Falkirk board update: Fourth stand latest as Bairns' chiefs lay bare 'SPFL wider governance issues'
Falkirk’s board of directors reckon newly-promoted Scottish Premiership club is an ‘increasingly attractive proposition’ to investors as fourth stand hopes encouraged.
Falkirk’s board of directors believe that the newly-promoted Scottish Premiership club is an “increasingly attractive proposition” to potential investors, with plans for a fourth stand showing encouraging progress.
The Bairns have been exploring possible projects for filling the ‘Grangemouth Gap’ for over a year with chief executive officer Jamie Swinney revealing last October at the club’s AGM that any approach would need to “drive commercial income on matchdays and non-matchdays” to be viable. He did however stress that Falkirk had to be “ambitious” and really push for a fourth stand.
And in the Bairns’ latest board update, it has been confirmed that the search for investors and planning is well underway. Reviewing the club’s off the pitch activity, a board spokesperson highlighted the fourth stand hopes, the recent successes of new initiatives including the Falkirk Fanzone and the club’s fan-owned status.
Falkirk now an easy sell to investors
They said: “We’ve been busy off the park too, mending the roof while the sun shines. Quite literally in the case of the North Stand, where we’re about to undertake some major repairs following earlier storm damage. Work will begin on 18 September. As well as funding the first-team and the Academy, FSS members have chosen to help improve fellow fans’ matchday experience – another evidence point of the togetherness at our club – by part-funding the improved safety barriers in the KM7 Stand so our ultras don’t take a tumble as a result of their welcome exuberance. Which is just as well as, following feedback from the Bairns Survey, we’ve improved the disabled shelters at both ends of the stadium. The Falkirk Fanzone has been an instant success – though we know queues got too long at the Dundee United game, so we’ll look to resolve that with a new bar with extra pumps being installed in time for the Rangers match. Plans are afoot to make the most of that huge facility, including beer festivals, dinners, Academy fundraisers, and end of season parties for fans. We recently launched the Falkirk Events brand to capture the series of parties, dinners, festivals, golf days, speakers’ nights, and other occasions the club will organise to help fund our Academy. There’s obviously immense potential, so if you have an idea for the space or, indeed, for the Brockville Bar, let the commercial team know.We’re glad that the Fanzone hasn’t had a detrimental impact on the Brockville Bar, which has still been busy, with a loyal following. And sales are ticking along nicely for the new hospitality in the 1876 Lounge, ably hosted by our friends from Falkirk Daft.”
“Another important improvement has been the upgrade of our home changing room. The stadium has been around for over 20 years now and some areas are becoming a bit jaded. It’s not “new” anymore. Anyone on stadium tours from next week will get an early glimpse, and some new sponsorship opportunities will be available. Anyone fancy sitting next to Brad Spencer?! We are continuing work on our search for investors and planning for a new East Stand. The thinking we’ve had to put into both of these major projects has been enlightening, highlighting the potential this club has, its increasing value, and the journey we’ve been on. We now own a fair amount of real estate at the stadium – KM7 and North Stands, the lease for areas of the Main Stand, and the “arena” – which brings value in itself, before we even think about the future East Stand footprint. We don’t want to build a small, breeze-block structure just to fill the “Grangemouth Gap”. A new stand needs to have tangible commercial and community benefits that add value to our club and town’s economy. We want something that will bring income to the club, facilities for our fans, and jobs for our community and pride — a new home for our fans and our town. These aspirations are linked: an investor will want to buy into our plans. We’re an increasingly attractive proposition as an exciting, growing football club and as a business with major growth potential.”
The Bairns’ board also revealed in the update that the change from grass to an artificial surface at the Falkirk Stadium will cost £1.2m after reaching a "tough but necessary agreement with the SPFL". The game’s governing body recently granted the Bairns permission to keep their current surface next season should they avoid relegation. However, Falkirk chiefs believe that “wider governance issues” still exist, and that they will fight for club’s below the top flight should they continue to be treated unfairly.
SPFL still have work to do, says Falkirk
“This was a difficult compromise for the club to make, but also for the SPFL, who was at pains to make it clear they understood the predicament that Premiership clubs’ decision had put the club in,” a board spokesperson said. “We’d like to thank Neil Doncaster and Callum Beattie for their cooperation and creativity, and will work closely with them as this story progresses. A package of funding and exemptions was negotiated that will see the transition, should we remain in the Premiership beyond next season, come with a smoother financial landing. The club will still need to raise significant funding which, again, we will need to be creative about. A “pitch-fund” has been mooted to help raise the estimated £1.2 million, so again, all ideas are welcome from our fans. Even with the flexibility and advances from the SPFL, it’s still a significant sum we’ll have to raise, which we want to do without impacting on the all-important football budgets. We hope similar flexibility is shown to other clubs in a comparable situation to Falkirk. Scottish football is not well-served by placing further barriers in front of aspirational, community clubs. We were disturbed to hear that grant funding was being choked to Championship clubs seeking to install high-quality artificial surfaces for use not only by their first team, but also their communities. So while we thank the SPFL for their efforts to find a compromise that, in its absence, would have seen great disruption to our league competitions, there remains wider governance issues that need to be addressed.”