Exeter City's Appeal Falls Flat as Manchester City Refuse Increased FA Cup Earnings.
In an effort to alleviate financial woes, Exeter City has made a heartfelt plea to their high-profile opponents, Manchester City, to reconsider the standard policy regarding matchday gate receipts. The League One club has been owned by its fans since 2003 and has been facing significant challenges in recent times, including redundancy and loan repayments of £600,000 from its own supporters' trust.
In a move seen as a statement of solidarity with other fan-owned clubs, Exeter's management asked Manchester City if they would be willing to voluntarily transfer a portion of their share of the matchday gate receipts. The request was made in recognition of the financial realities faced by fan-owned clubs, but unfortunately for Exeter, the response from Manchester City has been a resounding "no".
Under competition rules, each club takes 45% of gate receipts, with the Football Association taking an additional 10%. While it's estimated that ticket sales will generate between £250,000 and £400,000 for Exeter, this paltry amount is unlikely to have a significant impact on their finances. The lack of TV coverage and the absence of replays from the first round proper also means that Exeter will miss out on potential windfalls.
Exeter's situation has become increasingly dire in recent times, with their home ground, St James Park, sustaining significant damage in November due to a fire. This latest development serves as another reminder of the financial struggles faced by fan-owned clubs in League One and the need for increased support from rival clubs like Manchester City. Despite this, it seems that Exeter's appeal has fallen on deaf ears, leaving them to navigate their financial woes without additional assistance from one of the biggest clubs in English football.
In an effort to alleviate financial woes, Exeter City has made a heartfelt plea to their high-profile opponents, Manchester City, to reconsider the standard policy regarding matchday gate receipts. The League One club has been owned by its fans since 2003 and has been facing significant challenges in recent times, including redundancy and loan repayments of £600,000 from its own supporters' trust.
In a move seen as a statement of solidarity with other fan-owned clubs, Exeter's management asked Manchester City if they would be willing to voluntarily transfer a portion of their share of the matchday gate receipts. The request was made in recognition of the financial realities faced by fan-owned clubs, but unfortunately for Exeter, the response from Manchester City has been a resounding "no".
Under competition rules, each club takes 45% of gate receipts, with the Football Association taking an additional 10%. While it's estimated that ticket sales will generate between £250,000 and £400,000 for Exeter, this paltry amount is unlikely to have a significant impact on their finances. The lack of TV coverage and the absence of replays from the first round proper also means that Exeter will miss out on potential windfalls.
Exeter's situation has become increasingly dire in recent times, with their home ground, St James Park, sustaining significant damage in November due to a fire. This latest development serves as another reminder of the financial struggles faced by fan-owned clubs in League One and the need for increased support from rival clubs like Manchester City. Despite this, it seems that Exeter's appeal has fallen on deaf ears, leaving them to navigate their financial woes without additional assistance from one of the biggest clubs in English football.
I feel so bad for Exeter City! They're already struggling and now they're asking for help? It's like, Manchester City is literally sitting on a goldmine with all those fans watching them play, but they're just not willing to share? 
I get that there are rules in place and all, but can't they just make an exception this one time? 
Their situation sounds so tough, especially with the fire at their stadium and all... 
It's like, Manchester City is a huge club, they should be able to help out their fellow fan-owned clubs. Can someone please explain to me why they wouldn't want to? 
I feel kinda bad for Exeter City, they're really struggling financially and it's not like they're asking for much... just a bit more help from Manchester City wouldn't hurt 
. I mean, Manchester City is one of the biggest teams in the league, they should be able to chip in a little something 
. Exeter City will just have to keep on fighting, which is what I know they'll do 
St James Park got burned in a fire last month, what even is the point of all this? It's like they're just trying to make more money off the smaller clubs' misfortune 
. I swear, if you want to support your community, you gotta put some of that cash back into it 
I feel so bad for those fan-owners at Exeter City, man... £600,000 loan repayments is a huge weight to carry and it's not like they're asking for much just to help out their fellow clubs who are struggling like them. It's all about solidarity, you know? Manchester City should be willing to put the club ahead of their own interests for once 
... or at least consider it with a little more thought than a straightforward "no".
It's not like Exeter's asking for the moon or anything. They're just trying to stay afloat and keep their club alive. And now, on top of all that, they have to deal with the aftermath of that fire at St James Park... it's just too much 
. I mean, can't rival clubs show some solidarity here? It feels like they're just using Exeter as an example of why fan-owned clubs are doomed from the start 
hope they can come up with some other creative solutions to get back on track 
. maybe it's time for us (aka fans) to start paying attention to these struggles and demanding more from our so-called "big clubs"? 
and people r saying that fan-owned clubs need more support from the big boys? like, it's not even fair 
anyway, i feel for those fans, they're stuck with a huge debt and no way out 