LIVE updates as Doncaster Rovers fans put questions to the club’s owners
and live on Freeview channel 276
Major shareholders David Blunt, Terry Bramall and Gavin Baldwin will be present at the club’s annual Meet the Owners event, as will head of football operations James Coppinger and first-team head coach Danny Schofield.
Doncaster’s hierarchy is facing pressure from sections of the fanbase following two tough years which has seen the team fall back into the fourth tier, having been in contention for promotion to the Championship in early 2021.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdLast month chief executive Baldwin revealed the club is now self-sustainable and operating without owner funding, which raised questions over the future commitment of Bramall and Blunt.
Tonight’s event is due to begin at around 6.30pm with a presentation from Coppinger on first team affairs, including the changes made since he took on the role.
Questions will then be taken from supporters until 8pm.
Scroll down for live updates.
LIVE updates as Doncaster Rovers fans put questions to the club’s owners
Key Events
- Major shareholders David Blunt, Terry Bramall and Gavin Baldwin face fans’ questions
- Head of football operations James Coppinger and head coach Danny Schofield will also answer questions from supporters
Why don’t we hear from Blunt or Bramall?
DB says they may not appear in the press like other owners our commitment and enthusiasm is no less than anybody else’s
Both him and Bramall are more than welcome to an interview with ourselves.
Question to Blunt and Baldwin
Why should I renew my season ticket? The man says he earns £1300 a month.
DB: ‘We are just as big of a fan as you. It’s our intention to give the management the resources to deliver within the financial constraints’.
‘Both those are self sufficient in their own right.’
Baldwin says EFL clubs will lose around £350 million this year. Losses around £1.5 to 2 million per club.
Another question from earlier
Submitted by Netto FC: How much time does JC spend at the club/training ground?
Four days a week or five if there’s a home match. 6am until 6pm.
Disabled toilet in West Stand
One fan who attends with the person she cares for claims the West Stand toilet hasn’t been cleaned since the start of the season.
COO Shaun Lockwood claims he hasn’t heard anything about the issue. Another fan then pops up and complains about another set of toilets.
Stadium maintenance
GB says they spend £350,000 annually on the stadium, including cleaning and maintainance.
‘The stadium is extremely well used. Within our gift we would want to polish the stadium and clean it but that’s a huge sum of money.
Says increasing budget for stadium maintainence would hit playing budget. Admits place is getting a bit creaky.
‘There’s a lot of unseen works going on that are extremely costly.’
Copps on a B team returning
‘At the minute the players we have got four or five have all been out on loan and had fantastic.
‘In the future it would be nice but it comes down to resources.’
What protections are in place to ensure the club and its assets remain a part of the community for future generations?
Martin O’Hara (not sure on the spelling) from the VSC supporters’ trust says the trust holds a community asset for the stadium and have first refusal if it was to ever be put up for sale.
DB says they have no intention of selling the stadium regardless. ‘You could always sell the club but we would never sell part of it’.
More from Bramall
Also about growing attendances to help the club become more sustainable. Will have more on this tomorrow.
Break to come before emails from social media/online are read out. More than 40 received.
Terry Bramall continues answering the question
Says GB has told him he’s put in £12.6 million into the club since 2006, when he came in.
‘The question we pose is how can we invest the money more wisely? What do we do before we make the club sustainable?
‘I don’t want the club to die? Will the club find other owners who will put in £25 million? It’s a tall order’.