As regular visitors to this site you will be aware of the trust fund that was set up in the summer of 2008. In a nutshell, the trust fund had to raise enough money to satisfy the RFU that Coventry Rugby Club was a viable concern. If this was not achieved, the RFU would have relegated the club and the existence of this club was certainly in doubt.
After a tremendous amount of work by the rugby fraternity, enough monies were raised to satisfy the RFU.The trustees of the fund were superb in their efforts to secure enough cash, so were numerous supporters whom canvassed the city streets of Coventry with buckets at the ready, this site was a place of information and communication to the wider rugby network of supporters, you came forward in numbers to donate willing in the knowledge that you were helping towards the survival of a proud rugby club.
It is rumoured that the quantity of monies in the trust fund has reduced, that monies have been withdrawn. As an independent site we have endeavoured to seek information on the trust fund, we have asked for an update.So far the trustees have not come forward with a statement to clarify the position of the fund.We have suggested that a statement be collated and published on this site or on the official site.This will satisfy the curiosity of genuine bond members and oppress the rumours.
I again ask the trustees of the trust fund to come forward with relevant information.
Take a look at the date of the article I wrote on 15th February 2009.
I asked the same question over and over again. Dispel the rumours that money had been taken out of the trust fund to pay off a debt. Well, I now know that I was right all along, I feel vindicated.
You tried to deceive true supporters, and you lied to me. I will never ever trust you ever again. You are a disgrace to yourselves to the rugby fraternity. And I seriously question your integrity.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009:12:10:21:07:31 by Laugh Out Loud.
I know where its gone Dave, they just won't admit it. They have broken the trust of the very people they were acting as trustees for. They should resign immidiately, and take the Advisory board with them, who sanctioned it"! I ask supporters to make sure they give a no confidence message to the AB. Support the players and coaches wholeheartedly, Yes, but not them!
so, only 29k left of our money after mike umader was paid from the fund, at last we have the truth, after months and hundreds of requests the rfu have come clean. now we know why the third trustee, mr john walton ,barrister, resigned, because, the other trustees, MR JOHN BUTLER AND MR PETER ROSSBOROUGH...out voted him and insisted on paying greedys debt to mike. worse still MR BUTLER and MR ROSBOROUGH. stoutly kept silent and refused to disclose this info.....our moneney..our fund.... as non-elected individual,s they have no standing at all in the ltd company... they should publicly opologise for mismanaging our fund and consider their position in view of this blatant misrepresentation of public funds,. clearly they will never have our confidence in future after this debarcle
They clearly must do the right thing now. They must apoligise to all the people who contributed to the bond, and now, AND RESIGN FROM ANYTHING TO DO WITH COVENTRY RUGBY CLUB.The only person who comes out of this with any credibilty is the trustee who resigned. I dont know him, but he did the right thing. They must look at going now, fans will not trust them after this. I understand two peope are taking legal advice about their money, you can't blame them!
You know what makes me angry in all this? If they had come out and said that the RFU are making us pay MU, and the only money available is the bond money then I dont think people would have minded too much.
Its the lies, and the hush hush of it all. We have been asking questions for months and been shouted down by people. Well now we have been proved right, and it doesn't feel good at all!
We knew that John Walton QC had resigned/been kicked out because of it.
what would have happened in 6 months time if we hadn't gone into admin and people can get their money back? How would they explain the 25k shortfall?
Or would it have been sneaked back in so that no one knew a thing about it?
Although I am an irrelevant, out of order, unimportant man, whom unfortunately possesses a speech impediment (blah, blah, blah) and a glass chin. Can I once again ask the trustees to please let the paying Coventry public know where their donations have gone?
Are you kidding Covkid53.. So what??!!!
I can reasure you that over the last 2 weeks it has become an open secret that some of the bond money has been used by the trustees to pay of the old umanga debt.
The point is when people were asked to give they were reassured that it was a 2 year performance bond for the future not debts past..
The people who were in cov city centre, based on what they had been told at the bond meeting directly told members of then public that it would not go to pay off old debts.. I can reasure you some of the people who did the colection on that day feel cheated and missled this morning.
i quote from a press release at the time..
"The bond will stand as surety with the RFU for two years as the club's management negotiate a difficult period off the pitch. As long as the books balance for those two years, the bond will be returned to the supporters in full, along with any interest accrued."
Firstly it is not accpetable that we were missled at the time.
Secondly if the bond was to be used there should have been a press release (even shortly after the event) that some had been used..
Again this was public money to be paid back if not used, so we DO have a right to know what the trustees have done with it.
So good for you not being bothered that its been spent, but if it had of been there that would have been another months worth of players wages to give them now..WHICH IS WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO THE SECURITY OF COV NOW, because it has affected the security of the club now. The very situation we are in now, should be the very situation ALL of the bond money was being held for..
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2009:12:11:08:08:37 by Nige H.
CK53. If there was no problem with the bond being used WHY WAS IT KEPT SO QUIET??? Even after questions being asked it was still brushed under the carpet.
If it was all ok to be used then we would have known about it months ago and moved on!
I have a major problem ! but! the doctor gave me some white gooey cream and its cleared up?
