Match Sponsors

Just wondering who were the match sponsors for yesterdays game, if any.
I have heard rumours, but need it confirmed.
Thank you

I don't know about the sponcors, but the match sponsors were the Society. Did you agree with our MoM award?

Not quite sure about your opening sentence Martin.
I certainly agreed with the man of the MoM award, maybe a share of it with Jack Batten.
Going back to my leading question and the reason for my concern.
Is it now some kind of closed shop  ( just a chosen few ) as we never hear anything about the society and of those that I spoke to yesterday, no one was aware of The Society being the sponsors.
May I ask who were in attendance and who received an invitation.
For example was Manda Rigby there.

is this a troll?

This year we invited people who had helped with the Bid last summer by organising events and working on the street teams - I believe this was explained the programme although I could be wrong. Last year we invited members who had attended the previous AGM.

It's a fair point, though, maybe next year we should invite all Society members on a first-come-first-served or random basis.

We've also recently given one of our committee members responsibility for "member liaison" so hopefully you'll hear more from us in the future.

Most of our efforts these days relate to the Bid, so the communications come though the Bid website, emails, social media etc. But we do have a website (bathcitysociety.org), a Facebook and Twitter account. When I first joined the committee I sent out a couple of Society newsletters but again the Bid ended up eclipsing that.

Yes, TP is certainly a hotbed for rumours, isn't it! So to dispel any which you may have heard...

I certainly would hope that the Society is not seen as a closed shop. Membership is open to anyone and details can be found at its website at...

http://www.bathcitysociety.org/join-us.html

To respond to your concern that 'we never hear anything about the Society', I'm sure you are aware that for the past 18 months its efforts have been very much tied up with the Big Bath City Bid - many of its committee are also involved with the Bid's steering group. If you are unsure of what progress has been made, you can visit the Bid's site at...

http://www.bigbathcitybid.org.uk/

(the 'news' section will give you the latest updates on where we are, but I assume you are also receiving the regular Bid newsletters)

However, Gary, I wonder if your question is based on some other concern. If you don't wish to raise it on here, simply pm me. Also, Society members will be notified shortly of its upcoming AGM - that would be the obvious time to ask questions and raise issues with the committee. You may even wish to stand for election.

As for no one being aware that the Society were sponsoring yesterday's match - it has been listed in the programme for several months and there was the following article in yesterday's...

Bath City Supporters Society is delighted to be sponsoring today’s match against Eastbourne.
The Supporters Society is a democratic members-run organisation that owns 17.65% of the club’s shares, making it Bath City’s single largest shareholder. Its aim is to achieve a club that is fully owned by the supporters, financially sustainable and run as an integral part of the local community.
One year ago the Society launched the Big Bath City Bid to bring about community ownership for our club. After raising over £300,000 in pledges for community shares, it continues to work constructively with the club’s Board to reach this goal. Another recently formed taskforce is 1000BC, a joint initiative with the club that aims to increase long-term attendances through various promotional and marketing initiatives.
Serving the community is also a part of our constitution. The Bath City Community Sports Foundation was founded by the Society and continues to work very closely with us in all it does to help bring the club closer to the local community.
We are always looking to extend the Society’s membership, which currently stands at 120. You can join the Society for just £2 a month, giving you a direct say in how our shareholding is used.
For more about the Society and how to join, visit our website at www.bathcitysociety.org, and please also follow our Twitter feed @bathcitysociety.


I believe our sponsorship was mentioned over the tannoy during the match.

As for who received an invitation from the committee, we saw it as an ideal opportunity to show our appreciation to some of those who have assisted us over the past 18 months in our drive for community ownership...

volunteers (many of whom spent Saturday mornings last Summer engaging with the public in the city centre)
organisers of several Bid fundraising and information giving events
members of the 1000BC group, who are working so hard to raise the profile of the club and raise attendances
former + present members of the Bid team
a small number of the 500+ who have pledged to buy community shares.

I hope that addresses your concerns - please pass them on to the sources of your rumours. I will treat your final question with the contempt it deserves.

The Supporters Club have raised the issue of poor tannoy reception with the club. I agree that it is particularly bad if you are in the centre of the stand.

If it is a question of cost, I have looked on ebay for the tannoy thing, about £100 if it is one that is suitable?  

Sponsor the tannoy thingy at the Margate game, I will be the first for  £10, if only to try the prawn sandwiches. 

Coming from a league club context, I find that Bath City itself, the Society and the Bid is anything but a closed shop. During Manda's time, I commented on this forum that more should be done to attract the many students that arrive at the city as well as 'ex-pat' football supporters - such as I was - who can't see their first club every week and so come here and often bring their family who, one would hope, would be the future generations of supporters. Immediately, I was asked to put my money (or rather time and effort) where my rather large mouth was and was invited to a meeting to discuss such matters with others and report back to Manda. Some stuff was resolved - such as the better marketing of the family ticket - and others are still ongoing, mostly as part of 1000BC. I was immediately impressed by the fact that the club fairly obviously wasn't a closed shop and ideas were listened to - as long as you were prepared to put in the time and effort and not just put suggestions in and sit back and expect a club of mainly volunteers to sweep into action immediately on your ideas.

