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1 of 1- BennyBoy
- Tekel Towers 1st Team
Offline - Registered: 11/7/2014
- Posts: 154
Folk Who Volunteer for United
I saw something the other day about how a race night by the United Ladies of Tannadice raised £2,000+ for youth development.
I admire their dedication, it's a cracking amount of money and their intentions are perfectly laudable.
Having been a volunteer for United myself, one of the reasons I stopped was because any money you raise isn't actually making a difference.
As an example: Let's say the budget for the youth academy in 2018/19 is, I dunno, £200,000. And let's say fan groups raise £25,000 for the youths. The budget doesn't then become £225,000, the budget remains £200k. All that's happened is that there's £25k less for Stephen Thompson to have to bother about.
Volunteers think that the money they are raising is extra, that the funds will improve things - that's not what happens.
I think Gussie Park is a very telling example of how fan group funds get used. A large percentage of the cost to regenerate Gussie was from the Fed, ArabTRUST, the DUBC and others. People who put their hand in their pocket for the project and/or gave up their time thought that it was something laudable for the youths and the community. It turns out that all we did was create an asset (a very profitable one) for loan collateral that was eventually sold to keep the lights on for a few months and balance the books after the utter mess that's been made of the club.
I totally understand the desire to be pro-active and to want to help the club. But it saddens me that so many volunteers (and those who give money thinking it's making a difference) don't realise that their good work is, I'm sorry to say, for nothing.
- PatReilly
- Tekel Towers LEGEND
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- Registered: 25/3/2015
- Posts: 5,580
Re: Folk Who Volunteer for United
Good points, and reflecting much of what has gone wrong in society itself (to me).
The voluntary sector, for example, covers the cost of much research into life saving cancer treatments, which frees up cash for successive governments to spend on bailing out bankers and Trident, as a simple example.
But the difference is, we are forced to pay taxes to the government, we aren't forced to spend our hard earned on poorly run football clubs.
- BennyBoy
- Tekel Towers 1st Team
Offline
- Registered: 11/7/2014
- Posts: 154
Re: Folk Who Volunteer for United
There's a cafe in St Andrews called Zest. It's what's called a 'Social Enterprise' meaning that it's "an organisation that applies commercial strategies to maximise improvements in human and/or environmental wellbeing."
Some of the staff that work there are people who perhaps wouldn't be able to get a job elsewhere or face challenges because of autism, depression, social angst, homelessness et cetera. Basically, it's for folk who need a break and all profit is put back into the project.
Most Arabs, as far as I'm aware, were behind Stephen Thompson's strategy - chip away at the debt little by little, finish in the top 6 and have good cup runs and sell one player per season to help with the balance sheet.
Alongside this strategy, there was also a community feel to the club. The fan groups were all pulling in the same direction, fund raising events were common, any projects by ArabTRUST, or whoever, got good support and (whilst I can never be sure of this) it felt like there was much more of a willingness to buy in to the United brand which translated into merchandise sales at the club shop.
It was as if we all felt like United was a Social Enterprise - a good cause that was run for the benefit of the wider community and that where possible, funds were put directly back in to try and strengthen. Players aside, I don't think that anyone thought that someone was getting rich from it all.
That community/social enterprise feel has now long gone, of course.
EDIT: By the way, I strongly recommend the Toasted salmon and cream cheese bagel at Zest. Be sure to leave them a tip and on your way out, tell them how much you enjoyed your food and that you'll be back.
Last edited by BennyBoy (24/4/2018 1:08 pm)
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