Whats going on at Marske United?

KDG said:
Probably just rumours but did see a comment about some players being paid up to £500 a game. No idea if true or not or if that's a factor
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The payment of players is the big factor, there's no doubt about that. If you want to progress through the pyramid you have to dig deep.

A major problem within the pyramid is mandatory promotion for winning your division. Clubs may win the title on a shoestring but their expenses the following season can go through the roof with the extra expense and ruin them. I'm not saying this is the case with Marske but it certainly is elsewhere.
 
Stocktonian said:
Can only see this going one way and club going under unfortunately, obviously not the players fault but how many players on good money per week could maybe take a 50% pay cut to keep the club alive!!
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As with football everywhere, players are being paid far, far too much. If there is a squad of 18 players, being paid £750 a week each, that's weekly wages of £13,500 plus NI etc. Translating that back to average crowds of 400 every other week, that means the ticket price needs to be £67.50, or £81 with VAT. That's before you pay for renting the ground, and all the other costs a football club incurs. I don't see those numbers working however good Marske Town's team is.
 
KDG said:
Probably just rumours but did see a comment about some players being paid up to £500 a game. No idea if true or not or if that's a factor
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Not out of the question even at step three these days, I would have thought. Full-time contracts are the norm at step one and not uncommon at step two and full-time wages for a 40ish week contract more common still.

How you support this on non-league attendances is the mystery and the reason clubs can get into difficulties. And I doubt there’s any league with a bigger spread of average attendances than the NPL, where biggest to smallest varies by a full order of magnitude (about 3000 for Macclesfield, about 300 down the bottom).
 
Corcaigh_the_Cat said:
The payment of players is the big factor, there's no doubt about that. If you want to progress through the pyramid you have to dig deep.

A major problem within the pyramid is mandatory promotion for winning your division. Clubs may win the title on a shoestring but their expenses the following season can go through the roof with the extra expense and ruin them. I'm not saying this is the case with Marske but it certainly is elsewhere.
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Are you coming through to Thornaby this Friday, 7.30pm ko?

For anyone interested there is a ticket price deal on
https://twitter.com/x/status/1734878324403347531
 
Marske looked the business for a while, seemed to jump the shark a bit though appointing Curtis Woodhouse etc.

I watched them turn over a very good South Shields team twice and for a while it looked like they were going to be contenders for back to back promotions up to National North. Sad it all seems to be going a bit wrong.
 
Soutra said:
As with football everywhere, players are being paid far, far too much. If there is a squad of 18 players, being paid £750 a week each, that's weekly wages of £13,500 plus NI etc. Translating that back to average crowds of 400 every other week, that means the ticket price needs to be £67.50, or £81 with VAT. That's before you pay for renting the ground, and all the other costs a football club incurs. I don't see those numbers working however good Marske Town's team is.
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I doubt any of their players are on that, 1 or 2 if any. The rumours are just that.
 
Jonny_Rondos_Disco_pants said:
Probably the right thing to do. Time to start living within their means.
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Indeed it is but the FA need to take a look at mandatory promotions for successful clubs at lower levels, not that this necessarily applies in the Marske case.

They're placing a financial burden on clubs through ground improvements, increased travel costs, increased time commitments etc.

Hopefully Marske will be up and running in either the North Riding or Northern League next season.

Brandon Utd announced their intention to resign from the Northern League some weeks ago but it looks as though they're going to continue.
 
If 120k was needed to survive for 6 ish months then that shows just how things have changed or that , without an external source of funding , it is impossible for a smaller team to move on up the leagues.
 
buffaloboro said:
If 120k was needed to survive for 6 ish months then that shows just how things have changed or that , without an external source of funding , it is impossible for a smaller team to move on up the leagues.
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You'd be surprised how much it costs to keep a small ground running, the increase in utility costs is no different to anywhere else.

I have wondered why a switch to a summer season for lower league clubs isn't considered. Floodlight and heating costs are enormous, just not as big as FA egos.
 
Corcaigh_the_Cat said:
You'd be surprised how much it costs to keep a small ground running, the increase in utility costs is no different to anywhere else.

I have wondered why a switch to a summer season for lower league clubs isn't considered. Floodlight and heating costs are enormous, just not as big as FA egos.
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Because it is all the same pyramid for promotions and relegations. If part is a winter game and part is a summer game then at some point in that pyramid there will be a major clash where they pyramid will essentially break.
 
Corcaigh_the_Cat said:
I have wondered why a switch to a summer season for lower league clubs isn't considered. Floodlight and heating costs are enormous, just not as big as FA egos.
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Or just kick off earlier in winter so you don’t need the lights.

The main problem though is that switching to the Summer doesn’t address the elephant in the room, the single biggest increased cost, that at every level the players are paid more than the size of the football operation justifies.

This is also the main increased cost on promotion. True, there are sometimes ground upgrade issues, but most of it is “having” to get a competitive squad. But you don’t have to get a competitive squad. Even if the pyramid rules oblige you to go up they don’t force you not to go back down again. You can still live within your means in the higher division.
 
I knew a few of the lads at Marske back then and they told me the financial situation was bad, but not the extent of it.

I’m just glad they’ve survived.


IMG_1515.jpeg
 
If they couldn't raise the 120k to survive then I would be surprised if they wld get that much for the 'share' offering.
Makes one think about the viability of these leagues. I think Marske get , what , 300-400 a game ? 120k/400 wld be an additional 300gbp per fan.
Obviously not every fan would have that level of spare change.
I wonder what the average gate is in the league they have just been demoted from ? \
I sponsored a player & signed-up for the 50/50 draw but I think they only had around 250 ish doing that ?
All of this is making me wonder what is the benefit in investing a large sum in any of these clubs.
 
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