"Virtual Tickets"

[Hucknall Ram]

Please spend some time reading about "virtual tickets" at Hucknall Town FC and help save my second club.

[url=http://www.hucknalltownfc.com/appeal.htm]http://www.hucknallt....com/appeal.htm

[size=3]In an average season it takes around 8209 voluntary hours to fulfil the seasons fixtures and play just 87.5 hours of football, that equates to 93 voluntary hours for every hour of football played. Sadly these commitments are shared by just 6 to 10 local people at any one time. With little support in our home town and match day attendance as low as 140 people per game the club has launched a national appeal to enough funds to rid itself once and for all of a tax debt that has haunted the club for the last 5 years and clear other creditors to enable it to convert to a Limited company.

Friendships are at the heart of our football club, and are the driving force behind the loyalty and dedication of volunteers. Now the only reward our volunteers have for all their years of dedication is anxiety and sleepless nights as they find they could potentially find themselves personally liable for the clubs tax debts. The club is committed to paying its liabilities in full but we need support. If 6000 people buy a virtual ticket we can fix mistakes made and run the club on a sound financial footing.

In August 2011 the club the club came to agreement with HMRC to pay off a £87.5k tax debt or face being shut down.

As an unincorporated association we have no basis in law and individuals are unable protect themselves from liabilities.

Other clubs from The Premiership, Champions leagues and below who hit the headlines for going to the wall only to rise again as phoenix clubs often with millions of pounds of debts simply wiped out.

Hucknall Town FC simply has no choice to find the money or shut down forever. If the club is wound up the ground lease will be lost and a potentially long, complex legal battle could ensue between creditors and any past and present committee members who could be forced to counter sue each other for mistakes made.

The club managed to make a down payment of £50,000 to HMRC after fans and friends of the club rallied together and have been promised the reward of shares in a new Ltd company to be setup in order to take over from the unincorporated association. By February 2012 the tax debt was reduced to just £27k. Aware that as a committee they had made previous mistakes, the club went on the hunt for a new Chairman with a strong business background to help steer the club in the right direction. Sadly the club has seen three Chairman come and go in the last 13 months, all brought in from outside the clubs home town and fan base. In August 2011 the club agreed with HMRC to become fully amateur side and operate without a playing budget. This was a hard task for any willing football manager and the squad when competing in a league with other clubs paying up to £3k a week to players. However, a befitting penalty and ultimately a small price to pay in order to secure the clubs future. Various Chairmen brought in, have reinstated playing budgets, then walked away from the club. Whilst during their time they have also generously put fresh funds into the club we now find our agreement with HMRC has been breached, with further liabilities incurred. The club now has to raise a further £36k in order to secure its future and ensure that the money that the fans of the club so generously gave to the cause hasn't been wasted. Once again the dedication and loyalty of the original committee along with some welcome newcomers from our fan base continue to fight on for the club.

Our stadium has a 3000 capacity. We have set ourselves a target of raising £30,000 if we could sell the equivalent in virtual tickets of just two capacity crowds for our last two home games in February we could solve the clubs problems and rebuild for the future as an amateur club. Please help us by buying a virtual ticket, you may not be able to show your support in person but buy purchasing a ticket your support will be with us in spirit.

We hope our story serves as a lesson to other voluntary led organisations who run as unincorporated bodies who may not be aware that doing something good for your community could potentially have huge personal financial pitfalls. If you are a committee member or members of an unincorporated organisation, then you need to be aware of your responsibilities, and the potential issues surrounding personal liability.[/size]