Dire does not come close to describe our current situation.
Financial.
We were virtually debt free when Sunbury was sold and Hazelwood was built.
Since then our accumulated debt has risen to around GBP 22 million by the end of this season.
Support.
Our average attendance at home games in 2012 was 15,900.This season it's 5,800.
Mike Crossan cannot be expected to continue his financial support for much longer...losing GBP 3/4 million per season, would you?.
Drastic action is needed to survive.The professional side of the Club should be shut down either at the end of this season or earlier if it's possible.Staff to be laid off, leases at the Madjeski and Brentford terminated.
We relocate/consolidate at Hazelwood and continue as an amateur club.We will survive and thrive once again,mighty craic and debt free.We will become"the place to come to"once again.
We have nothing to be ashamed of by taking this course of action,it's survival.If we don't an even bigger disaster awaits.....closure.
I became a Life Member of LIRFC in 1981.It grieves me greatly to see how far we have fallen.
Why would you let that sort of money blow out the window for the next 4 months if there was an alternative, or a legal obligation.It would likely sort out some of contract issues.
Harping back to the misted eyed glory days of amateurism. LI the professional club is a different beast altogether I suspect. You have your Wild Geese for that part of the game and I have my local club where I played.
There are a number of clubs where the professional teams have failed, and the amateur setup has continued. London Scottish, L Welsh and Richmond spring to mind, but I'm sure there are others.
I don't see why Irish cannot follow the same route if the current situation results in the professional setup failing.
The business model of renting a stadium is what failed tho, not the idea of professional rugby. Maybe that’s the failure yet to come but steady as we go
Re: SHUT IT DOWN
HeavyCream 01 January, 2018 09:16
Stadium ownership is not a guarantee of success of course, it is however the number 1 most important factor in creating a fan base which will support a successful team! This is THE deal breaker when we talk about the future of the club. Without it we will never expect to be even a mid table premiership side again. No need to wax lyrical about previous “success” at the Madejski. How desperate we all are for a place to call home.
The average attendance stated above of 15,900 for the 2011/12 season is inflated due to the double header. The real average is only around 9,000 so it's not all bad
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