Northwich Victoria Supporters Trust members to vote on whether to start a new football club in town

6:58pm Wednesday 24th October 2012 in News Photograph of the Author Exclusive By Andrew Simpson, Senior Sports Writer

Vics supporters to vote on launching new club Vics supporters to vote on launching new club

FOOTBALL fans will decide next month whether to start a new club in the town.

Supporters of Northwich Victoria, a team with close to 140 years of history attached to its name, are to vote on whether to set up their own version of Vics.

The current example continues to play home matches more than 40 miles away, in Stafford.

“It’s a matter of the heart,” said Tony Rogers.

“My concern is whether it’s the right moment, not whether it’s the right thing to do.”

Mr Rogers presented a petition to Northwich Victoria Supporters Trust this week with enough signatures to force a vote on whether fans should start a new club.

The group’s near 200-strong membership will now be asked for its verdict at a Special General Meeting, provisionally scheduled for Thursday, November 15.

“I don’t claim to speak for all fans, not at all,” added Mr Rogers.

“I’ve done this to find out how other supporters feel. If they vote against the proposal, then at least we’ll have done it in a democratic and open way.

“There are names on the petition that feel as strongly as I do, and I’m sure there’s many more out there too.”

Vics’ first team was relegated from the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League’s top tier at the end of last season as punishment for breaking finance rules despite finishing as runners-up.

It is the second time during the tenure of owner Jim Rushe that the club has been expelled from a competition for reasons other than football.

He is currently embroiled in a legal dispute with the league about moving the club’s temporary base to Flixton, in Greater Manchester, where Vics have a lease in place for the two seasons after this one.

It may finish the current campaign there if a legal expert trained to solve sporting conflicts rules that the league was wrong to refuse permission for the switch to happen sooner.

Meanwhile Mr Rushe says he is determined to build a new home in Northwich, although he has told the Guardian he is not ready to make public his plans.

“Receiving the petition is a significant development,” said Paul Stockton, chairman of the supporters trust.

“Tony has collected the number of signatures that he needed in a short space of time, but every member of the trust will be able to have their say should they wish.

“The trust board is united, and will respond to what members decide.”

A group in favour of football fans having a say in how their favourite club is run says it is behind Northwich Victoria Supporters Trust.

Supporters Direct spokesman Kevin Rye said: “People have to ask themselves how long they would put up with a situation like this in any other part of their daily lives.

“For fans to now be calling for a vote on a new club is a reflection of how desperate it has become for them.

“In the end the trust’s members will make a decision, which is as it should be.”

Comments(20)

amnvfc says...
9:32pm Wed 24 Oct 12

While JR remains tight-lipped on his future plans and silent on all other aspects of the mess the club is in, he leaves the long-suffering fans with a very simple choice: follow him toward an uncertain future in Stafford, Flixton, and who knows where else, while carrying a mountain of debt, increasing by the day, and while alienating local businesses and fottball authorities alike, or make a clean break and show him that we have had enough of the broken promises to the fans and the antics which have sullied the name of our club. I would like to hold my head up high when I say which team I support, not hang it in shame and listen to ridicule.

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AFC Northwich says...
1:52am Thu 25 Oct 12

"Meanwhile Mr Rushe says he is determined to build a new home in Northwich, although he has told the Guardian he is not ready to make public his plans"

Not a penny paid to creditors under the CVA agreement, including HMRC. CVA now ripped up and the club back in debt to the tune of £1.3m and rising.

But now Rushe has a plan to move Vics back to Northwich! However the only way that Rushe can afford a move, would be to exchange his flying pigs for some magic beans?

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jamo says...
12:26pm Thu 25 Oct 12

Start a new club in 'town'? Has Stockton already been mooting venues? a bit of eavedropping (his own sly trait) - says he has. But it won't come off...

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jamo says...
3:04pm Thu 25 Oct 12

so, IF the vote is YES - 'where will a new Club play then?'

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markust says...
7:19pm Thu 25 Oct 12

jamo wrote:
so, IF the vote is YES - 'where will a new Club play then?'
A **** sight closer than Stafford! The overwhelming amount of fellow Chairmen Mr Rushe has upset will see to that.

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Tednvfc says...
8:30pm Thu 25 Oct 12

Jamo

First post is load of tosh give it a rest

Second post as there hasn't been a vote no one knows and these talks haven't happened

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jamo says...
9:37pm Thu 25 Oct 12

Yes he has, he was droning on with himself and plans are already being put in place for the big YES. I indulged in a spot of eavesdropping..And should be a laugh to see where a new Club will play come next August!
Oh and Ted, you have been about 3 games in the last however many years so you are hardly in a postion to try and lecture fans who have been going for yonks.

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AFC Northwich says...
10:15pm Thu 25 Oct 12

jamo wrote:
Yes he has, he was droning on with himself and plans are already being put in place for the big YES. I indulged in a spot of eavesdropping..And should be a laugh to see where a new Club will play come next August!
Oh and Ted, you have been about 3 games in the last however many years so you are hardly in a postion to try and lecture fans who have been going for yonks.
Would you also like to slag off the 'Distant Vics' while your at it? That's a few more 'YES' votes confirmed after that rant! Seems you're suffering from
'Diarrhea of the mouth and constipation of thought'.

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jamo says...
8:46am Fri 26 Oct 12

Hello Mr.Rogers...

