Fantalk

sonofwallace · Joined: 11 Jul 2008 Posts: 7382 Location: kirkcaldy

I wanted to do this about 5-6 years ago and had someone from portacabin come across and take a look at the area behind the south stand.He took measurements and gave me some prices aswell as telling me how to go about setting it up.I took the info and catalogue showing what we could get for the money and ask the staff to pass it to the chairman.Still waiting for a reply yet.What i wanted to do would not only have been available to raith fans on matchdays but to the community 24/7 which is what our club is meant to be about.That is where the money is made not just on a saturday.
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YOULL NEVER WALK ALONE
JUSTICE FOR THE 97
6 TIMES CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE
27/11/94

I. Latto · Joined: 14 Mar 2009 Posts: 2524 Location: Dalry, Edinburgh

I can't imagine sitting in a portacabin drinking what would probably be canned lager being much fun (or warm).

sonofwallace · Joined: 11 Jul 2008 Posts: 7382 Location: kirkcaldy

You may laugh but the cabins i saw were outstanding and you would also be surprised what they were going to look like.It had windows [different eh],it was going to be blue and white inside,with a well stocked bar with beer taps.It could hold 200 standing or roughly 140 with seats available to the punters.Toilet facilities,access for the disabled plus it was big enough for the public to use for kids dance classes,judo classes,functions and anything else the public would want to use it for.It may have cost a few quid to set up but with grants,hire fee`s etc it would have been well worth it.All profits could have been put into the club over the years which was an added bonus.So mr.latto dont mock folk who try to do something and are you even drinking age ?
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YOULL NEVER WALK ALONE
JUSTICE FOR THE 97
6 TIMES CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE
27/11/94

I. Latto · Joined: 14 Mar 2009 Posts: 2524 Location: Dalry, Edinburgh

I'm genuinely not mocking, i'm giving a reason as to why you may never have been given a reply.

Vinnie · Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 9:22 am Post subject:

Are some actually aware the amount of money that needs to be taken over a bar counter to actually make a worthwhile profit and make it viable?Theres bars closing everyday and many that are still open are only so because of food sales.
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Dunc · Joined: 11 Jul 2008 Posts: 407

I don't live in Kirkcaldy so I could well have misjudged this, but is Stark's Park not in quite a poor position for "community" use, and week-through stuff? If it was slap bang in the middle of town, or out by one of the heavy residential areas you could maybe make a go of the dance classes and stuff, but it'd definitely be difficult to get through the kind of foot-traffic you need, especially as Vinnie says, on the booze front.

I'd hate for you to see this as some kind of insult though, sonofwallace. I genuinely think what you've done there is absolutely fantastic. To proactively go out there and get someone to bring up some genuine quotes is commendable. There's every chance that they're not viable in this case, unfortunately, but at least they'll have had a chance to look at it with real figures.

Dirt Diggler · Joined: 12 Jul 2008 Posts: 327

What SOW is suggesting is a "space" that can be utilised on matchdays for a bar and gathering place. This would make money for the club if run correctly.

During the week it could be used for any kind of activities from corporate training, meeting space, kids birthdays, weddings etc. If youve ever been into the bar under the stand at Starks, its tiny, dark, windowless, packed (good thing obviously) and hardly fit for purpose.

People are obviously seeing the term "portacabin" and thinking of a drafty run down shed, but as SOW says these are vastly different beasts to what your thinking about. I basically work out of such a space and it can be transformed into anything you want.

Sounds as the though SOW has come up against the "ideas bin" that is Starks Park hierarchy. Im sure this portacabin idea was floated at the last meeting and John Simm etc was involved, has this disappeared as well into the same bin?.

Vinnie · Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 1:47 pm Post subject:

teka · Joined: 15 Jul 2008 Posts: 975 Location: Kirkcaldy

What SOW is suggesting should be considered. My little one does dancing and before moving to the current class was going to Linton Lane, a glorified portacabin. She has also attended numerous birthday parties at the portacabin on Ramsey Road, next to the old Abbotshall School.

This hall is used every night for dance classes, zumba etc. If advertised then Im sure that dance teachers and aerobic instructors would jump at the chance of using something which has ample parking next to it. Also Saturday mornings it could still be used by classes then closed for 1pm for match days. Lets get this started

Vinnie · Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 6:19 pm Post subject:

I dont think a portacabin at SP would be anymore attractive than the already numerous halls that are available free of charge for parties,zumba classes etc
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THERES FIVE OF ME

Soundwave · Joined: 15 Jul 2008 Posts: 819 Location: Edinburgh

The portacabin idea was actually put to the club over a year before sonofwallace resurrected it, by Crazy Englishman (as I helped him write the brief)

It was discussed with the commercial manager at the time, basically it was considered unfeasable as a business opportunity. One reason for this is that at that time, the club invested in promoting the Raith Suite to no avail.

Although an improved facility may be more attractive, are we really saying there is enough demand for a facility in the Links, that people would be willing to pay for, to make any facility viable 7 days a week?

Kirkcaldy certainly doesn't need an extra pub, so realistically you're looking at how much revenue the facility would generate over a couple of hours 2 Saturday's a month.

As I recall, the original proposal had the facility in the region of £60k to install and that didn't include stocking of the bar and salaries.

So, let's say the facility is well utilised for 2 hours before kick-off and an hour after on home matchdays. 3 hours x 18 guranteed home matches a season means a guaranteed minimum usage of 54 hours a season; so that's excluding any community use or fundraising events. Let's round that up to 60 for ease of maths.

So in order to get a return of investment, the facility would need to take in £1,000 per hour over the first season just to cover the cost of building the facility. The club are in no position to invest in something that isn't going to return financial benefits in years to come as we need cash now.

Not that I'm demeaning the idea - as I've already been involved in presenting this to the club - but if this was Dragon's Den these are exactly the type of speculative figures the Dragon's would be asking for.

For a vialbe business proposition we need to gurantee that we can cover costs as a minimum, and speculate to some degree of confidence any profit.

This doesn't mean it wouldn't be a great facility to have - it's just that you have to weigh these things up against the costs and risk involved.

sonofwallace · Joined: 11 Jul 2008 Posts: 7382 Location: kirkcaldy

Thanks diggler thats exactly what i was meaning and all folk have to do is google portacabin and they may see some of the ideas or they may not.I know all about what the englishman done because he told me all about it so i took it on again.Soundwave do you really think i am daft enough to suggest this would be viable to be used at just rovers home games.All i am saying that it would be available to be used 24/7 by the whole of the fife community not just those down the links.Do you also think that we would be able to pay for it out of the money made because i dont.What i am trying to say is that if we had went down this route then we could have applied for all sorts of grants to pay for it outright.I also think we would be successful especially if it was a community build and passed all the right health and safety rules etc etc.It was an idea that chris and first mooted where like i said i knew about then took it on again.I never even got a reply so i very much doubt it was even discussed at office level never mind board.What i can say is it would have made the club a lot more money than the raith suite ever does but its in the past so i wont mention it again.
www.portakabin.co.uk/
_________________
YOULL NEVER WALK ALONE
JUSTICE FOR THE 97
6 TIMES CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE
27/11/94

Wolfman Jack · Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 11:02 pm Post subject:

Masonic Lodges meet in the months between April and September, they have a bar and are not open 7 nights a week.
I am not of that persuasion, but from what I know they welcome visiting parties, functions etc. and have to pay rates etc.
It's not far removed from having a stadium that is only frequented for a part of the year.
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Hope he's got plenty Rovers action to comment on tonight....