pay £10 each year to keep your voting rights.:thumbsup:

[MIFTHEBINO]

We are collecting old mobile phones for recycling for the campaign. Not only does it help the environment but our cause will benefit by at least £5.00 when you donate your old mobile. It is easy and it costs you nothing to do.

Send as many old mobiles (removing sim card first) as you can find to:

FREEPOST
RRRA-CZXK-UKEK
Stirling Albion
Vulcan Road North
Norwich
NR6 6AQ.


Most people have old phones tucked away in their homes so please send as many away as possible as this could earn the campaign a lot of money. It doesn't matter if they are broke as we will still get money for them.

There is now a full campaign update for June here-

http://redwebforum.com/rw/index.php?option...70&Itemid=1

[MIFTHEBINO]

Hibs fans Andy and Jamie Murray have both signed up for memberships and are backing the campaign. The guys are obviously very busy at the moment, but we are hoping they can help us more. Also, their grandad, Roy Erskine (who used to play for Hibs) has signed up and has helped us a lot.

Full story here-

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/2009/06/22/andy-murray-signs-up-to-help-save-stricken-albion-rovers-the-team-his-grandad-played-for-86908-21461231/

To read more about the campaign-

http://www.buystirlingalbion.org.uk/

[MIFTHEBINO]

Alright people,

Our chairman knocked back our offer to buy the club in July. Since then, the campaign has still been ongoing, whilst the club has been hit with a rent bill of £67k. If they dont pay this by the end of November, then we will get kicked out of our ground.

In the light of this news, we are doubling our efforts to try and sell memberships and t-shirts. The more money we have, the more chance we will have of saving our club, especially if it goes into administration.

With only 10 weeks left to Christmas, we are trying to get football fans of all teams to buy friends and family a membership for their Christamas.

For this, they will technically own a piece of Stirling Albion when we buy over the club. They will also have all the benefits of having this. This will eventually happen as the chairman is getting more and more desperate.

Certainly if your looking for something different to buy a football daft friend/family member, then why not buy them a club!!


Please help us save my club by buying a membership or t-shirt.

Full details are on here to buy a membership or a t-shirt-

http://www.buystirlingalbion.org.uk/

For those who have signed up, you should receive an e-mail or letter in the next week.

For full news on what we have done, you can check out the trust website at-

http://www.safcst.org.uk/trust/

If we are not able to buy the club, then all members will receive £35 back- like I say, we will do it.

The collection for old mobiles is still on the go as well. Please help by sending any unwanted phones (Please remove the sim) to-

FREEPOST
RRRA-CZXK-UKEK
Stirling Albion
Vulcan Road North
Norwich
NR6 6AQ

Thanks in advance- it's great, greatly appreciated.

PS. If you have any questions, please e-mail me on jsmith@buystirlingalbion.org.uk

[MIFTHEBINO]

As you probably know the fans at Stirling Albion have been working over the past year to save the club for local community. We have football fans from around the world helping us try to be the first 100% fans owned league club in the UK.

Many thanks to everyone who has paid £40 to become become members and help us towards our goal. Several fundraising adventures are planned and one of them is a classic online spot the ball competition in which players could win up to £100k.

Many fans were unable to help as the £40 price to join was too expensive, but this is your chance to help us for only a quid or two and also have the chance of winning some fantastic money whilst helping to save a fellow club.

By playing our classic spot the ball game online you can help us achieve our objectives AND you or your friends of could win up to £100,000 for just £1.00 entry fee. Just visit www.spot-the-ball.net


Please pass the link around to friends and family. The perfect way to do this is by e-mail or on a social networking site.

Thanks again for all your help, its greatly appreciated and good luck!

[MIFTHEBINO]

Woo Hoo, we did it.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...on/8746637.stm

Many, Many, Thanks to everyone on here who helped by buying a membership/sending in phones,etc,etc. Members now own part of a club.

Our new community website will be getting updated on a more regular basis in the coming months so look out for updates on there-

http://www.buystirlingalbion.org.uk/

For anyone still wanting to be a member- you still can! Memberships are still £40 and can be purchased from the above website. £40 to say you own part of a senior football club- what a topic starter when you in the pub lol.

We are currently doing an online spot the ball competition where, for a quid, you could win up to £100k. In the same time, you will be helping to stabilise the club. If you thought, I would like to help, but £40 is too much", then here is your chance to help us for only a quid and in turn, have the chance of winning some serious cash.

http://www.spot-the-ball.net/

We effectly went from £1.6m of debt to about £300k of debt through buying the club and it's our goal to get this to £0 in the next 3 years to secure the future of the club. We will be bring SAFC to the communtiy and will be tapping into the uni here as well as the business community. After three years, kids will get in free so we can build a future support.

[ballengeich]

A very pleasing start to the new regime today. Had Pressley guaranteed a Challenge Cup triumph in the way he'd guaranteed Falkirk's premier league survival last season?