Ex-Staff Chris Williams Leaves

[OnlyOneUnited]

When I say changed finances, I don't mean the overall package of what is being paid for, as clearly the stadium is going ahead, I mean how it is being paid for and how protected OUFC are from another Kassam situation.

 

[Osleroad]

When I say changed finances, I don't mean the overall package of what is being paid for, as clearly the stadium is going ahead, I mean how it is being paid for and how protected OUFC are from another Kassam situation.

This isn't really the right thread-need to go to stadium planning - thought OUFC would have ownership of the stadium and as such it is an investment by owners/shareholders but don't quote me-but not a Kassam situation.

 

[Front Post]

Just on Williams and people asking why the club haven't acknowledged it.

Is it because his last game is v Pompey so doesn't go until after that?
Though it was his last home game so you might have thought they'd put something.
I can't imagine that Chris will want to go without a signing off type message online so we shall see

 

[Northstandboy]

Just on Williams and people asking why the club haven't acknowledged it.

Is it because his last game is v Pompey so doesn't go until after that?
Though it was his last home game so you might have thought they'd put something.
I can't imagine that Chris will want to go without a signing off type message online so we shall see

His X post made out he was signing off.

 

[MarkG]

We need to know how much the stadium is going to cost, who is going to front the cash, and how much the football club will have to pay for it. They know - the idea that they haven’t got a proper financing plan is ludicrous, yet that’s exactly what I’m convinced Williams will say if questioned. “We’re still figuring that out.” No, you’re not. You know exactly how you believe this will work.

If the owners stump up £100m of their own cash (bet you they don’t) and ‘the markets’ provide an additional £60m for arguments sake, the market funded equity share would demand an industry standard yield of 3-5% per annum. That could mean anywhere from £2-3million per year solely on the minority share - the owners would still be yet to recoup on the majority outlay. How do we pay for this? Any increased revenues from stadium operations would simply go to paying shareholders, not to the football club.

What are the sums? How much are they making Oxford United Football Club liable for, and how sustainable are those figures? What if we remain a middling League One club? What if we aren’t in the Championship? What if, heaven forbid, we ended up back in League Two, which really should’ve happened last season under their watch given our points total? Can the club maintain its ability to pay for its own existence in those scenarios?

It’s all good and well people banging on about how there’s no future without this stadium, but until the details are known nobody has any idea what the future looks like with this stadium either.

This belongs on the stadium thread. Downsizing from Stratfield Brake to the Triangle has taken out a lot of the profit making opportunities for the owners. The company set up as Oxford Park Developments is being voluntarily struck-off.
Does this mean the club will now be the entity owning the stadium? As you say, one of the earlier funding statements was partly through "the markets". Is this still the case? The only way we end up with a sustainable club is if all of the funding is by equity and not by interest bearing debt whether internal or external. For our current owners with no real relationship to the club, not getting the planning permission would probably be an easy way out, but they could have done that as soon as Stratfield Brake was off the table.

 

[RyanioBirdio]

This belongs on the stadium thread. Downsizing from Stratfield Brake to the Triangle has taken out a lot of the profit making opportunities for the owners. The company set up as Oxford Park Developments is being voluntarily struck-off.
Does this mean the club will now be the entity owning the stadium? As you say, one of the earlier funding statements was partly through "the markets". Is this still the case? The only way we end up with a sustainable club is if all of the funding is by equity and not by interest bearing debt whether internal or external. For our current owners with no real relationship to the club, not getting the planning permission would probably be an easy way out, but they could have done that as soon as Stratfield Brake was off the table.

Kieran Maguire from The Price of Football claims to have seen Tim Williams speaking at a conference in the last couple of months, and that Williams said during his speech that the stadium would be funded “by the markets”. In which case the investors (owners) will want at least a standard yield in return for their money if it’s financing the build.

Maguire has apparently invited Williams onto TPoF to talk about the stadium as he can’t make sense of how it could possibly be funded in a manner that a L1 club could ever afford - especially one with our turnover even factoring in an increase - and has seemingly had no response.

It’s all good and well talking about this world-leading electric stadium filled with heat pumps and solar panels, but those things ultimately need replacing after 20-odd years. Who pays for that? Whose obligation is it as the landlord? Or does that get shoved onto the football club as some sort of bullshit tenancy designed to look like ‘ownership’, but is ultimately lumbering the club with millions and millions of pounds in debt and expenses down the line, long after the people responsible for putting us there and agreeing the terms will be gone?

