Bristol Rugby Club

1
Bristol Rugby Club

• Supporters Meeting
• 19th March 09

2
Our Purpose

• To review
• The clubs situation
• Our Funding
• Our future
• To Review
• Coaching set up
• Plans for next year
• To answer your specific queries

3
Sorry about the delay......

• Commercial sensitivities
• Re- Structure
• Board
• Coaching Team
• Propose a twice yearly QA sessions

4
Bristol Rugby Management Team

• Chris Booy Chairman
• Steve Gorvett CEO
• Rob Clilverd Director
• Paul Hull Head Coach

5
2008/9 Season so far

• Its been a tough year
• Economic climate
• Newport move
• Changes of personnel
• The playing performance
• On the up-side
• The club is now financial stable
• New management structure in place

6
Richard Hill

• Outstanding contribution to Bristol Rugby
• Took us as far he could
• Promotion
• 3rd Premiership
• Heineken Cup games
• Transition planned months ago
• We all wish him the very best

7
Finance

• The combined losses in the Guinness Premiership
  this season are estimated to be between 20m-25m
• Rugby is not a profit business
• At best its break even

8
A bit about the finances

• Revenue down by 30
• Gates down
• 20 revenue lost
• Corporate revenue
• 40 Down
• 5 Boxes unsold
• Merchandising down
• Mem profit share down

9
Club Finances

• Last year we stated that we would lose between
  750k-1.5m this season
• New Stadium plans on hold
• Disruption to all
• Players
• Season Ticket holders
• Sponsors
• 2008/09 Estimated loss 1.25m
• Existing shareholders 4m

10
In December

• We were facing a real problem
• Investors facing tough times too
• Chris Booy, John Laycock stepped in with existing
  board members plus new partners
• Out of danger but................

11
The future

• Survival of the club at the heart of what we do
• Only spend money we have and review as season
  progresses
• Bernardo, Manu C
• Maximum spend behind the team

12
Chris Booy- Chairman
13
Heres a big question

• Is Premiership rugby sustainable in Bristol?
• 3 Groups have tried
• We are not prepared to risk the clubs future
  chasing a premiership dream.

We believe the answer is Yes.......
14
Table stakes....

• To compete in the GP we need 2m more revenue
  than we have........1.7m spent on players
• Where from?
• Acceptable New investors
• New TV deal (?)
• Increased gates/revenue
• Sponsorship

15
Our vision

• Stable
• Bristol as a genuine force in English rugby
• GP playoffs
• Heineken Cup regulars
• Expansive attractive modern rugby
• A beacon in the community
• Produce England Qualified International players

We are simply guardians/supporters
16
3 year plan

• Return to Premiership a priority
• We need to be part of the top flight
• Confirm ground arrangements for the long term
• Preference remains to stay at the Mem
• Establish a secure financial position
• Spending within our means

17
What we need

• New Stadium
• Generate bigger revenue streams
• Continued investment

18
The Golden Share

• Can stop investment
• Board need total flexibility
• Difficult legally/constitutionally

However..........................
19
Supporters shareholding

• In principle there is no objection
• Supporters share is designed to allow every
  member the opportunity to contribute whatever
  they want to the club
• Currently talking to all groups

20
Paul Hull Head Coach
21
The Vision

• Performance
• Team Spirit
• Fight

Enjoyment
22
Areas to work on

• Raise the bar
• Work ethic
• Fitness
• Mental toughness
• Clarity on game plan
• Re-connect with supporters

23
2009/10

• New board
• New challenge
• Shared Visions
• All stakeholders involved and facing the same way

24
A Bristol Player

• Professional across everything he does
• Work Ethic
• Personable
• Buys into the culture
• Understands where we are going

25
John Brain

• Experienced and committed to Bristol

26
Questions

• Do the board have a five year plan? If so could
  they summarise it for us? 
• Do the board expect to be solvent this year and
  next year?
• What do the board think we need to change about
  the club to once again become a consistently
  major force in English rugby rather than
  relegation/promotion cycle that we have been
  through over the past 10 years? 
• Do the board expect Bristol rugby to be playing
  at the memorial stadium in the short, medium and
  long term? 
• On the assumption (correct or otherwise) that
  Bristol will continue to play at the Memorial
  Ground next season, has the Board given any
  consideration to the possibility of raising any
  other sources of income.