Seriously I HAVE NO PROBLEM if THE MONEY FROM THE BOND HAS BEEN USED? What I have a problem with is...TRUSTEE'S
1) Why come out and say last week that the bond money is lodged with the RFU we are trying to get it released
2) Why Keep saying ALL the monies there (its not 29000 is there not 55000)
3) Why did the Advisary Panel (remaining 2 Bond trustees are on this panel) Support this IDIOT for 22 months well before the formation of the NEW COVENTRY RUGBY CLUB Ltd , infact taking the lead in running the place and bringing on loads of staff(top quality staff) to add to the financial burden...YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN CUTTING STAFF and concentrating on the Rugby TEAM,while you attempted to get new investors, not add to the mess! all these staff 17000 a month worth, have contributed to the 30000 shortfall each month.
back of todays telegraph....bond move means cov game is on.....the cash injection has come from a 55,ooo bond raised by piblic donation and deposited with the rfu when cov when into administration last year..........after discussions with the players and their repserenatives, the group agreed to dip into the bond on the understanding that the money could only be used to pay players and staff who are vital to the operating of the business........
Is there any evidence that the bond has been depleted from the original 55,000 raised (e.g. that someone has spoken to a reputable source within the club or the RFU who says that part of the bond has been spent)? Despite a trawl of posts on this forum and BBC and CT websites I can't find anything that states the basis for this rumour.
Clearly if the money has been spent then the RFU and/or the Bond trustees do owe the public an explanation for why this was not disclosed at the time.
But otherwise it's wrong to keep repeating a rumour for which there is no real evidence and then demand that it be denied - when those involved are probably trying to do all they can to keep the club alive.
Hi Ian
You are right to question rumours and to request evidence..
However evidence is not something that can be provided by anyone other than the trustees, until they come out and say either way, unfortuantely it will remain such..
As i said earlier in the post..It has been an open secret now for several weeks /months that some of it has been used to pay Umanga. Perhaps i am putting my neck on the line believing documents i have read and conversations where i have been told first/second hand from 3 different places that they money has been used....but this isnt about how i look and if im right.. its about trusting people i trust, and believing what im told...Because of this i do beleive and trust the people who have said this to me, and i know some are willing to 'swear' to it if needed.
Obviously it is down to the reader on here to trust what we are saying or take it as a pinch of salt. Either way all it takes is a statement from the trustees to quell the 'rumours' if thats what they can be called.
So guys, its more important to argue about this perishing bond than use all that energy to save the rugby club ?
The bond doesn't even cover salaries for one month, so however much or little is left of it, it will be gone when the staff are paid out (hopefully some time soon).
They are welcome to share the tidy sum I donated, and I won't cry or whinge about it.
COVKID53 i feel that we are certainly not on the same wavelength... 'Sigh' but thats how the world goes!
Its just as much about being misled when the bond was originally collected, and being kept in the dark afterwards.. which is actually a phrase you use in another post...
I quote from you..
"Being kept in the dark or treated like a moron is offensive"
So arent we being kept in the dark about the bond?? Do you not find it offensive as you have stated that we dont know where the bond money has gone...??
Whilst the money of course is important, we need every penny, I don't think thats why people are so angry. They are angry because as always we as supporters are treated like s***. Only required to buy our season tickets, shout for the team on Saturday, and come when when the powers that be call on us.We are happy to do the first two, and even the third most of the time. Like the collection for the bond, standing in the streets to collect pennies from anyone. Time for that to change I think. Time to start having a real say in the club we have supported for so long. Let down by so many people who have let us down again. With Green and the his appointed advisory board letting us down again, breaking trusts, and now trying to say they had nothing to do with it, is unnaceptable. They haven't even got the courtesy to tell us answers to questions about our own money. They cannot be left to try and save this club. They do not have the support of the fans, without that its a non starter. Supporters should get together, and decide what they want. If they wanna keep this lot, who have been part of it all, so be it, theres no point harping on anymore about it.
Ive just written a letter/email asking the trustees
several questions about the bond etc..Ive emailed it to the club and to peter rossborugh.
Dont worry its been proof read and spell checked!!
So lets watch this space and see what happens..
Figured i cant be accused of just moaning and not doing anything about it now!! Short of knocking on the door at the BPA and hoping they are there, i cant see there is much more i can do.
That is unless someone wants to start an action group of some sort to try to get answers for all these questions from the RFU, advisor board and trustees. i would have thought the supporters club would be doing something like that, but we havent heard anything from them.. not sure why that would be..
I think they just think something magical will happen Nigel. It wont. We can leave them in charge of a club for a minute longer. We dont trust them, and should be looking for alternatives and quick.
In the absence of a big investor the "Joe Public" supporters aim should be to ensure the survival of Cov Rugby Club as an independent entity, so that it can remain within the English RFU, playing at any level. I don't care, if the worst comes to the worst, if we have to play on the Memorial Park, just as long as the proud name of Cov lives on. London Scottish have done it, and are happier now, so why can't we. Sorry, just the ramblings of an old man perhaps?
i know of several well intentioned people who have e-mailed the trustees, mr rosboro-mr j butler...however,they were surprised and delusioned when they did,nt get a reply.lets face it the un-elected advisory board, mr rosboro. mr butker etc.... have gambled on mr green,and we all know now what happened.generakky speaking,the general consensus of opinion seems to be that,pr,jb.j maguire,r curtis and their gang should resign immediately and a pheonix group led by the leading fans,should pick up the reins ,before it,s too late. clearly ,mr kelley will hoover up all the cash he can,the rfu sole object is to get the fixture list completed,then will dump us like a hot potato,in these difficult times there ain,t a fairy godmother around with millions, so ,in the name of COV,out with the previous failures,and ,without any further delay, bring in .b,mark..nigel..the supporters club..godber robbins..rjc..treetop..carvelly..and of course AGGY <PHIL<GULLY... time is vital.. do not continue to support the failures of the past,mr green ,in the end did the decent thing and got out, now ,the others must do the same, otherwise,their life long reputations that they have carefully nutured all these years will be shredded and completely discredited if not already.
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