Lord Pityme Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 Statement from club below may make uncomfortable reading for some. 01 December 2016 Statement on under soil heating SMFC Webteam Club News After the cancellation of the game against Spartans last Saturday, and the many comments that followed via emails, message boards and on social media I thought it may be of interest to our supporters to know the events that led to the game being called off and what we learned from both this and the aftermath. To me this is a perfect example of the challenges involved in trying to satisfy all our supporters in the age of instant media, whilst trying our best to do what is in the best financial interests of the football club. Very soon after we took over at the club I was informed by our Groundsman that the undersoil heating was not working properly. As you might appreciate these systems have limited suppliers who know how to maintain and service the system properly and the only company that appears to know how the entire system works is a one man business based in Hull. We eventually managed to schedule him in to service the system in early October. At that service call we were told by the engineer that various items were beyond simple repair and that he could not get the system operational during that visit. We requested a full report and estimate to see if our insurance would cover the repairs. We eventually received that report and our insurance organised a loss adjuster to come and see if we were covered. That visit took place earlier this week. We are now waiting on an answer from the loss adjuster but in the meantime we have had someone local have a look at the system for their thoughts on whether they can maintain it and repair it and are awaiting further information from them. It is worthwhile at this point to outline a few facts regarding undersoil heating and its running costs. The undersoil heating system costs around £1000 a day to run and in normal circumstances it needs to be on from the Wednesday to the Saturday to ensure that the pitch is perfectly playable. In other words it can cost around £4000 purely in fuel and running costs to make sure the pitch is playable on a match day. The system has three heat settings, two that will keep the pitch from freezing and one that will melt surface snow. We have a club meeting on the Wednesday morning before every Saturday home game and at each of the last 3 meetings we discussed whether we would have turned on the heating for each of those games. With very small travelling supports expected in those games, and with TV scheduling affecting the crowds we estimated that we would be lucky to break even for those specific matches, even before factoring in the cost of pitch heating. It was therefore agreed that we would not have turned the heating on even had the system been fully functional. As such we unanimously agreed that the best course of action was to follow due process with the insurance company rather than embarking on potentially costly emergency repairs at this time. The undersoil heating is of course a valuable asset to the club and one that we need to get fully functional as we cannot afford to risk losing a high earning Saturday game to frost. If the insurance won't cover the cost then we will request that SMiSA ask their members if they would consider this for their next discretionary fund spend. So that is a full, transparent summary of where we have been and where we are now with regard the undersoil heating. As ever there are lessons to learn from these events. We have agreed that we need to dust down the pitch covers that we used successfully for so many years at Love Street. We will evaluate the condition of these and establish if we need to purchase new ones to at least give us an option to try and protect the pitch as best as possible for games like the last 3. Whilst the covers are nowhere near as effective as the undersoil heating in extreme weather they will give us an option where turning the heating on is not financially viable, so at least giving us a chance of getting the game on. We have agreed that we will create and agree a clear plan of action in our pre-match team meetings aimed at mitigating the possible effects of inclement weather at the next home game. We realise that communication is also key when dealing with possible and actual match cancellations and we will adopt a clear communication policy in this regard using email, social media and of course our own website to give clear advice to all supporters. Thank you again for your time, patience and support. As a new board we are learning all the time and trying our level best to improve all aspects of the club both on and off the pitch. We will make mistakes along the way but as you can see things aren't always quite as straightforward as they seem on the surface and we will always take decisions that we think are in the best interests of the club as a whole. Hope to see as many of you as possible at Falkirk on Saturday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Svard svard Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 So is this not a similar situation as buying a house and you discover the boiler is goosed so you pursue the previous owners to get them to pay for any repairs needed? Especially if they kept it a secret.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FTOF Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 The shop that sells humble pie should be doing well this evening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmac Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 I would have thought there would have been a warranty in place when it was installed.I suppose it depends on what questions were asked and the answers given, Caveat Emptor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 I do find it strange that the club had to get a guy from Hull since there is nobody else that knows the system. Maybe it was a out of date system that the club has fitted since most things at the ground were done on the cheap. With a £4K bill per game to run, it mean the money the 1st 300 or so fans pay on the day is going up the chimney Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 7 minutes ago, melmac said: I would have thought there would have been a warranty in place when it was installed. I suppose it depends on what questions were asked and the answers given, Caveat Emptor. You have to remember the system is now 8 years old and was likely done by a fly by night pipe fitter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kombibuddie Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 2 minutes ago, renfrew said: I do find it strange that the club had to get a guy from Hull since there is nobody else that knows the system. Maybe it was a out of date system that the club has fitted since most things at the ground were done on the cheap. With a £4K bill per game to run, it mean the money the 1st 300 or so fans pay on the day is going up the chimney I find it stranger that there is only 1 guy (from Hull) in the whole country that can maintain & fix USH. I assume the English premiership & championship teams have all got self maintaining USH but hey, lets get a local fella to hit it with a hammer & see if that does the trick. Hmmmmmmm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebella15 Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 GS was on the board when this USH was selected and all it needed was an annual maintenance contract in place to take care of any repairs. So the groundsman knew it was faulty when the takeover was going on ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TediousTom Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 Decent enough statement. I am begining to like the cut of our chairmains jib, like the cut of his jib I do....indeed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidg Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 Exactly the statement I expected and the right course of action from our Chairman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr rotund Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 Much improved communication from the new BOD, long may it continue! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
