Shares are classed as 1p on the certificate. A couple of years ago there was a halt on buying shares and selling your shares to other shareholders. This has now been opened up again to the public. The share offer is something like 30,000 1p shares available (1.2 million) - but I don't know since this offer (last year) how many are still available. Also the club cannot publicise selling shares via advertising. Contact the club on 01977 552674 for an application.

I think you need to read up on Ebbsfleet United. They got relegated and a couple of months ago they were close to going out of business as a football club. I'm not sure if they ever sorted that. They've gone backwards since this takeover.

I'm not sure about your comments of them going backwards since the take over....weren't they at the point of closure and hence the take over gave them a life line for a few years? During the take over year they won their division final at Wembley and won two other regional finals also.

Their problem came when their initial share ownership numbers dropped from 27,000 @ £35 each to just over 9,000 and hence for the level at which they wanted to compete, they were suddenly short of the funds that would allow them to do so. The main sources of funds at Cas of course being SKY money, merchandise and gates. Hence a different kettle of fish!

Any way, the Ebbsfleet example was just a thought and a talking point!

Bought a lot of shares over the years up the road mate and while i did not expect any return i did it to get a say/vote, they did not listen and my shares are up the creek.

But those fans who can afford it should buy shares imo.

The thing you are forgetting Grobs is that while the shares are relative worthless, the directors loans & charges against Wheldon Road are not! I don't know the exact figures but I know several other posters have seen the accounts & the land registry entries, and the totals run in to several million. I think Jack has over a million owed in directors loans. I would think that any takeover bid would have to account for paying Jack back his money or reach agreement with him about not calling in his loans... but the new shareholders would have to understand he could still call them in, at any point!

The point is, the potential or actual cost of a take-over of Cas Tigers, runs in the millions & not hundreds of thousands!

Correct.

When you have got everything related to your club (Shirts, Season tickets, Lottery and so on) and you have an interest in the business side of running a professional RL club - buying shares can be a good gift or present. For a couple of hundred quid you get into meetings and access to the accounts. They were only £10 each when I got some but are now worth £40 each.

Also another point worth noting is that JF's son is now a director at CT. He could effectivly hand over to him when the time is right. There is no sign of any take-over happening down the lane.

Hold on....at ease everybody, before I'm found guilty of starting a mutiny at the club ..........I am talking about 'buying into' not 'buying out'!!!!


My thoughts were leading in two different directions.

The first way was as put by others to buy a few hundred quid's worth or a couple of grands worth of shares, just to get a glimmer of what is discussed at shareholder meetings.

The second thought pattern was for a fan based consortium to buy a significant number of shares to get a bit of 'say' in what happens behind the closed doors. Would £50K...£100K, £200K etc get a consortium of fans a significant say?

If by "a bit of a say" you mean to have a majority over JF/RW, about £600K should do it!

A similar question: would you pay an amount per month if it meant the money taken by the club was used solely on recruitment and only recruitment (I.e bridging cap gap)

Stolen my thunder, almost to the word!

It's a great idea, could raise enough for two players (a senior and a junior?) with a high take up. Fans get a 'share' certificate to hang on the wall, player pops to supporters club events every now and then. I'd be up for it and I'd get a subsription for the kids as well.

Why say 'I think', when the facts are rlfreely available to the publicrl?

Total liabilities of Cas Tigers are £2,200,043. Including £958,352 owed to creditors, a £289,491 overdraft and a £950,000 short term loan.

I wouldn't buy in as a serious investment. If I was wealthy enough to not need a couple of mil, then maybe I would use it as a hobby, but by buying in to a Rugby League Club, you are essentailly going to try and run a charity to a large extent.

At times I look at things and think that if people drove it hard like a business and were extremely aggressive, then it could work - but there are hugely more powerful, taltented and successful people than me have tried and lost, so maybe it is impossible.

A collective can work as being described - I think it would have to register as a charity or charitable foundation and then "donate" the cash to CTRLFC in order to be elligible spend under the cap - it is a twist on a squad builder so no reason why not to go for it. Could go one further and contact agents and the squad builder could essentially 'own' the player as a 3rd party - Carlos Tevez anyone?
Only thing I think you would find is that the commitement of £10 a month would have to be committed up front in a lump sum to get away from the debt recovery situation if people signed up and defaulted. The best bet would be to start a 2013 squad builder scheme now, probably in conjunction with Barnsley Building Society as they have a pathway already, so you generate some capital ahead of next season so you can start out strong maybe?

The bit about becoming the players own agent is a joke, although I am a bit tempted to try and negotiate a better deal, as I am arrogant enough to think I can do anything if I put my mind to it!