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Big Bath City Bid Update - April 11

11/4/2016

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Update on the Community Share Offer

A number of pledgers have been in touch to ask us when the Bid will reopen to new pledges, at what point community shares might be issued.
  
Two important points:
 
1.    The original agreement between the Bid group and the club to set a target of £750,000 for conversion to community ownership was time-bound and expired at the end of the original share offer period.
 
2.    The original prospectus, which was based on that time-bound agreement and on a business plan starting in 2015, is also now out-of-date.
 
This means that, in order to reopen the Bid, we will need to present pledgers with a new prospectus, and pledgers will need to give their express consent before community shares can be issued.
 
This new prospectus will have to receive the Community Shares Standard Mark from the Community Shares Unit in order to remain eligible for Microgenius, so some more work needs to be done in this in the next few weeks.
 
We are currently seeking advice on how we may best reopen the Bid under a new prospectus that works best for the stage we are now at.
 
We would like to thank you again for your patience and continued support of the community ownership project for Bath City FC. We expect to be able to provide details of a new approach and prospectus within 2-3 weeks.  We have also been in touch with other individuals willing to contribute further to significantly boost the money raised.



Continued communication with the Board

There is quite a lot going on at the moment, with discussions between the current shareholders of Bath City and some members of the Bid team about the ownership structure of the Club and also about the proposed re-development of part of the ground.  It is a complicated process and we will update you as soon as we can. The re-development itself also has many elements to consider, as it is at a very early, theoretical stage at the moment.  As soon as they can, the current shareholders will share their thinking with the whole Bid team and the wider supporters group.

Working groups set up
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The 1000BC working group continues to make progress alongside the club's Commercial Executive Bob Chester to improve the day-to-day sales and marketing of Bath City FC.

We have also set up a Community working group and are in the process of establishing a Commercial working group.  Both are aimed at improving how the Club works now and setting up the Club for a wider group of volunteers to be able to contribute in future.

In particular, we are delighted that Jamie Luck of charity Mentoring Plus and Sally Harris of AgeUK BANES will be bringing local organisations together later this month to help establish what a successful ground redevelopment would look like for local people.
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Big Bath City Bid Update - March 12

12/3/2016

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Feasibility study on redevelopment awaited

There has been a small delay in the completion of the feasibility study for the redevelopment of Twerton Park commissioned by the majority shareholders of the club. The Bid team looks forward to engaging constructively once the study is complete.
 
We’ve been asked over the past weeks what is meant by a “partial redevelopment”. As far as we are concerned, this simply means that Bath City will continue to play at Twerton Park, with some parts of the ground’s overall footprint being redeveloped in order to clear the club’s debts. Again, we look forward to seeing which options are put forward.

1000BC continues to push for higher attendances

The 1000BC team, a joint initiative of the Big Bath City Bid and the club, met at the start of March to review progress and identify priorities ahead.

Its main achievements to date are the launch of a weekly club newsletter, the creation of “Romans On Demand”, a new video highlights service, assistance and sponsorship of Community Day, and getting matchday posters up in nearly 100 locations across Bath. In the coming weeks the 1000BC team will finalise a marketing strategy for the coming season, which will be shared at bigbathcitybid.org.uk/1000bc.html

"Smelling the Coffee"

We want to share this excellent article from football writer Neil Fredrik Jensen about how non-league clubs must engage fans, sponsors, youth football and the community in new ways in order to survive and thrive – food for thought as we look to build a solid foundation for community ownership:
 
http://gameofthepeople.com/2016/02/28/the-stakeholder-concept-smelling-the-coffee/
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Big Bath City Bid news update - February 22

22/2/2016

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Supporting Community Day
The Big Bath City Bid supported the club’s annual Community Day fixture on 20 Feb vs St Alban's by sponsoring the performance of Horning Glory, a New Orleans-style brass band, before the match. Horning Glory have regularly performed at the Rec before rugby games and added a bit of atmosphere and pizzaz to this special day for Bath City FC and the local community.
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Putting together an interim Board
 
The Bid team has met in recent weeks to provisionally assign responsibilities for an interim Board and management structure in the event of a successful conversion to community ownership. This will help to ensure a smooth transition from the current structure, ahead of the new community club’s first Board elections.
 
