Torquay United Fans Forum

Have it on good authority that, should the club pass the cat 3 audit in May, the club will keep the full youth funding for the 3 years gained as a cat 3 academy, however if not promoted back to the football league would then lose the funding. perhaps, if true, not all bad news for the youth set up.

At the end of the day if Mickey Mouse's son or whoever is a free agent and doesn't want to stay here let him dig out and find little johnny another club. "Damage to the clubs name" the last time we were relegated? - come on.
How many of the youth set up will actually ever end up playing first team football? About zero probably. Its the lowest priority for us I would think and asking the question on this forum is indeed plain stipid.

Given the performance of the first team since the first day of the season I would hope discussions about what would happen were we to be relegated would have at least been mentioned in a board meeting (if not every board meeting) since September...

No I'm not at all. Read what I write, not what you want to read.

There is a scheduled Board meeting next week, that is knowledge that I have, not through any espionage or particular confidence, it's just something I know. It's not something I wouldn't know and it's not something I should be guarded about telling others.

Given the present situation, the Board will have no option but to discuss the relegation game plan. That plan will, inevitably, involve discussion about what is to be done about the future of the youth team at various levels.

As it stands, we have no option but to continue as though we will be keeping the youth team as it is today. If that isn't the case, then disbanding or modifying the setup at that time is much easier than disbanding it today and trying to rebuild it if we do decide to keep it in the conference or in the unlikely instance that we stay up.

The club aren't out to get us. They aren't trying to make life as hard as possible for us. They certainly aren't in the business of pissing off the parents of the members of the youth system. When they gave information to pass on, it'll be passed on. If, in the mean time, you'd like reassurances, that's up to you to call the club. If you don't want to do that, then you're probably safe to assume that no news means situation normal.

Matt.

This is the problem I have here Matt, you are talking like you have the ears and full confidence of our board directors, how do you know they are going to be discussing the future of the youth set up at such a meeting ? Why is Geoff Harrop saying he's met with the board, there is an audit in May for us to continue with a Cat 3 youth set up, that suggests to me decisions have already been made, what part of that can't you see.

Matt is right though in one aspect, the club can't release any details for any forward plans until relegation is actually confirmed, but is wrong to think the youth set up will way down the list priorities to discuss, it will be one of the most important things for the club to sort out.

Philgull, I think funding actually went up under EPPP, there are certain requirements, such as extra full time staff, and things like indoor training facilities, the fact the club have recently taken on a new full time coach for the youth set up, leads me to further believe decisions over the youth set have already been taken , so what next weeks board meeting has do with it, well only matt seems to know, also I doubt very much the club made any forward budget plans back 2011 when this began to cover relegation.

Information gained from elsewhere suggests that Cambridge, Oxford, Barnet and Luton when relegated from the football league all applied for charitable status and placed a training fee charge on their parents to bridge the lost funding, Aldershot, Hereford and Mansfield all closed theirs after relegation, loss of the eppp funding will be a bitter blow indeed, I don't know, but would suggest our club may well have to go down the same route as Cambridge etc.

Which you'll get after the Board meeting next week*, which is what I said all of 7 hours ago. Still, in not a parent, so I couldn't possibly know anything of any value.

Matt.

*you won't. No Board in our position and in their right mind would make a statement regarding the 'what if' of relegation at this stage of the season.

So funding for EPPP is still the same now (based on Football League status) as it was before EPPP?
Is it possible that the club have outline financing plans for the youth setup for a few years going forward regardless of first team performance and league placing? I would assume that the costs involved with the youth setup are fairly constant. Perhaps we have taken relegation into account when budgeting and can afford to keep it going for at least three years regardless of Football League membership or not?
To follow on from the OP and to annoy Matt(!) it would be nice to have some official word on this from the Board...

Well that can depend on what advice you give and what subject you give it on. See in this case MM is currently, one, a parent, and two, an academy parent, I'm, one, a parent, and two, a former academy parent.

As far as I know matt, you are neither a parent or ever had anything to do with our academy in any capacity what so ever (of course I could be wrong there) So maybe, just maybe, in this case, you could be, well, just, plain wrong, see.

I have surprisingly little patience with idiots. My advice comes with a side order of barely veiled contempt, which is precisely what I receive when I say dumb shit. It's the way of the interweb. Still, at least there's advice in there... Somewhere.

Matt.

Matt, surely you are intelligent enough to express your opinion and advice WITHOUT insulting someone.

Get what your saying Matt, but Geoff Harrop is quoted in, in Roars linked article as saying ‘’We have an audit approaching in May for us to remain as a Category 3 Academy. If we manage to pass in early May, we then have three years at Category 3.

That sounds to me as decisions have already been made, so the club must already have a plan of how they are going to fund this with out the ring-fenced funding, which is halved and then lost altogether upon relegation from the football league , so all academy parents should have been/be told, as said a parent who travels down twice a week from Taunton may not know the who's who at the club or what number to ring, the parent has to consider the fuel costs of driving their son down to training twice a week, the kit they have to buy as well.

As MM says, the end of season reviews are due at Easter, this is important information they should have given to them, it's their right to know before the reviews. can imagine a review. Coach says, your son is progressing very well, he's on target in all aspects of his development we would like him to stay for another year. Parent, it costs me £150 a month in fuel to travel to and from, the kit costs £135 relegation is now looking certain, how do you plan to fund the academy , charitable status, am going to be faced with an additional training fee, is the club going to fund it. Coach, to be honest I cant answer that I don't know myself..hmmm, some parents are going say, well until you can answer it sonny isn't re-signing, effectively making the young player we've spent money developing a free agent.

Not everyone will always comprehend the thinking behind your posts, Matt, but no doubt they will appreciate your courtesy, good manners, and consideration for others, in the way you express yourself in your comments. Eh, Matt..?? Hmm...?? Hmm...??

(Note: sarcasm intended.. )

The plan for relegation will be enormous. The u8s are going to be a VERY long way down the list of priorities for the Board to consider. This information won't be communicated for weeks or months yet, but this chap clearly wants to know now. Ignoring the fact that the decision won't have yet been made, asking on the internet isn't the right way to go about this; hence my advice to call the club and ask.

Matt.

The article says Geoff has met with the board. Has he ? as already said, it also states Geoff is constantly talking to parents and players. is he? Has Geoff been miss quoted or is he not done/doing what he says he has.

Matt my friend, you have understand a couple of things here, not every parent is a Torquay fan, these kids come from Cornwall, Plymouth , North Devon and a further a field, the information that Mickey Mouse is after, is vitally important information, that NO parent of our any of our academy should have to go and find out, it's information that should be supplied to them.

You're SO bothered, you've logged on to a completely unofficial forum to ask a question which can't be answered of a man who wouldn't know even if it could. I'm glad I had proper parents.

This is the sort of thing you need to discuss in person with the right people. Call the club and ask to speak to Tim, the Operations Manager. He'll point you in the right direction, which might well be the direction of wait and see what happens after next week's Board meeting.

Matt.