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Understandably, you probably have lots of questions so please read through these questions we are frequently asked. If you still have any questions, you should certainly get in touch with us. We've put our questions and answers in the following sections; the concept; the trust; the club; the team and other issues.


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The Concept

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Whose idea is this?

The model used was inspired by MyFootballClub which is aiming to fund the purchase of a conference/low league club with set parameters via subscribers on the Internet. We are grateful to them and hope that the model is a success for them, us and many more clubs in the future.

Our proposition is slightly different in that we are a club offering you the opportunity to take ownership so our efforts are focused only on providing the facilities needed to make the experience work for everyone.

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Why Biggleswade United?

Primarily, why not? We know the club is small and, perhaps, is not unlike many clubs at a similar level. There are, however, some key items that make BUFC an ideal candidate for an exciting opportunity like this. Firstly, the club is already run as a charitable trust, has been established for many decades and there is no outright individual owner or previous investor. Secondly, there is a strong youth team focus and community strength which has helped build a really strong fabric to the club. Thirdly, the club is well established has no debts of any description for team, club or ground. Further, we have a good central location, existing outline approval and finances for new stands and ground improvements a supportive local council and potential to attract much larger support.

Finally, and most importantly, the club have the drive and ambition to make it all work now and in the future.

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What is the aim of doing this?

The club recognise that surviving in this day and age will take more than goodwill of the hardworking board. In the age of the Internet, the club have embraced the web and have been looking for a way of helping push them further. Essentially, like all clubs, we need a wider fan base, more resource, more input and more funds to push further up the leagues. Our gauntlet to you is this – if you have control of the club, can you make the decisions that will see us to the Conference and beyond?

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Am I buying a direct share in the club?

Effectively, yes, but this is a trust. You are buying membership of myBUFC which entitles you to a single voting right in the trust which runs and owns the club. No single person has more than 1 vote and no-one has any priority in voting over anyone else. However, your voting right has no marketable value so cannot be transferred or re-sold. Membership fees are annual meaning that your management of the club will only be valid for each year you are fully subscribed. We are proposing that the cost of membership is also put to the vote each year so that you have the regular opportunity to influence the value of being a club owner directly.

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Can I propose a vote at any time?

We are currently planning to allow anyone to propose a vote and options which, when seconded to an agreed level, will be put forward to all members. For obvious reasons, we will ensure that there are not an over whelming number of votes in any week and as this is a new concept, we will take it on a stage by stage basis taking as much lead from the membership as possible.

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Is anyone profiting from the 'sale'?

No. The great thing about this is that the football club has been run as a trust for some time so members fees go straight into the club ready for you to decide how to spend, when and where. Of the £23.50 you are paying this year as fees, £19 goes directly into the club funds, £0.50 covers the cost of the financial transaction and £4.00 goes to cover the cost of the trusts administration via the myBUFC web portal. We have protected the status of the club so that no matter what happens through mybufc.com in the future, there can be no profiteering by individuals directly or indirectly at any time.

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I hear you are installing new stands, will I be paying for them?

We are very pleased to announce the development of the ground which will provide sheltered stands around the perimeter, turnstiles and a fully enclosed pitch. Work will commence at the close of this season and provides a specification suitable for the next league as well as our current one. The plans and finances have all been arranged so, no, members funds will not be used to go towards the current ground improvements. In the future, however, the club will need to upgrade the ground further in order to comply with FA regulations in higher leagues. How and when we do this will be up to you!

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What does the club gain?

It is difficult to convey how much time and effort has been sacrificed to make the club what it is today and an immense amount of gratitude is owed to the current and former members of the committee However, football is an increasingly difficult business and the club recognise the need to be adventurous and ambitious in order to grow further in the future.

The hope, therefore, is that being the first club to ever try this method of ownership will allow the development and opportunity that would not exist through any other means. Are there any long term issues? With a model so new, it is difficult to forecast what may or may not happen that would be of concern. The club have agreed to be open, flexible and are aware of the need to adapt to issues as they arise.

The key that holds it together is that everyone wishes this to be a success and will continue to work hard to ensure it.

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Is it a one-off fee?

The fee is annual and the level will be voted on by members each year for the coming seasons as part of the club and trust management. What is the maximum and minimum number of subscribers? We welcome as much increasing support in future years to the club but have now agreed that 5000 will, unless decided by members, be the maximum membership level. A minimum level has been discussed as but as yet we have not fixed a figure on what the level would be and what the course of action should be. This will be one of the first issues resolved once the trigger level is hit.