We have made good progress with most existing roles and responsibilities covered so far, but encourage anyone with relevant skills and experience – particularly, anyone with bookkeeping or legal/company secretary experience - to get in touch at info@bigbathcitybid.org.uk.
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Meeting with Supporters Direct
 
Bid representatives Ken Loach and Steve Bradley met with Supporters Direct in early February to review the current situation and seek advice on matters related to the community share offer and emerging redevelopment plans.

Supporters Direct exists to help supporters gain influence in the running and ownership of their club, including training supporters to serve as club directors. We continue to be grateful for all of SD’s support in our community ownership bid - to learn more, please visit www.supporters-direct.org.
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Congratulations to new City boss Gary Owers
 
The Big Bath City Bid team congratulates Gary Owers on being appointed manager of Bath City for the second time. Four points from his first two games in charge is a really positive start and we wish Gary the best of luck in revitalizing the team’s fortunes.
 
We also thank departing manager and director of football Lee Howells and Adie Britton for all they have achieved with the club and for offering support and guidance to the Bid team throughout last year.
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A Big Step Forward Towards Community Ownership

23/1/2016

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Jan 23, 2016 - We are pleased to announce that the majority shareholders of Bath City FC have made a fresh commitment to transition Bath City FC Ltd to a community-owned, ‘one member one vote’ club. 
 
This will depend on the club first being able to clear its debts by partially redeveloping Twerton Park, and on the Big Bath City Bid being able to show that it has sufficient working capital, a revised business plan and an interim Board to assume control of the club.
 
We are now a big step closer to community ownership - and crucially, the lion’s share of the money raised through the sale of community shares could now be used to invest in the club’s future, rather than paying off debts.
 
We now have three tasks ahead of us:
 
  1. Ensure that we have sufficient working capital to assume control of the club if and when the time comes
  2. Prepare the new community-owned club’s structure, policies and procedures, develop a revised business plan when the redevelopment proposal is formalised, and recruit an interim Board of Directors
  3. Work constructively with the Board to ensure that the redevelopment of Twerton Park is completed to a high standard in a way that secures the future financial sustainability of the community-owned club, and that the community is able to participate and be properly consulted during the redevelopment process 

What will happen to the community share offer?
 
With the majority shareholders now agreeing to convert the club to community ownership after a debt-clearing redevelopment, the focus of our fundraising effort has moved from paying off debts to investing in the best possible start for a new community-owned club.
 
We will not reopen the Bid for new pledges just yet – pledges already made remain valid until the end of May 2016. We ask that investors stay with us as plans for the future of the club emerge. As always, not a penny raised through the sale of community shares will be spent without the express permission of investors, and pledges can be recalled at any time.
 
What input will the Big Bath City Bid and/or Supporters Society have on the redevelopment?
 
As the club's largest shareholder, the Supporters Society and its members will have a direct say in any future redevelopment proposal. The Society will ensure supporters have access to independent advice on any proposed development, in line with our obligations as the club’s largest shareholder.

The Society has delegated authority for liaising with the club regarding redevelopment to the Big Bath City Bid. Our priorities are to ensure the redevelopment plans leave behind a financially sustainable club that will not need to resort to borrowing, and that the new facilities will deliver maximum community benefit.

We look forward to seeing the results of the club’s feasibility study currently underway and are keen to work constructively with the Board of Bath City FC to ensure that the redevelopment process is in line with best practice and that the finished product is the best possible for our club and our city.

Thank you to Jon Bickley
 
We also announce that, after helping to secure over £300,000 of community share pledges in just three months, Jon Bickley has stepped down as Big Bath City Bid chair in order to refocus his energies on his own business. Jon’s contribution has been phenomenal and we are very pleased that he will still give time and input to the 1000BC team, a joint initiative between the club and the Bid to increase attendances. Martin Powell, chair of the Bath City Supporters Society, will act as interim chair of the Bid as we move forward.
 

Thank you for all of your support – let’s keep working hard to give Bath the football club it deserves!
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Bath Chronicle Community Team of the Year

13/11/2015

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Congratulations to the Bath City FC Community Sports Foundation and its Director, Pete Selwood, on being named Community Club of the Year at the Bath Chronicle Sports Awards 2015 held at Bath Racecourse on 11th November. Deserved recognition for the fantastic work that the Foundation undertakes in the city and surrounding area.