This carried on with my dealings with the Supporters Club with regard selling the Romans t-shirts and with the club with regards the Foodbank day. Similarly, when the Bid was accepted, I was happy to help with the Bid as far as I could and that help was accepted. When I took a step back from the Bid, there was a space in the Supporters' Society committee that I was able to fill (which, of course, I will be standing for election for at the AGM in order that it is fully democratic). I can't remember asking to be 1000BC but seem to have been volunteered for that somewhere along the way.

My point is that, at every step along the way, if I had ideas (and, indeed, concerns), the Club, the Supporters Society, the Supporters' Club and the Bid Team have been wholly open to ideas, suggestions and offers to help but, crucially, I had to put the time and effort in myself to help these ideas, ventures and efforts achieve any sort of success. I appreciate that not everyone has the time to get so involved - although all the people involved in the running of the club, society and supporters club all have busy lives away from Twerton Park - but no-one is sitting anywhere in an office on a salary twiddling their thumbs waiting to pounce upon genius ideas from supporters and running with them. There just isn't the capacity presently.

With this in mind, as Martin says, there is a democratic process that is the very antithesis of a 'closed shop' in the form of the election to the committee of the Supporters' Society coming up at the AGM. You don't even have to get a proposer or seconder or all that mularkey. You can just put yourself up for for several places on the Committee of the Society that is intrinsic to so much of what goes and what will go on at the club. Indeed, you could be part of choice on how to invite people to next season's Society sponsored match. If you can't do this, you can always bring your suggestions, questions and points to the AGM.

Beau Nash wrote:If it is a question of cost, I have looked on ebay for the tannoy thing, about £100 if it is one that is suitable?  

Sponsor the tannoy thingy at the Margate game, I will be the first for  £10, if only to try the prawn sandwiches. 

It's more a question of priority within the maintenance of the ground. I know that there have been a number of problems with floodlights this season, and they were all sorted out. One of the speakers in the stand was removed because there were complaints that it was far too loud! This will get looked at during the close season.

The equipment itself is fine, Steve Mellor bought a replacement last year. I've turned it down as people said it's too loud under the opposite side.

Marc Monitor wrote: With this in mind, as Martin says, there is a democratic process that is the very antithesis of a 'closed shop' in the form of the election to the committee of the Supporters' Society coming up at the AGM. You don't even have to get a proposer or seconder or all that mularkey.

Are you sure about that?

This will be explained in the notification of the AGM.

stillmanjunior wrote:The equipment itself is fine, Steve Mellor bought a replacement last year. I've turned it down as people said it's too loud under the opposite side.

Behind the goal at the Bath end yesterday you couldn't hear a thing.

I think all the society members should post their tax returns on line.
O and wear see-through pants.

Ashley wrote:

stillmanjunior wrote:The equipment itself is fine, Steve Mellor bought a replacement last year. I've turned it down as people said it's too loud under the opposite side.

Behind the goal at the Bath end yesterday you couldn't hear a thing.

Strange. I'll wander around before the game tomorrow and see how it is.

stillmanjunior wrote:

Ashley wrote:

stillmanjunior wrote:The equipment itself is fine, Steve Mellor bought a replacement last year. I've turned it down as people said it's too loud under the opposite side.

Behind the goal at the Bath end yesterday you couldn't hear a thing.

Strange. I'll wander around before the game tomorrow and see how it is.

Let me know if I can help. I am usually there stupidly early.

Roman Mike wrote:I think all the society members should post their tax returns on line.
O and wear see-through pants.

What's the change there? You obviously haven't been to the Society meetings

MATCH SONSORS, CLARITY
I would like to clear up a few things about my two postings on this thread.
it appears that things have been taken a little out of context, by my use of three words , RUMOURS, and CLOSED SHOP.
The rumours were relating to who was actually sponsoring the game.
I asked five original Society members as to whether or not the society were indeed the sponsors. Not one could confirm this and had not been informed if that was the case.
In the past members had been emailed individually and invited to attend such functions , numbers limited of course. I now fully understand what the situation was on Saturday.
However I must point out that printing the details in the programme limits greatly who you are actually reaching. What percentage of the paying public actually buy a programme ?.
I heard nothing over the P.A. system and nothing by email.

Martin, Oliver and Marc all responded to my suggestion of "a closed shop" . This was no more than a quip as to who is now invited to sponsorship functions. Not the wisest use of words I guess, but not intended to suggest that this is the case with anything going on to further the future of this club.
So to recap-
I have heard no criticism or rumours against either The Society or The Bid Team.

I mentioned who the sponsors were three times I believe - about 10 mins before game, when announcing motm with about five minutes remaining and after the game. Shall turn up the mic tomorrow.

Thanks for your post this evening, Gary, which I hope draws a line under this matter.

If Society members are concerned about how Saturday's sponsorship was advertised and organised, I hope they will bring it up at the soon to be announced AGM.

Thank you Martin.

Marc, not there ten minutes before the game, usually too noisy to even hear MoM announcement or to involved in the game and gone after the game or talking on the way out.
To be honest I don't really listen to you, nothing personal, just a bit of a strain on the ears.
To repeat myself   -- I didn't know who the sponsors were, just heard rumours.

I can't make head nor tail of that last paragraph directed at me, SASCHA? Could you elaborate?

Marc Monitor wrote:I can't make head nor tail of that last paragraph directed at me, SASCHA? Could you elaborate?

I think that Sascha meant MARK (Stillman) re the Tannoy, not MARC