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Tednvfc says...
12:47pm Fri 26 Oct 12

Jamo I go when I could but having JR in charge i haven't wanted to go anymore than I have done, having a young family a very demanding job and a ner two hour journey (to the vs that is) I would only go to sorten games but the rest I would follow updates on twitter or the coveritlive coverage on the trust website

Rest assured I will be a season ticket holder of a new club should it be voted in.

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Vics2000 says...
3:10pm Fri 26 Oct 12

I live in Somerset and have followed the Vics for the last 12 years. I would attend home matches with my Dad, but we would mostly go to the away games due to our location. With the recent off the field problems, I havn't watched Vics for over three years.

I have had good memories of watching Northwich Victoria, but at the moment, I am left with no choice but to go with a new club where I can trust those who are running it.

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jcvics89 says...
7:17pm Sat 27 Oct 12

I dont want to lose 140 years of history but forming a new club is he ony wa to go but i dont know where the hell we goin to get a ground in northwich from, also when this vote is done will it be given to genuine vics fans who aren't part of the supporters club as i believe that 200 embers doesn't represent all vics fans.

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Tednvfc says...
7:46pm Mon 29 Oct 12

Jc the vote is purely for the members as it will be the board that runs the club, after that everybody will be able to support the team but to vote club issues then you'd need to be a member to vote call sgms etc

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AFC Northwich says...
10:48pm Mon 29 Oct 12

jamo wrote:
Yes he has, he was droning on with himself and plans are already being put in place for the big YES. I indulged in a spot of eavesdropping..And should be a laugh to see where a new Club will play come next August!
Oh and Ted, you have been about 3 games in the last however many years so you are hardly in a postion to try and lecture fans who have been going for yonks.
How long does a fan have to be a fan before he's entitled to have a fans view?

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Genuine fan says...
8:15pm Thu 1 Nov 12

jcvics89 wrote:
I dont want to lose 140 years of history but forming a new club is he ony wa to go but i dont know where the hell we goin to get a ground in northwich from, also when this vote is done will it be given to genuine vics fans who aren't part of the supporters club as i believe that 200 embers doesn't represent all vics fans.
Then join. £10 per year is hardly extortionate (just over 19 pence per week!), but even if you don't want to join you will still be welcome at the towns club, run by fans for fans, as opposed to travelling to Stafford or Flixton or wherever the hell else this man's plaything ends up.
I like many have watched and done nothing as we have become a laughing stock in the non-league world. Enough is enough we are now taking our own decisions on OUR future.
Trust members - vote yes on the 15th and lets start to get our pride back.

To join, please visit WWW.NVFC.CO.UK and click the link in the bottom left hand corner.

Thank you.

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amnvfc says...
9:29am Fri 2 Nov 12

I note the Distant Vics group of fans is now the target, because we don't go to many games. Not sure whether our critics would stick by their club if they lived and worked in other parts of the country or the world, but some of us have. I will readily admit that I have not lived in mid-Cheshire for over 30 years, but before that I had over ten years of following Vics all over the country, and have until the past couple of years managed about 20% of games, so I won't take lectures on 'loyal support' from anyone.
And I won't be denied my say in the future of football in my home town.
Meanwhile, those who prefer to sit back and let others make the effort, so be it, but don't complain that you are being disenfranchised just because you didn't want to pay £10 a year to join the Trust. If a new club is formed, the Trust will be the owners, because they will be responsible financially for the club. The fans will be the customers of that company - but that company will be taking a lot more notice of the fans than any 100% owner of another club ever does.
Those who prefer the genuine disenfranchisement of a club in Stafford or Flixton - fine, carry on. It does leave me somewhat bemused that there are so many complaints from a selected few about lack of involvement in a club with fan ownership, but no questioning at all of the business practices of the alternative on offer.

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WHS says...
4:09pm Fri 2 Nov 12

Why not form a Sunday League team and play on "Chinker's"? Seriously unless Witton relent and let you share their ground the best you can hope for is the Cheshire League sharing with Barnton or Lostock. As for Mr. Rushe he talks a good plan but I have yet to see any of his plans come to fruition and this one is likely to be the same.
I am told he loves football, if that is true he should give the club to the supporters and the sooner the better.
Meanwhile Witton go from strength to strength and if they do help you out they must be mad!
WHS.

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THETELLEROFTALES says...
4:54pm Mon 5 Nov 12

Invite Mutch to be the manager of the new team?

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AFC Northwich says...
6:54pm Mon 5 Nov 12

IF a new club is voted in, I'd mutch prefer Steve Walters but he's now at Airbus! :(

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MotoGP says...
1:58pm Wed 14 Nov 12

As a former Vics supporter (I regularly attended matches from the late 60's through to the early 2000's), I would like to add my best wishes to the supporters trust and the majority of fans, that following the vote tomorrow evening, they at last get their club back. Although not a trust member, I have been following events on the trust forum over the last few months with interest. It seems to me that ALL the sensible comments posted have been in favour of a new club and no one from the current club or its few remaining supporters, has given any structured or reasoned debate as to why the current regime should continue to be supported. My son & I having spoken about the events of the past few years, have decided, that should a new club be formed, playing at whatever level, we would go along & support it. I think too, that may well be the case amongst other "stay aways". Good luck for the future!

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