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Working together to build the crowds

13/11/2015

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The Big Bath City Bid is pleased to announce that we will be partnering with the club to launch the 1000BC initiative. This will be a supporter-led drive to increase attendances over time to an average of 1000. We continue to work on the process of achieving community ownership, but this is another way we can start to improve things for the club from the bottom up.
 
We are looking for a team of dedicated supporters to come up with, prioritise and implement ideas that will help the club reach new audiences and increase our profile in the city.
 
We look forward to hearing everyone's ideas. We've initially identified the following areas as a starting point for discussion:
 
- A systematic approach to getting posters out in the city
- Targeted campaign for students
- Media liaison with local radio & print media
- Street stalls & fan walk / "march to the match"
 
If you have ideas but can't commit the time, please feel free to submit them here or via
email. We will provide regular updates of which ideas are being worked on and what progress is being made.
 
This is a great opportunity to help our club and show how community ownership can work in practice. The campaign will likely involve a monthly or bimonthly meeting starting in December. If you are interested in getting involved, please
email
or submit a form now.
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Take advantage of the International Break to kick things off!

With the Premier League resting and none of our international teams playing on Saturday (unless you're Russian or Portuguese), it’s the perfect time to get down to Twerton Park for the visit of second placed Oxford City. Come along and see if City can pick up where we left off in the last home league match that saw an exhilerating 2-0 win over Chelmsford City. Boasting three new signings - including the return of promotion hero Kaid Mohamed - City lined up with an aggressive formation featuring three up front and a renewed sense of verve and adventure. The injection of new blood and tactics paid dividends, delivering one of the most complete performances of the season and a comfortable victory.


So let's get the ball rolling for the new 1000BC campaign by coming to the match and seeing if City can produce another attacking display in this promotion hunt match-up.


We look forward to seeing you there!
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Updated position for the Bid

7/10/2015

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We're conscious that we haven't been in touch for a little while so want to update you on what's happening. The following is our statement which will be released in the Bath Chronicle on Thursday 8 October:


"The Big Bath City Bid was launched in June 2015, and since then has worked tirelessly to put Bath City FC into the centre stage of life in our city. In the three months that followed we achieved widespread support across the city and beyond - from residents, businesses, charities, politicians, community groups and celebrities - all buying into the vision that community-ownership would finally give our city the football club it deserved. Having sold over £300,000 of community shares up to September, we have since run a consultation process which gave a resounding endorsement from fans and investors to continue pursuing the aim of community ownership.

The Big Bath City Bid team has therefore made the best possible offer it can to the five people who together are the majority shareholders of the current Bath City FC Limited. That offer was for a staged approach towards community ownership - ensuring the short term security of the club by addressing its urgent debts, injecting working capital, and beginning a renewed campaign to generate the balance of funds required to complete the conversion to full community ownership within an agreed timescale. We have thus far been unable to reach agreement with the five major shareholders on this proposal, but discussions continue between the parties in a positive and constructive spirit. We will provide further updates as negotiations continue. We’d like to thank everyone who has committed to the Bid so far, and other supporters, and assure them that we remain committed to the aim of community ownership as the best way to ensure a sustainable and prosperous future for Bath City FC."



Thank you for your patience while we continue to work hard to ensure the best possible outcome for the Club and the Bid. We will get back to you just as soon as we're able to take further positive steps forwards.
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Next Steps Survey Results

27/9/2015

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Big Bath City Bid – Questionnaire Results
 
Almost 500 people responded to the recent Big Bath City Bid (BBCB) questionnaire asking for their views on the next steps in the campaign to transfer Bath City into a Community Owned Club.  Questionnaires were sent out to everyone who had pledged to buy shares, donate to the Bid, or to convert shares, and also distributed to supporters at home games and sent out via social media.

All quotes from respondents are verbatim – no changes have been made.

Jon Bickley, chair of the BBCB said “the level of response was fantastic and shows how the Bid has already captured the imagination of the fans and people of Bath”.

Whilst three-quarters of respondents described themselves as Bath City or general football fans there was also significant input from people who were more interested in the club’s community credentials and in supporting the club as an important part of the fabric of the city.