Chris Booy
27
Answer

• 3 year Plan outlined
• We are solvent and will remain so
• 2m additional income per season
• Mem remains our preference
• All revenue streams being reviewed

28
Steve Gorvett

• We have the training facilities at Cribbs
  Causeway, built at a cost of 700,000. Would it
  be possible to upgrade these with for example the
  addition of squash courts etc, to enable these to
  be made available to the public when not required
  by the players. Also would it be possible to add
  conferencing facilities to these which would be
  in a prime situation for rental. It would
  presumably be easier to get planning permission
  for such facilities in this area rather than for
  building a new stadium. Obviously profits would
  be shared with the Clifton club.
• Its not our ground, we are tenants
• Their call on development

29
Chris Booy

• Ring fencing of the Premiership is once again
  mooted what is the Board strategy in this context
  if we are not in it. - We dont foresee ring
  fencing as a serious option, but if there was, we
  would be in it!

30
Steve Gorvett

• Also would it be worth purchasing a redundant
  building somewhere in the centre of town, to
  convert for use as the club social centre other
  than on match days. Again this could be hired out
  to the public when not required by the club.
• Not economically viable
• All of this could only be achieved at
  considerable cost, but if the Trust were to
  direct its fundraising activities to something
  specific like this, supporters might be happier
  to invest.
• Supporter shareholding for all stakeholders 
• Do the board think that the club will be able to
  compete in the premiership, and be in a position
  to sustain its premiership status, within the
  next five years?
• Yes

31
Chris Booy

• I'd like to know what's the expected budget for
  next season, if possible broken down by revenue
  stream (i.e. merchandise, ST's, ticket sales,
  generous investors, parachute payment,
  sponsorship etc.)?
• Commercially Sensitive 
• Has the coaching structure been determined for
  2009/10? Is Paul Hull the intended Head Coach and
  has he agreed to take on the role? - YesIs
  Bristol realistically now only a NL1 (or
  Championship) side or will we aim to return to
  the Premiership in the short/medium term?-
  Premiership

32
Steve Gorvett

• BRC are paying a fairly large annual fee to
  Clifton to lease back the development there,
  which BRC of course also paid for. The lease is
  for 20 years I understand. Is Clifton logically
  therefore the future home of BRC and will the
  Board resurrect its plans to move to this
  facility, now on a permanent basis?
•  Clifton is unlikely to be our home
• Difficult planning
• Construction costs

33
Rob Clilverd

• Are there any plans to raise general awareness of
  Bristol Rugby through bill boards, bus/taxi
  advertising etc 
• Great for awareness, doesnt generate walk ups
• If the budget allows
• Do the coaches or the team ever get to read the
  forum's to gauge how (some of) the supporters are
  feeling?
• Yes- so be careful!

34
Chris Booy

• Is there anything wrong, commercially or
  practically, in the relationship with our
  landlords that handicaps us compared to other
  premiership clubs who rent their ground?
• No problems, positive relationship
• When does our current lease at the Memorial
  Ground run out? What are the club's plans at the
  end of it?
• Currently talking, 2010 
• Since Bristol Rugby seems to be dependant on a
  landlord who has demonstrated a total lack of
  interest in its tenant's wellbeing, does the
  board not agree that the club can never be a long
  term success whilst this remains the case?
• No- We see the development as positive 

35
Steve Gorvett

• What is the financial strategy going forward to
  avoid the problems of the last 15 years?
• See previous slides  
• Bristol public do not have a good record of
  maintaining the very large numbers in bad times,
  unlike some others so how will this be factored
  in. What does the board plan on in terms of crowd
  numbers?
• People dont come and watch losing teams
• Lots of competition- soccer and rugby 
• You mentioned new investors were coming on
  stream. Do you have any more news on that?
• We have already mentioned we have new investors
• Always happy to talk to more!

36
Chris Booy

• I know that Paul ducked this issue in a recent
  interview, but I'll ask itagain anyway, because
  all I want is his opinion. What is the latest
  that youknow regarding the closing off of the
  premiership, i.e. no more promotionand
  relegation? Are we going to get stuck in ND1?
• No!
• Does the Board envisage we will ever be able to
  adequately resource a long term sustainable
  Premiership Team?
• Yes! 

37
Steve Gorvett

• What do the board think have been the main
  reasons for the disastrous season? Do they
  consider it to be a result of off-field problems
  over recent years or purely due to problems on
  the playing/coaching side?
• Money, squad balance, playing badly
• We all part of the club, and it is a collective
  responsibility What were the main reasons
  for the financial problems earlier in the season?
  
