Surely, with only 3 years tenure, Wakefield AFC aren't going to simply bend over and handover all of these (?) football grants that they are now seemingly going to get, and build us a west stand for example?

If you rented a flat from a Landlord down Agbrigg would you pay for a new roof terrace out of your own pocket if you had a finite lease?

They will have an agreement for lease that says they pay us £x per month, over 36 months. Unless MC has generated some leverage and hard written it in to the doc that AFC must also contribute in some way over and above rent then I don't share this blind optimism that seems to have eventuated.

Not pointed at you Khlav, there are just so many of these posts. I can't see it turning out like that.

Would love to get the view of an experienced sports administrator on this with some case studies.

Vasty I know you are quite senior at the club now, but are you aware (the serious part of this post) of any details on F&B and profits from match day etc for AFC games that would mean we get a margin on any of that - OR is it just a straight rental, where they receive quiet enjoyment of everything and take all upside etc? (So, in parlance, there is no "Turnover Rent" as such to pay)?

There’s a lot of stuff in the sub text of the press releases and interviews ( especially with Gui Decca) that makes this intriguing

That the aims and objectives of Wakefield AFC are very culturally aligned with Trinity…

That they are not seeking to build their own Stadium but want a long term future in the centre of Wakefield..

That they see community as the heart of their business model and want to build a specialist training and excellence facility… also as a community facility

That their first duty was to build a financially sustainable sports club with a long term future

Further… The club is owned by a wealth management company V02 Capital (based in New York and São Paulo that manages the investment portfolio for 25 of the richest families in Brazil

The creation of V02 was reported as significant in Bloomberg Press and Private Banker International

At the end of 21 they were managing investments of £197m and US property portfolio in excess of £50m

The have further investments and run a specialist analytics company service

And they are only 3 years old

Even without the rental and such… the mere association with the owners of V02 Capital increases the exposure of Trinity and the city of Wakefield into places previously seen as fantasy land

It is intriguing indeed!

This is a great move for both Wakefield AFC and of course, for Trinity and it will be great to have something to do in the "off season".
The more success that both clubs have, the brighter the future is for all.

Great work from all involved !

Thats how I see it. Long, long way to go for any of that to happen.

I'm not senior, haven't even paid for my shares yet

But I get told the odd thing.

I'm guessing WAFC pay a monthly rent that includes, ground, office space, amenities etc.

I'd guess they take all the match day receipts, minus stewarding etc. I'd suspect they get a percentage of any corporate they sell, we get the rest. All concessions such as bar takings and refreshments will go to us.

Being at BV will not be cheap for WAFC to start with, but if they start to rise they will eventually be in a stronger place. Then they must decide what to do next.

Re football grants, I was thinking long term.

Good 'un Khlav. I blame the crap dynamics of this website mi sen!!!!

Have they always played in Trinity colours? That was an interesting hint.

I maybe wrong but I think the ladies team used to play under our badge as part of our development team

IIRC they made a point of playing in the RW&B right from the clubs formation.

You are correct, I noticed that when the Trinity shop was selling WAFC shirts there a couple of years ago.

It's going to be a tricky sell for the football club, as most people will support Leeds or Barnsley already, but there must be plenty of people who "support" their club via Sky TV and might like the idea of a cheap and handy alternative. Or those people who haven't grown up in Wakefield and can't get to their preferred club. It would be great if it takes off, if just for the increased income for the rugby, and their shirts are pretty smart.

There is the other side too, and that's people getting off their backsides and watching sport. It is a habit that is easy to get out of. I wonder how many people will dip into rugby once they regard Belle Vue as their home football ground.

I think if there is to be some sort of offer. Free entry for Trinity season ticket holders for the season. Then you could certainly see the Wakefield FC attendance rise a few hundred over the course of the season from Trinity fans alone. If done right then I can see Wakefield FC thriving at Belle vue. It may however take time. Realistically the club need to be aiming to be hitting attendances over over 1000 short term and 1500-2000 medium term (3-5 years).

I hope it works out for both Trinity and FC. I'm not a football fan, but hope it brings them success.

All depends what your ambitions are. If you want to get into the Premiership and take on these two clubs in their own back yards, both of whom have had success, especially Leeds - then yes imho it preposterous and a recipe for disaster.

If however they wish to create a good semi-pro team that sits one or two division outside the four top divisions they have a chance.

That said football is a congested market and pickings are slim the further down you go.

That maybe a real struggle unless they are "successful."
I have been to games in the National League and there are teams that don't get 1500 fans per match.

What's the point of increasing the attendance with people who don't pay. That won't help them.
The point of increasing attendance is to increase revenue.

I was thinking the same, when I read it PT. Discounted maybe, but not free.

Maybe something to look at, when season tickets are announced for the start of 2024, maybe offer a package that covers both, but then there is the sharing of the revenue to consider.

Many of you may think I am an old stick in the mud but personally I don't give two hoots about Wakefield FC. If they grow and develop their crowds and prove to be good tenants which brings a financial benefit to our club all well and good. However let them worry about how they achieve that, it's their issue to deal with. Its growing our crowds that matters to me, not theirs. Some are talking about attracting new customers to Belle Vue, I want them to come along and watch rugby League, not football. If we could fill our ground for most games which is an achievable target, we wouldn't need them anyway.

Tin hat time

Although Wakefield AFC does have the advantage of representing a city that has no other football representation. Ossett represents Ossett, so anyone outside Ossett won't feel any real affinity. Same with Emley.

As Vasty says, you could be a Wakefield person who is a Leeds diehard but still support your own city club.

I'd imagine the goal would be to something more akin to Chester. Most people there would follow Liverpool or Everton, but enough people turn out for Chester games to make it a good afternoon. I was there myself last season, for the epic Chester-v-Chorley clash. About a tenner to get in, and beer and pies (the beer ban doesn't apply that low down the leagues). Fun afternoon when there's nothing else to do.

No tin hat required.

I think people are getting carried away. If WAFC become eligible for major football grant money I seriously doubt they would hand it over to develop a stadium they don't own a blade of grass. Should they ever be serious contenders I suspect they will be long gone from BV by then.

It's also worth noting that football fans are even more fickle than RL fans. WAFC have a very small window of opportunity to attract a serious fan base. I'd guess at about 3 years

Although if growing their crowds increases revenue for us, then we get better players, which increases our crowds, etc. I wouldn't be bothered about Wakefield AFC if they were playing somewhere else, but for as along as there is some benefit to us, I hope they do well. If they have improved massively during the current tenancy, then no doubt the rent will increase. Again, good for the landlord.

I just can't see a negative, but there is a positive for the rugby in success in the football, so I do care how they do.

There is no doubt in the short term, this may be a good move to attract some extra funds which we are desperate for right now. However I would much prefer us to grow and not them. We are the only show in town right now, I'd like to keep it that way. It's going to be hard enough to grow our fan base, so who needs alternative attractions for people to spend their sporting pound on. Our priority should be to grow support to above MC's 6.5K threshold which is an achievable target, in fact we should be aiming even higher crowds to the levels of HKR and Cas. We do that, then who needs them.

Yer. You old stick the mud!



I've no loyalty to a football team playing at Belle Vue. It's just about the rent for me.
Though i might go watch sometime, if I suddenly find some time, I'll probably be watching the juniors, reserves or ladies.