 “I have not been but very much support the idea of Bath City as a community club”
 “we support rugby but feel City needs this help”, “rugby supporter but want local sport to succeed”
 
“I am a Bristol City fan but want Bath City to have a future”, “I have a season ticket to Arsenal but want to see Bath City do well”

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Of the respondents, the majority (75%) have already applied for community shares and a further 20% expressed an interest in doing so in the future.  This is encouraging for the Bid Team as it suggests that there is already a significant number of people who have yet to commit to shares who could be persuaded to support the idea. “This new level of interest in investing in the Bid could give us a great head-start if we extend it further” offered Bickley. 


The Next Steps

On the question of the next steps the BBCB should take the response was unequivocal – DO NOT GIVE UP!  Less than 4% of the sample felt the group should give up, giving a clear mandate to continue efforts to complete the process of turning Bath City into a community owned club.  William Heath of the Bid welcomed the backing, “We are hugely encouraged by this response and it has helped us to formulate the next stage of our plan and discussions with the Club Board, knowing we have the strong support of the fans and backers”

 “Keep going - it needs more time and continued publicity. Consider asking existing share investors to find at least one more investor each”
 “Focus on the business community until say Christmas. We have impressive public support and a very professional bid team management to try to re-engage with local businesses”

The chart below shows the % of respondents who would support various scenarios.  The options are explained below.  Respondents were able to select more than one option.
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  • Extend the deadline for the share offer, use new approaches to bigger investors and innovative fundraising to achieve the original aim of full community ownership and resolving the club's problems
  • Try to negotiate a deal with the present board to gain 51% community control of the club and clear urgent debts in return for the committed funds
  • Use committed funds alongside a concrete plan to redevelop and improve facilities at Twerton Park to achieve community ownership and create a longer-term solution to the club's problems
  • Ask all community share investors to convert their commitment to cash now to clear urgent debts and increase the Bath City Supporters Society's shareholding in the club (but not gain community control)​
  • Give up and return all monies pledged


The result of this question not only gives the bid team a clear mandate to continue the campaign but also shows that whilst almost half of the sample would be happy for the team to try and negotiate with the present board so long as it (the community) gained control of the club they would not be comfortable with the monies pledged so far being given to the club without having control of how it’s spent.

The third option of using the funds alongside a development plan gained significant support, but some expressed the view that they would need fuller details before committing to that option. 


Supporting the Campaign

The remainder of the questionnaire was aimed at exploring the fans’ desire to help more with the campaign both in terms of donating to a ‘fighting fund’ and donating their time and expertise to the cause.  The response to these questions was especially encouraging with over 200 people offering to donate to a “fighting fund” to allow the BBCB to finance marketing, PR and other activities relating to the bid. Bid spokesperson, Steve Bradley said of this “these donations could make a real difference to our ability to publicise the Bid, initiate new campaigns and get our message out to the businesses and people of Bath.” 

On top of the one-off donations, over 150 respondents said they would make regular monthly payments towards the community ownership goal, either as simple donations or instalments towards buying additional shares. This could prove a significant means of completing the club purchase as has been the case at a number of clubs elsewhere.

As well as financial donations the campaign has received 243 replies offering practical help ranging from fundraising experience, accountancy services, working with local charities, design work and delivering leaflets.  Jon Bickley said “we’ve had offers of help from as far afield as Brazil, the USA and Spain as well as an incredible amount of support from the local Bath population. It is humbling to realise just how many people care passionately about the club and how many people are willing to donate their time and money to making this happen”

The team would like to thank everyone who took the time to complete the survey, and will be contacting everyone who has offered to help over the coming two weeks to see how they can help make the dream of a community owned club in Bath a reality.

Full survey results are available here
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The survey is now closed

21/9/2015

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The Next Steps survey is now closed with over 460 of you giving us your feedback including some 350+ investors in the community share offer. Thank you very much for taking the time to give us your constructive views.

The Bid team is meeting today to consider the results and we will give feedback later in the week. In the meantime we remain in regular dialogue with the Club Board.

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Make your opinions known

17/9/2015

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Over 360 people have now filled in the Next Steps Survey - make sure your voice is heard too!

Responses have been coming in thick and fast with over 360 people completing the survey including 280 share subscribers. But there are plenty more of you out there who've yet to make your views known. So if you haven't done it already, please complete the survey online now - there are just 9 questions and it will only take a few minutes. You can also download a copy and drop it by the stadium marked f.a.o. Supporters Society.


Survey now closed

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