 

[LeftSideLarry]

Kieran Maguire from The Price of Football claims to have seen Tim Williams speaking at a conference in the last couple of months, and that Williams said during his speech that the stadium would be funded “by the markets”. In which case the investors (owners) will want at least a standard yield in return for their money if it’s financing the build.

Maguire has apparently invited Williams onto TPoF to talk about the stadium as he can’t make sense of how it could possibly be funded in a manner that a L1 club could ever afford - especially one with our turnover even factoring in an increase - and has seemingly had no response.

It’s all good and well talking about this world-leading electric stadium filled with heat pumps and solar panels, but those things ultimately need replacing after 20-odd years. Who pays for that? Whose obligation is it as the landlord? Or does that get shoved onto the football club as some sort of bullshit tenancy designed to look like ‘ownership’, but is ultimately lumbering the club with millions and millions of pounds in debt and expenses down the line, long after the people responsible for putting us there and agreeing the terms will be gone?

Will the markets actually fund this without guarantees from the ownership should the club default (assuming that the club will be the owner of the stadium)? Difficult to see us as a viable borrower without such guarantees.

I can’t believe they don’t have a plan for this. The owners must have spent a fortune on this project thus far (or is it OUFC Ltd?) and they haven’t made their fortunes by being unprepared.

Along with the planning decisions itself, clarity on the ownership structure, ongoing costs and protection for the club are the most important issues.

 

[RyanioBirdio]

I can’t believe they don’t have a plan for this. The owners must have spent a fortune on this project thus far (or is it OUFC Ltd?) and they haven’t made their fortunes by being unprepared.

Which is why this is so critical, because they’ll have a plan that protects themselves, not necessarily Oxford United.

 

[Yellow River]

The same Benson who has allowed a news article to be on the website all day on Mother’s Days Gifts go up on the website with a link which, instead of taking you to the club shop, links you straight back to the article you’re already reading.

Mother's Day Gifts

Celebrate the most important women in your life with our Mother's Day gifts.

www.oufc.co.uk

Three days later and it still hasn’t been corrected.

We know the club reads this forum, perhaps fragile egos couldn’t bear to look at this particular thread with fans thanking and wishing Chris Williams well.

Oh dear, Tim won’t be happy when he finds out, think how many retail sales the club has missed out on.

I’m just worried about poor @RyanioBirdio still trying to buy his mum an OUFC inspired gift, trapped in some sort of Groundhog Day purgatory.

 

[MC Yellow]

The same Benson who has allowed a news article to be on the website all day on Mother’s Days Gifts go up on the website with a link which, instead of taking you to the club shop, links you straight back to the article you’re already reading.

Mother's Day Gifts

Celebrate the most important women in your life with our Mother's Day gifts.

www.oufc.co.uk

In all honesty, I don't think I hate my Mum enough to bother with an OUFC gift this year anyway.

 

[Scrongo]

Mmmmmmm!!!!!!!! This article was a year ago. It's got worse....

 

[Oxymoron]

MJB said:
The same Benson who has allowed a news article to be on the website all day on Mother’s Days Gifts go up on the website with a link which, instead of taking you to the club shop, links you straight back to the article you’re already reading.

Three days later and it still hasn’t been corrected.

Works for me. Cache problem?

 

[OUSP]

Works for me. Cache problem?

Or I flagged it up with them 15 minutes ago.

 

[WEYellow]

A brief statement by the club just posted. For a man who's devoted 23 years of his life to Oxford, he gets a statement like that - utterly disgusting from the club, so out of touch it's beyond belief.

 

[Berliner]

Or I flagged it up with them 15 minutes ago.

You didn't also tell them about Chris Williams not getting the farewell he deserves either, by any chance?
Seeing as it has just been announced on social media five minutes ago.

 

[Chris on a Bike]

Why would i lie about that?

Yes, why would you?

 

[Chris on a Bike]

A brief statement by the club just posted. For a man who's devoted 23 years of his life to the club, he gets a statement like that - utterly disgusting from the club, so out of touch it's beyond belief.

Although Chris may have written it himself and doesn't want a fuss?

 

[Marston Road yellow]

Although Chris may have written it himself and doesn't want a fuss?

Would he have chosen that picture? I very much doubt it.

 

[Finlandia]

Although Chris may have written it himself and doesn't want a fuss?

I don’t think that’s the case.

 

[billyturleyscurlywurly]

Clear to see Tim Williams isn’t exactly happy about Chris leaving for Oxford City.