• Answered previouslyWe were linked with some
  very high profile names at the beginning of the
  season and last season with presumably high
  salaries associated with them. Wouldnt the
  signing of any of these players just have made
  the financial problems worse?
• Yes............probably........good job we didnt

38
Rob Clilverd

• How close did the club to going out of existence
  during the 2008/09 season? What were the reasons
  for this?
• Very, already covered
• How much money was raised by the 2028 initiative,
  has it now been used and, if so, how was it used?
• 500k
• General running costs

39
Steve Gorvett

• Where we being mislead or were the club kept on a
  sound financial footing spending within our
  means. If so what went so badly wrong this year?
  Was the 2028 club money really to fix the
  financial whole of 2 years in Newport? If so
  where is it now?
•  See previous answers
• What when so badly wrong last season when we were
  getting our third best supported season ever but
  board members were complaining about lack of
  numbers just because they were lower than the
  previous season when we were doing so well?
• Gates always a frustration
• Need to attract floating voter
• Competitors do better than us
• Heineken Cup gate poor

40
Chris Booy

• Who now holds the "Bristol" premiership shares?
  Are we still repaying the associated debt?
• The club own the shares
• Those shares provide a significant part of our
  income

41
Steve Gorvett

• Will the board be giving the supporters more
  say/involvement in the running of the club? If so
  how?
• Investors elect a board and the board run the
  club
• Do the club have any plans for supporters'
  shareholding, and if so would their preferred
  route be through the Trust?
• Supporters shareholding must reflect wishes of
  all supporters/season ticket holders 
• Do the board actively intend to return to the
  "rugby club" ethos that Richard Hill helped
  promote, and that was so strong during our time
  in NLD1 and the early return to the premiership?
• Hullys call but yes!
• Can this be achieved in the modern professional
  commercial rugby environment?- YES

42
Rob Clilverd

• Can the board please tell us, are they or have
  they found any sponsors for next season yet. So
  we won't be getting a repeat of the shirt fiasco
  that we had at the start of this season again.
• In discussions with Cabot and others. New
  sponsors to be announced 
• Would it be possible to have a more traditional
  style rugby shirt for supporters as the present
  ones are slightly tight and not very flattering
  to the average supporter?
• I agree- well try 
• What is the latest position on Sponsorship and
  kit supplier for next season?
• KooGa for 2 more years
• Can we please do something to make sure kit is
  ready and available for the start of the season?
  The large stock in the end of season sales must
  be partly a result of this.
• On/Off Newport deal made it very late, shirts
  made abroad
•  

43
Steve Gorvett

• Player contracts can a insight of a typical
  contract please be provided, esp get out clauses
  e.g. Sean Honneck was announced as being signed
  for 3 years and lasted just a single one. If this
  a player, club or mutual decision
• Honnecks contract expired,
• Standard player contract as agreed with
  PRL/PRA/RFU
• Playing squad can the players confirmed and in
  contract for next season be confirmed. Forget the
  maybe's
• See Hullys presentation
• Back room staff what's the thinking around the
  reduction of back room staff, fitness trainers
  and management. The previous philosophy had been
  to expand the support staff to maximise the
  potential of the players. We seem to have a
  reduced back room staff with what impact ?
• All agreed with PH, need to balance needs against
  costs 

44
Paul Hull

• Do the board think that we have the right styles
  of coaching in training, because many of us feel
  that this is one big area that has let the club
  down for the last two seasons? Especially
  regarding the forward side of the coaching 
• Why are we been wasting so much ball by aimless
  ping-pong kicking? Even inthe last few minutes
  of a game when we're fighting to get back we
  kickpossession away. Why? When we do kick, it
  seems hardly any player wants to run after it.
  Joggingsprings to mind. All other teams charge
  up field to squeeze the oppositionand hassle
  them into mistakes. Is this a deliberate ploy
  because it's notworking?

45
Paul Hull

• When are we going to start seeing the guys being
  more creative in opening upthe centre field
  during attack? There's still a lot of lateral
  movement, butnot a lot of cutting angles, inside
  passes, etc. In my opinion, we take the ball to
  ground or into mauls too often. When Iwas at the
  Gloucester away game, our pre-match warm up was
  the guys going toground, forming a ruck and
  passing the ball back. Gloucester's
  waspop-passing the ball up as they were going to
  ground. It showed in thatparticular game. Every
  other team seems to be passing out of the contact
  tokeep the momentum going, except us. We don't.
  Why?What does each coach see as the primary
  weakness that needs to be sortedout? Forwards,
  half-backs and backs? How are they planning on
  addressingthese areas?

