Binos’ intitiative shows that the minnows’ future can be just dandy
One of the men behind a startling Stirling Albion fundraiser insists reports of the imminent death of the country’s smaller clubs may be greatly exaggerated.
The GoFundMe appeal launched by the Binos’ Trust is just about to be wound up after passing the £30,000 mark – more than three times its initial target.
As Robert Clubb of the Supporters Trust explained, that effort is being closely studied by their contemporaries as they face up to an uncertain future.
“The response was flabbergasting. There were more donations than we could ever have dreamed possible,” said Robert.
“It is a huge sum to us, which will make the world of difference to the football operation. I’m sure it bodes well for others.
“We are a fan-owned club, the first in Scotland, which means we have no wealthy financial backer, and no big overdraft to burn through. The books have to balance.
“The Supporters Trust is always trying to think how we can help more, and we were already planning a fundraising effort before the coronavirus really hit.
“When the lockdown went into effect, it was a no-brainer to just bring it forward. But we never dreamt it would be so enthusiastically received.
“We hit £10,000 in a day after the March 23 launch, and doubled it in 48 hours.
“A volunteer from Stirling Albion TV linked it to a season review and that really stuck a chord with the football family.
“Donations went from a fiver all the way up to £1,000, and there were some heartwarming stories.
“For example, a Grimsby Town fan gave us £50 after seeing the review. She said that as soon as matches were back, she was coming up to see us.
“A Dundee supporter gave us a couple of hundred pounds as he remembered us having a whip-round for his team when they went into administration.
“These are tough times across society, and with people losing their livelihoods, football is not going to be a top priority.
“However, you can’t underestimate how much clubs mean to their communities.
“We decided to go with the Supporters Direct plan of asking fans to consider giving us the cash they would have spent on the club if the games hadn’t gone off.
“That is maybe £10-15 for a home game, and possibly a tenner more for an away match because of the petrol you’d be using.
“The idea seemed to appeal to a lot of supporters, and other clubs will have similar innovations.
“So people are wrong to just assume lots of smaller clubs will go to the wall.”