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The Trust

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What is the trust?

The trust is a legal entity that owns the club and manages the affairs of business on a day to day basis. At present, this involves a board of volunteers who have given their time over the years for the benefit of the club.

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Who will run the trust?

Members have the final say on all aspects of running the club and team. The current board will stay in place as they have a great deal of knowledge and experience available to the club at this level. The proposal for the first 2 seasons is that a representative from the members is on the board along with the web development team. After this period, we will put the board structure to the vote and accept that growth and progression through the leagues will require changes in skills, time and resources in all areas. Can the trust sell its share in the club? We would like the answer to be no but to ensure that no-one can profiteer, should circumstances make it necessary for this to occur, all income from a sale as voted by 90% of members will go to a nominated registered charity.

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The Club

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What club issues are covered?

Basically everything. Because this has never been done before, the club are ensuring that the the current committee stays the same (with the addition of a representative of myBUFC) for 2 seasons after which they will allow myBUFC members to stipulate the structure and representation for the future. The role they perform, however, changes from day one from decision making to implementation and has been wholly accepted throughout.

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Why a 5000 member trigger level?

It was chosen because this would double the clubs income and, therefore, make this new proposition worthwhile for club, team and members. Of the £23.50 paid, £19 goes straight into club funds for the members to spend how they wish (along with existing income), £0.50 is paid for the online transactional cost and £4.00 goes towards the online system to facilitate the membership as a whole.

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Is the club ready to make such a big step?

100% Yes. There are hopes and fears but the club are unanimous that they are ready to try something new and radical to see them progress in future years. We want to see if Biggleswade United can become a conference club in 5 years - the question is, can you match their ambition and drive to bring this success?

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The Team

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No manager??

5000 managers! The team will have an appointed coach who will work on training, fitness and skills to get the most from the team. The squad, team selection, formation and tactics will be chosen by members for each match depending on form, opposition and requirements from the game.

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How does team selection work?

Initially, we are planning to have each game selection as a 2 phase process. Initially, the formation will be selected from the many options provided on a majority vote. Within the 24 hours before a game, team selection will be provided to allow choice on which players should take which positions on the field. Team tactics will be voted on at any time during the duration. Therefore, the squad selection, formation and tactics will be available for the the team and the assistant managers role is to ensure they are adhered to at all times.

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What about in-match and pre-match injury/squad issues?

"Crisis" issues such as these will be dealt with by the assistant manager as and when they arise. Tactics and formation will, however, remain at the core of any changes though there will be some instances where these may need altering due to immediate and unplanned issues.

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What information will I be provided with?

As much as possible and we need your help too! We are planning to provide player profiles, coach training and form reports, match analysis and, all being well, even online videos of games. We will then make it possible for members to provide match comments, opposition analysis and scout reports to aid the online discussions. How will players be 'graded'? Initially, we are going to keep the rating scope and detail simple to allow us to develop the system over time. We are aiming to have a skill level as decided by our Coach which will be based on the league we occupy at the time - therefore, if we consider a player the best in the league for his position a "10" will be awarded, the worst, a "1". Form will be based on the last match played and recent training sessions as decided by the coach.

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Can we watch the games?

We are hoping to have online video highlights available very soon which will then be incorporated into the myBUFC site. One issue we will put to the vote is the possibilities and funding of live matches online for members and how it might be implemented.

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Other Issues

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What happens if the trigger point is not met?

We hope that in a very short time - perhaps a matter of weeks - the membership level will be surpassed and we will be the first club in the UK to use this method of owner management. If, by the 28th of February 2008 we do not hit our 5000 trigger level the committee will vote to proceed with fewer members or refund everyone who has paid and the club will, regretfully, remain in it's current form.

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Will you take payment through any other means?

There are no plans at this time and Paypal offers the most convenient solution but please let us know if there are other options you would like to see.

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Can we help run/develop the site?

All content input is most welcome via the forum and voting is a vital part of the membership system working. We will be looking at providing tools so that members can also help with developing parts of the site as the more we can give to the membership, the higher the numbers are likely to go and the better our chances of future retention which is key for the long term.

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When is the forum going to be available online?

The Forum is already online