46
Paul Hull

• a) Matt Turner? Is he still at the club, and if
  so, how long is he contracted to us for? b)
  John Brain - in light of his recent press
  comments one would hope, and assume, he will be
  leaving?
•  
• Can we have an honest assessment of why the team
  have struggle with fitness compared with our
  opposition over the last 2 season given how much
  money has been spent on staff and resources? In
  our first 2 season back in the Gippee our team
  looked significantly fitter than the opposition
  at the end of matches in the first half of the
  season, more recently we have struggled to after
  the first half hour. What has gone wrong with
  our defence this season? Is it just the ELVs?
  Team fitness and increasing age of the players?
• What is the plan to improve the defence going
  forward? This has been the rock on which our
  success was built, but seems to have so
  dramatically wrong this season.
•  

47
Paul Hull

• A question specifically for John Brain. You've
  been quoted in the press assaying that not being
  liked doesn't worry you at all, so you've got
  nothingto lose by answering the following
  question 100 honestly In the 2006/7season we
  had a pack that could demolish just about every
  pack in thepremiership.  
• What's happened? We're getting pushed all over
  the place.
• It does seem to coincide with your arrival. Have
  you changed thetraining regime?
•  
• Similar question, for Paul Hull Up to Christmas
  2007 we had an awesomedefensive line. This
  season we've been extremely porous, letting
  through notonly a lot of tries, (a LOT) but many
  of those tries have been astonishingin the
  number of missed or not attempted tackles,
  self-admitted "soft tries"and ultimately they
  have made an impact on the score line. Taking two
  inparticular, Olly Morgan (Gloucester at home)
  and Ben Foden (Saints at home).
• What's changed? Is it just the change in team
  personnel?
•  

48
Paul Hull

• Looking at the games against Irish on the 30th
  Nov and Saints on the 14thDec, when we just
  didn't show in the first 40 minutes, and then the
  gamesagainst Gloucester on the 27th Dec, Saints
  on the 3rd Jan and the secondhalf against Bath
  away, when we fell apart in the last quarter,
  does thisindicate that our stamina is woefully
  behind the rest of the Premiership?I think we
  were told by Richard Hill that there would be a
  review after thefirst 5 games of the
  Premiership? Did it take place and what was
  theoutcome? Bear with some stats. (Includes
  pre-season friendlies)2007/2008 up to 6th Jan.
  Played 20 lost 9 won 9 drew 2.2007/2008 from
  11th Jan. Played 14 lost 11 won 2 drew
  12008/2009 to date. Played 27 lost 21 won 5
  drew 1.January 2008 seemed to be some kind of
  mental switch with the squad fallinginto a
  losing habit. We even celebrated TWO back to back
  wins this season.TWO! The team's confidence
  seems to be totally shot. What plans are in
  placeto recover that? (Please don't say "win
  more games".) ND1 will help for aseason, maybe,
  but remember that we lost to Exeter in the
  pre-season. Haveyou considered psycho-babble?

49
Paul Hull

• We are obviously going down now. It's only
  arithmetic that gives us a slimchance and that
  could disappear in two games. The guys have
  nothing to losenow, except their pride and
  that's already in tatters. Can we see more
  youngsters starting or on the bench? I'm
  assuming that someone has said to the team "look,
  face it, we're going down. Let's just get out
  there and play with abandon, have some fun and
  experiment. You've got nothing to lose, so
  entertain." Has that been said? What's the
  current state of play of who's going, who's
  staying and who's yetto decide?What's happened
  to Mat Turner? Where's he gone?
•  

50
Paul Hull

• 2006/7 we had a tremendous team ethos. From this
  supporter's view, the team doesn't seem to have
  been playing for each other in the same way. The
  Newcastle game was the absolute trough of this
  slump. Things seem to have picked up since. Is
  that the coach's view and what can be done about
  it?
•  
• What's the current position regarding moving way
  from the Mem?
• Assuming we will stay at the Memorial Stadium for
  the foreseeable future are there any concrete
  plans in place for the redevelopment or partial
  redevelopment of the ground within the next three
  years?

51
Thank you for your time
52
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