VPjr Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 great work Footscray. I will look into securing the domain name tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royalcity Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 -membership fee model that royalcity spoke to seems to make sense for their model with so many members, wonder how the entity is owned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VPjr Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 ok...I've been doing some domain name searches. The 2 versions I personally prefer are both available as a .ca domain. I like oursoccerclub.ca or oursoccerclub-canada.ca and I am prepared to register one of them tonight. Does anyone have a specific preference for the domain name we should choose? Hopefully there are enough people lurking around to give an opinion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gkhs Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 quote:Originally posted by VPjr ok...I've been doing some domain name searches. The 2 versions I personally prefer are both available as a .ca domain. I like oursoccerclub.ca or oursoccerclub-canada.ca and I am prepared to register one of them tonight. Does anyone have a specific preference for the domain name we should choose? Hopefully there are enough people lurking around to give an opinion I always think the-simpler-the-better, so, of the two, I would strongly prefer oursoccerclub.ca. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
River City Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 oursoccerclub.ca Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VPjr Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 Ok... www.oursoccerclub.ca has been registered for a 1 year term. I got it pretty cheap so if this thing doesn't fly, it won't be a big deal. next step - we need to create a small committee to start coming up with ideas for a website and we need to make a decision on share value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 Fantastic, good work guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
An Observer Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 i am still in provided you guys can generate a good business plan. i think you should sell shares at $100 a crack, and issue say 10,000 (which translates to a $1m if all sold)....no one person can own more than say 5% of the issued shares. This way you have as much flexibility (people can invest at the level they want, but no one can exert control). the business plan needs to have a 5 year operating budget; a development plan for team both from a business point of view and player point of view; I am happy to give money but you need to convince me i am not just throwing money away. in other words, you have to run this as a business which means putting together a group/board, making someone the CEO, etc. Personally, I think if you can get a good budget, etc. together with a decent plan, you then get people to sign up and pledge on that basis....and you keep going until you get your target. Once you are there or near there, I think you can then decide on the appropriate city. This should be based on a number of factors which should be identified in the business plan: appropriate facility; local support (associations including local and provincial); city hall support, etc. Essentially, you could possibly get a few cities "competing" to land your PDL or USL side by offering free facilities, etc. Anyway, I am pretty busy these days and likely in the process of being transferred from London to Hong Kong. However, I would be happy to elaborate on some of these ideas and sit on the board, etc or some sort of advisory capacity. I have run my own business before and know about pitching for cash. I am also a lawyer so I understand the corporate governance issues at least broadly, and work in the financial markets for the largest global banks so understand the financing issues as well. Its up to you guys if you want to take me up on that offer. You can email me here mausten@sifma.org Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoccerNewf Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 Since we now have a website, I think the next two big things are to gather up as much interest as we can. We can use the website itself, soccer podcast, media coverage (local radio, tv, cbc interest piece) to market the product. We need to then use this primary research to make an educated guess as to how much members are willing to contribute and how many members we can expect. Maybe even have a way members can join without paying at first (I think "My Football Club" did this actually). Then we need to get all the information we can from the USL on all the options we have available to us, as I am 99.9% sure our team will be in one of their leagues, whether it be USL 1, PDL or W-League. From this we can plan the best type of team to go after and write our business plan for the club. I think we can have everything in place to make things happen for the 2009 summer season if all goes to plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VPjr Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 An Observer, I appreciate your feedback. A basic business plan is definitely a necessity, as is creating a steering committee/interim board of directors whose purpose it is to create a Mission Statement for this project that would provide guidance going forward and which will make it explicitely clear to any potential investor what the goals of www.oursoccerclub.ca are. I would caution people against expecting too much more from a steering committee at this point though. We can't negotiate with anyone (league, city hall, possible sponsors) without enough money to have anyone take you seriously. If everyone waits to donate until all the details are worked out, including location for the team and which league it will play in, then there will never be enough money in the bank to make this project feasible. If you believe in the vision/mission statement, then sometimes you just have to have to take a bit of a leap of faith, as long as everything appears kosher and legal. I would not want anyone getting involved as an investor if I thought this is just a joke. In the initial phase, People will be asked to pledge funds to ourfootballclub.ca without much more than a Missison Statement and dream of having a supporters funded and "controlled" team that will serve the purpose of advancing Canadian soccer. It is my belief that investors will have their contributions held in trust. If this project fails to come to fruition, ALL funds invested should be returned to investors in full (minus pro-rated share of expenses that might be incurred in the process...and unlike the CSA, I personaly will commit to providing a very detailed accounting of incurred expenses to all investors so they whether or not this goes forward). I would also like to argue that it is highly unlikely that the management team that would ultimately run this, for now, mythical soccer team would come from the group of people who would get this project and website going. I can certainly assure you that I have no interest running a soccer team full time (I've got enough work to do with my real job) although I am quite enthusiastic about seeing this project through to the point that we have sufficient funds in place to hire professional staff to run the operation day to