santaponsasaint Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 fair enough statement. think we all knew that the USA wouldn't have been used working or not. but if it had been Morton we drew in that round. wonder if getting it working would have been a priority. I don't know. let's hope it's a mild winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whydowebother Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 Well I'd leave America & I guess Trump out of it I think the statement could of been made prior to the game as that info was available pre-match to give to the fans.Good statement no doubt & the real progress would've been to give it before the criticism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FS Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 So what we're the previous board doing to maintain the USH system, fingers crossed and hoping for mild weather ? Also what are the regulations regarding USH for Championship member clubs, especially those that already have it ? Can we expect a fine from the SPFL too ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maboza Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 How many paying customers would the club expect to lose from a Saturday game being rescheduled to a winter Tuesday or Wednesday night? I know that the kids and adult prices vary and differ again for a cup game... Lets say 400x fans at an average of £10 a head. (before taking pies, programmes, etc. into account). There's £4k right there. Is there not a real risk that we're potentially losing even more money by penny pinching here and focussing only on the break-even cost of the Saturday game? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callum Gilhooley Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 Although we might not like the content , the board should be applauded for their actions. How does this statement compare with the statement from the Old board when they realised the USH was faulty ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
div Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 24 minutes ago, FS said: So what we're the previous board doing to maintain the USH system, fingers crossed and hoping for mild weather ? Also what are the regulations regarding USH for Championship member clubs, especially those that already have it ? Can we expect a fine from the SPFL too ? There is no requirement to have USH in any other league in the SPFL bar the Premiership. Disappointing that we have seemingly inherited this issue, I'd think if the insurance doesn't cough up that there would be grounds for a chat with the sellers? To put it in context I believe the repairs required would be around £15K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidg Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 (edited) 14 minutes ago, Maboza said: How many paying customers would the club expect to lose from a Saturday game being rescheduled to a winter Tuesday or Wednesday night? I know that the kids and adult prices vary and differ again for a cup game... Lets say 400x fans at an average of £10 a head. (before taking pies, programmes, etc. into account). There's £4k right there. Is there not a real risk that we're potentially losing even more money by penny pinching here and focussing only on the break-even cost of the Saturday game? I doubt we get 400 home fans on a pay per play league game. It may inconvenience season ticket holders though. 10 pies or 1000 pies, doesn't make a difference to the club. Edited December 1, 2016 by davidg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callum Gilhooley Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 4 minutes ago, cockles1987 said: Now I'm not going to claim I'm an expert but do have some experience with the design and installation of Ice Rinks plant machinery and associated pipework, and find it hard to believe that no one that services and maintains that can't have the skill set to service and maintain the USH system. This isnt a flippant statement Bud, but if you know people in that industry they then may have contacts. I`m sure the club would welcome any suggestions or offers of pointing in the right direction Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Pityme Posted December 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 The clarity surrounding the 'Snow' melting function really shows the total disdain the previous board had for supporters. Telling us the system couldnt melt snow, and was on for the cancelled Raith game earlier this year... now we find the system was actually broken, perhaos as far back as the game it was never switched on for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardBuddie Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 Does anyone know the magnitude of the fault? Is it the boiler/machinery, pumps or the pipe work under the grass, one would imagine their must be diagnostics that would highlight what is broken, from there a cost estimate and schedule to get the work complete can only be developed!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pozbaird Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 I recognise a club logo on this page... http://www.pitchheatinglimited.com/ What's the problem? They've been in this game since 1979, and all systems are 100% and are keeping pitches frost-free and roasty-toasty.... says so. Right there on their website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
div Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 9 minutes ago, pozbaird said: I recognise a club logo on this page... http://www.pitchheatinglimited.com/ What's the problem? They've been in this game since 1979, and all systems are 100% and are keeping pitches frost-free and roasty-toasty.... says so. Right there on their website. They badly need a new website. I might get in touch and offer to do one, for say £15K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FS Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 9 minutes ago, pozbaird said: I recognise a club logo on this page... http://www.pitchheatinglimited.com/ What's the problem? They've been in this game since 1979, and all systems are 100% and are keeping pitches frost-free and roasty-toasty.... says so. Right there on their website. Their webpage says they have done USH installations all over the place and mentions "Sotland" as one of them. I guess we'll just have to wait then... ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pozbaird Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 4 minutes ago, div said: They badly need a new website. I might get in touch and offer to do one, for say £15K. Make it £15k and 87p to get rid of the pop up ads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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