Cash call for Cornish Pirates
LONG-term benefactor Dickie Evans addressed a packed St John’s Hall
on Monday as he urged members to ‘become part of the Pirates’ dream’.
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Cornish Pirates
He was launching an appeal for members to contribute around £300,000
towards the estimated £1.95 million annual running costs for the club.
Mr Evans, the former club president and now chairman of the board of
Pz-Newlyn RFC Ltd, told around 300 members that the Cornish Pirates
were in a ‘very privileged position’ as likely members of the new
Championship, due to start next season.
“We are on the starting line for the next stage in the development of professional rugby in England,” he said.
“We can expect much better and harder rugby with more competitive
fixtures right up to the end of the season with the planned play-offs.
“The club has cost me a lot of money and given me a great deal of
enjoyment but I’m not getting any younger and I’m looking for some help
in taking the club forward and making it more sustainable.”
On the projected figures for next season, the Cornish Pirates would
need £1.95 million to run a fully professional squad of 32 players with
the current level of backroom staffing with estimated income from all
sources projected to be around £1.3 million.
Mr Evans is hoping that members will contribute around £300,000 of
the £650,000 shortfall and he pledged personally to match any money
raised from the new scheme.
He explained the proposals for the five different ways of
contributing – from becoming one of the ‘Pirates Crew’ to membership of
the ‘Inner Sanctum’ at a cost of £5,000 a year.
At all levels members would have opportunities to win a luxury holiday at the Hemmingways Resort in Kenya owned by Mr Evans.
He also outlined plans for a new subscriber website, membership of
which would cost £20 a month and which would give members a unique
insight into the Pirates.
Following the impressive presentation, members were asked to write
down questions which Mr Evans and chief executive Rod Coward addressed
after a break.
Among them, were queries about a possible new stadium.
Mr Coward said that many local clubs had been approached with a view
to stadium-sharing, but none had been particularly ‘enthusiastic’.
Nevertheless the club was doing all it could to explore what options there were.
Mr Evans placed the responsibility for building a stadium firmly
with the new Unitary Authority and compared the situation in Cornwall
with that of Nottingham where two 25,000-seater stadia sit within a
mile of each other.
Mr Evans called on the unitary authority ‘to come into the 21st century and build a stadium for all of Cornwall’,
“We would certainly rent a stadium if it was there but these are
tough times and the only way forward is for the new authority to build
it.”
5 Comments
by Ben, Truro
Wednesday, January 21 2009, 9:46AM
“I bet the members of Penzance and Newleyn Rugby Club arent quite so pleased with themselves now for outsting Dickie and his cash now. gift horse and mouth spring to mind.”
by brian, camborne
Tuesday, January 20 2009, 10:14PM
“last year 2008 i went to every home match with my two young children it was great kids had fun even in the rain but this year i have not been to one match reason for this is the credit crunch if the club needs more cash why don,t they charge for the kids for example £3.00 at the moment the way thinks are going ticket sale and the shop sales are falling so people are tightening there belts even more this includes me when i went to the matches i could spend over £30 that day on food and drink for me and the kids this includes going to the pirate shop.”
by Hedley Martin, Falmouth
Tuesday, January 20 2009, 9:22PM
“I have been a keen rugby player/supporter nearly all my life, at 47 years of age and bearing in mind the improvements to rugby clubs and infrastucture north of the Tamar i find it bloody frustrating that the RFU cannot step into help a county that is so rich in rugby history, talent and community engagement into the game. The RFU seem to come to the aid of so called inner city funding shortfalls in the name of benefactor. Cornwall and certainly Camborne / Redruth communities are registered as an area of 'poverty' surly with the schools locally in need of refurbishment / replacement a new stadia for the furure generations of Cornish sports and culture stars is a desperate need and well overdue payback to a county that has provided so much to the benefit of GB and World Heretage. Future generations will look back at our time and correctly critisise the bickering between clubs and areas along with regional biase as to the reason of failure to provide. Shall we therefore support an english rugby team? or our local boys competing alongside the other great rugby teams. Stop bickering where is the spirit of One and All gone? lets make them visit us to compete and create an air of invincible talent as in NZ and Ireland at club level. Our time is now, lets reach out and take it we were great at county level we could be great again at club level.”
by Dan, Penzance
Tuesday, January 20 2009, 7:59PM
“where do you get that from, its not £5000 to watch the Pirates!!! its £5000 in financial support towards the club and the running costs not a 5 grand season ticket”
by Stephanie Russell, Newlyn
Tuesday, January 20 2009, 6:45PM
“It seems that the supporters of the Pirates have shown more insight into the value of a professional rugby club than Cornwall County Council. It provides valuable income into the local economy providing employment for 50+ people and enticing visitors to Cornwall in the winter months. Lets hope the Unitary Authority show a more enlightened approach to a new "Stadium for Cornwall" that the next generation can aspire to play Premiere Rugby in.”