day. The supporters investment will have to be overseen and safeguarded by a Board of Directors but the day to day operations would need to be run by professionals. An Observer, with your background, it would be great to have you on board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VPjr Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 quote:Originally posted by SoccerNewf . I think we can have everything in place to make things happen for the 2009 summer season if all goes to plan. I think its more realistic to shoot for 2010 to be totally honest. Rushing to market is one of the biggest mistakes made by so many businesses, especially in the pro sports realm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoccerNewf Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 Yeah, I would agree. It does make a lot more sense from the preparation side of things. My thoughts were some people may lose interest having to wait 2 years to get things in order. However, that's what business plans are for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmcmurph Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 If you incorporate as a non-profit you can get charity casino dates (at least in Alberta) that are giving out 80 to 100 thousand for 2 days work (25 people). Once every 18 to 24 months and this could help funding greatly. I've worked several casinos over the past couple of decades for chess/judo clubs and schools so just about anyone is eligible. Just an idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VPjr Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 quote:Originally posted by SoccerNewf Yeah, I would agree. It does make a lot more sense from the preparation side of things. My thoughts were some people may lose interest having to wait 2 years to get things in order. However, that's what business plans are for. patience is a virtue. it's better to take the time needed to do it right rather than rush in and fail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Footscray Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 Thank you for registering the domain name VPjr. I wonder if anyone with web page design and maintenance skills is amongst us with the desire to do a bit of volunteer work. I have explored a couple of options around web design; - have a good friend who works professionally in web design and has done some major international corporations web sites. He will design a page as a highly discounted rate. I don't think I can ask him to do it for free nor maintain it without some sort of ongoing payment. I think that the sites he has designed are pretty amazing, despite the fact that it will cost it would be a major bargain. - a family member with a comsci background but not a focus in web design offered to design a page for free. It would be more cost effective and would be a solid end product if not flashy. It would be unfair to ask someone without attachment to the group to provide ongoing support for the site for free so that problem remains. Clearly it would be more desirable to have someone on the board involved at the tech end but I can explore one of these options to get the ball rolling if no one emerges. As mentioned I work in Accounting/Finance if needed I will volunteer for the board as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishman Posted May 22, 2008 Author Share Posted May 22, 2008 Been away for bit... I thought it was a given that I was in for a share (at least)...and I know a few pals that will get in on this, too. I think it is brilliant that a whimsical seed like this one is well planted and ready to blossom! Thanks to everyone for grabbing hold and making it work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAS Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 I'm ending my self-imposed absence from this thread. I have so many points, but I doubt that I'll get through all of them. I looked at mysoccerclubusa.com and noticed that they only have 275 members (up from ~100 when alot of the media was done). With each paying $50/yr, it will take some time before they have a large enough war chest to safely launch their venture. I do agree with the idea of having people pay some sort of on-going fee such as membership dues to generate a reliable revenue base for the club to enjoy on top of traditional revenue sources (ticket sales, sponsorhip, ect). It may, however, be difficult to do much better than 275 paying members, so there will need to be a larger initial outlay from each person to build the war chest that is needed in order to be taken seriously by leagues, sponsors, and municipalities/stadium owners. There seems to be support for both $100 and $1000 shares (and systems containing both), which could build the war chest. I would top the American website just slightly and suggest annual membership dues of $60 ($5/month) as being a good compromise between making decent money and keeping it low enough for most people to consider it reasonable. A Fiver a month seems easy. With a website created, it is critical that some content be put on it before telling people. Otherwise, they will go to it, see nothing, and move on. A mission statement (ex "to promote the development of Canadian players and coaches . . . ") and possibly a few ideas on how to meet the goals of that statement (perhaps all-Canadian player squad and coaching staff?), are a must. Information about the various leagues would be easy content to provide. The more there is to look at, the longer people will be on the website. I would be willing to serve on a kind of "think-tank" board that was charged with coming up with ideas and other planning, but I could not be considered for any serious administrative responsibilities at the moment. I think this thread is essentially functioning as an informal planning board, so it should be kept alive for as long as possible. VPjr, I would suggest that you talk to other website owners such as this one and other supporters websites and ask them for a few favours: 1) Any ideas/advice on how to get ads for the website? Perhaps a small amount of money might be earned through traffic to partially offset website costs. 2) Ask them to link to the website (and respond in kind) for the benefit of the search engines that take these things into account. When I typed in oursoccerclub into Google without specifying a Canadian page, it directed me to oursoccerclub.com - which was created just a few months ago and also has zero content, so I don't know who those guys are. With a little bit of traffic and links, it should be possible to grab the attention of search engines. People always forget or get confused between .com and .ca, so it needs to win out on the search engines. 3) Ask the mods here to "STICKY" this thread for awhile as it will still be needed to create traffic, ideas and investors. The mods on other forums like Bigsoccer, RPB and U-Sector should also be asked to "sticky" a thread that discusses this and links to the website (and maybe also this thread). I think most would grant the request as they would be pro-Canadian soccer. Once the website has content (and hopefully ads) on it, you then try to generate the traffic. The links and stickied threads on other Canadian soccer websites should generate enough traffic to start. Later, once plans are better developed and there are enough people/money on board to show skeptics that this can be done, can the media be courted for that final push for attention and investors. I would not pursue the media right now, as it would look too mickey mouse given the lack of any formal organization, real money, or website content. It might be a media story once, so you have to be prepared to make the most of that one chance. Once it is in the media, it will be easier to approach various cities (some might initiate contact) and discuss possible stadium deals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
An Observer Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 VPjr. Just to be clear, i wasn't expecting you to start negotiating with a city, etc. right now. Quite the contrary, you need to get a mission statement and business plan together first, then get people to pledge (not sure you need the cash up front right away), and once you have hit a certain target....you can then send out a RFP so that cities, etc. can come back to you with expresions of interest. I am certain that there are many voyageurs and others who have connections in various communities who could make the right contacts, organise local bidding groups, etc. that can make the expresions of interest. On that basis, you could then narrow to 2 or 3 cities, ask for more detail, and then select the best one. However, to get that status, you need to be credible which means a mission statement, a credible business plan, and good corporate governance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VPjr Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 ^^ thanks for the clarification. so...let's start the brainstorming process. I've drafted mission statements but its a lot easier to do when I've got a large sampling of opinions of what the mission of oursoccerclub.ca should be. feel free to post your lists of priorities ASAP. Brainstorm away. don't hold back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoccerNewf Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 3 major points for me are: - Allow for equal opportunity for all members in controlling the direction of the organization - At least break-even (viable) - Develop Canadian Talent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex M Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 I love the idea. You could count on my $100 a year subscription. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAS Posted May 24, 2008 Share Posted May 24, 2008 quote:Originally posted by SoccerNewf 3 major points for me are: - Allow for equal opportunity for all members in controlling the direction of the organization - At least break-even (viable) - Develop Canadian Talent I think any mission statement would need these three points. The 1 member = 1 vote rule may conflict with different views on how much should be invested ($100? $1000?), but could be kept for atleast some things. Ragardless of how that is eventually settled, a nice "democracy for the fans" type of slogan would be useful for selling this. The atleast break-even point would be a given if this is done as a not-for-profit, as they are not really allowed to run in the red. Of course, any money made would have to be put back into the club. This would help with fundraising, and make the venture more altruistic. The Montreal Impact is a not-for-profit and they enjoy support from the Quebec Government. Developing Canadian talent is the big one and needs to be at the forefront of the campaign. A super-patriotic, wrapped-in-the-flag style mission statement would garner the most interest and positive support. I would like to add that *IF* a W-League team is chosen (and that would be my preference at the moment) is picked, the very PC language like "advancing the women's game" and "gender equality" would go over well in some circles. Perhaps GoBigRed would become one of the internet forums that would be most interested in this. In addition to having a mission statement that outlines the goals, there needs to be some "meat on the bones" that explains how these goals will be reached. Otherwise, there is no reason to believe that the goals will be met. You may as well add "solve the Israeli-Palestinean crisis and bring peace to the Middle East" to the list of goals as far as anyone cares. I therefore suggest that we also create an ACTION PLAN that makes a few commitments such as fielding an all-Canadian player squad and coaching staff. This would make it clear that we are serious about developing Canadian talent and would create more positive press and greater loyalty. I know that TFC's academy will accomplish some good in time, but the fact that Brennan and Sutton are the only two Canadians who are regularly in the starting XI bothers me given all the pro-Canada hype that accompanied TFC's birth. With that minor betrayal of principle in mind (Mo is about as pro-domestic player as Wenger), I think an Athletic Bilboa (sp?) type of commitment would show how serious we are in developing Canadian talent. A few lines about having players and coaches volunteer some time to coach kids (perhaps summer camps that were free to those who couldn't afford it?) would be good. A fundraising drive to buy new (or collect used) equipment and pay club fees for underprivliged kids in the area would also help Canadian soccer while forging strong ties between the club and the local soccer community. So, a mission statement is important, but it must be accompanied by a reasonably complete action plan to be taken seriously. Once the league and location are picked, more goals can be added. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VPjr Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 Thanks for the ideas... I'll start playing around with something. By the way...big thank you to the MODS for stickying this thread. Much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
An Observer Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 I for one would NOT support one vote for one member. I would support putting a cap on the amount of shares someone can own to make sure its a collective organisation. However, giving a person who puts $100 in the same as someone who puts $5000 seems ridiculous to me. One vote for one share makes sense.....i personally wouldn't invest more than $100 if that was the minimum needed to get one vote. Perhaps some others would, but i think you would lose many larger investors if you had such a silly rule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamiltonfan Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 could we make this an investment rather than a "membership or subscription"? Should be able to get out of the investment when you want selling your shares in the team. A share should be sold at a min. of $50 with a max of 100 shares. As the team builds and increases value, as will the shares. Or what if we got a 2-3 big timers owning no more than 20%. Without exceeding 49%. This way no one would have the majority vote. The hard part would really be finding a city everyone agrees on. I wouldnt invest unless the team was starting off in the CSL. I no that sounds narrow minded, however, I just feel with travel cost the PDL is not worth it. Also the PDL season is so short with no real way of growning your team into something big as it must purely ameuter. Although the francise fee is high, I do think that would be the overall best league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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