at winter league

#1

Team fishings dieing on its feet so what does Ken Wade do? he puts entrance up from £25 to £60. We've already had 1 team drop out of our league because of it. Does anyone know what the rise is for.

This thread is something that a lot of us are passionate about. Lets try and keep it on track and be constructive rather than a dig a AT and Ken Wade. Woodhouse

#2

Lloydy

There are a lot of emails being sent from league organisers to Ken and vice versa...

Below is the mail sent to league organisers last week...

There are still questions that need answering.

Dear Secretary,

May I start by thanking you very much for running your league and helping to make the Team Champs so successful.
As you may have heard Bauer Media now control Angling Times and I have been in discussions with them with regard to the Team Champs, hence the reason paperwork for this year’s event is a little late.
There will be one or two changes but despite rumours, team sizes, squad sizes, numbers of matches and just about everything else will remain the same, including the final.
The event will start after the first week in October and finish a little later at the end of February, should leagues want to extend the time fixtures are fitted in.
The biggest change to the event comes in the form of Semi Finals. We have listened to team/anglers comments with regard to vast distances many have to travel, often to unknown venues, so we have decided to regionalise the semis as much as possible and give more scope on dates when they are fished.
Two teams will still qualify from your league but BOTH will now fish more locally in the same match against other teams in your area, on a venue much closer to home, in a smaller event that should help with practice sessions, travel and above all costs. We expect to see three teams from each semi going through to the grand final to be fished in July 2009, but that will depend of the semi sizes once we know how many leagues/teams are running this year.
It is hoped a new event will be run for all the league’s Individual Champions, details have yet to be sorted out but I will let you know asap.
Unfortunately spiralling costs will mean an increase in registration to the event, each angler fishing the event will be asked to pay a £1 per match, or if you like £10 per team per match.
The money will not have to be in until your last match has been fished, but failure by any team in the league to pay the registration fee will see no teams from the league fishing a semi final.
I have enclosed registration forms for each team in your league, could you ensure I get them back no later than the Tuesday morning after your league’s first match.
Once again thanks for all your help, please feel free to give me a call if you have any problems.

Best Regards

Ken Wade
Angling Times Team Championship Organiser

pj1939 · #3

the extra cost will mean less teams

#4

Who do think will be collecting this money on each round and storing it for three months before sending it to AT?

#5

I want to know what costs have gone up by over 100% apart from fuel. Does this mean we have to pay for Kens petrol and at's electricity bill.

joffmiester · #6

this should of been put to the angler the bread and butter of all the winter leagues not a letter to each organiser of the leagues as this is the first i've heard and its not far from the winter leagues starting so this means we all have very little time to fight our corners
my first point is when the teams in our league here about this 130% rise without ever publishing a balance sheet for a winter league the first thing they will say is wait a minute why should we pay for the the top two teams in the league to go to a semi or final when we have little chance of winning
i have already tryed to get anglers for teams this year as the smaller teams are struggling now
we really should be against this increase for the smaller teams sake

joffmiester · #7

point 2 some of the teams fish short towards the end of the winter leagues just through lack of interest or its too cold or raining will they still have to pay

#8

I think you also have to look from the side of Bauer media, if they are losing money then changes have to occur.

They have allegedly lost getting on to a six figure sum in the last ten years the competition has run. They used to have sponsors like Weathercall.

I dont know where this will end but i dont think that the lesser teams will put up with it.

ropa · #9

Just as we were starting to attact a few teams back to the winter leagues, this happens. This year our league added another 2 teams, going from 10 to 12 teams, now we have to land this on them. Let`s just see if it goes fron 12 back down to 10 or less!!!!

Who will be on the firing line?? the league organisers. So if our league goes ahead with 12 teams we will have to pay an extra £720.00, if a 6 team league goes ahead they will pay £360.00 but have the same amount of qualifiers at semi`s, same benefits etc??

joffmiester · #10

good point matey

and i think first and second in the league now fish the same semi final

as well

joffmiester · #11

its about time the tackle trade really had a good look at what is happening to the sport something like 1.5 million go fishing in this country i know times are hard but surely a sponsor could be found at the end of the day fishing is at the bottom of the ladder and more so now than ever before
the winter league is one area we all look forward too but i feel that A.T have sat on this until the right moment to come along just before it all starts

>:(we all new at the final some changes were going to be made so why leave it so long
i would want to be in the shoes of the winter league organizers that are going to get the fallout of this

#12

Sorry i can`t believe that your all moaning about a league entrance of 60 quid.How much is that per member based on a team of ten 6 quid per member,thats about the price of two pints of beer(well it is in the south).Or 12 mars bars.Right i`ve had my say where`s the delete button???

#13

Sorry i can`t believe that your all moaning about a league entrance of 60 quid.How much is that per member based on a team of ten 6 quid per member,thats about the price of two pints of beer(well it is in the south).Or 12 mars bars.Right i`ve had my say where`s the delete button???

#14

Yet another kick in the man balls for team fishing !!! My team Sensas NW are hoping to join a league much closer to where we are based in the north west, it hasnt been rubber stamped yet and after suffering the Lancashire league folding, although very enjoyable and ultra competitive the travelling to the west midlands Warwickshire W/L last year was a killer (cost etc ) then this happens !!!! I am sick to death of this event, just when as a team we start to see some light at the end of the tunnel.....wallop a 130% increase in team fees !!! I am sure quite a few teams will drop out of their respective leagues around the country.

#15

Chris, you can always fiddle around with statistics to put them in your favour.

The FACT is that the fees have gone up 130%, that is it.

If a mag goes up 10p you wouldn't believe the complaints they get.

£60 may not be much to you, I and lots of others, that is not the point.

#16

Chris, you can always fiddle around with statistics to put them in your favour.

The FACT is that the fees have gone up 130%, that is it.

If a mag goes up 10p you wouldn't believe the complaints they get.

£60 may not be much to you, I and lots of others, that is not the point.

Yes sorry i didn`t work out the percentage rise as you said that is a big increase.
Does anyone know if the prize fund has gone up??

#17

Are they bothered if half the teams drop out?

Are they crappity smack.

If you work it out 'they' are still getting more money in than before.

Who is the winner? It aint match fishing.

#18

If the competition is losing money then changes have to be made...Simple as!

It seems like a big increase and will effect the lesser teams more because they will not see any benefits because they will undoubtedly fall at the league stages.

Perhaps taking it out of the Teams on the day money would be better than getting everyone to pay extra, that way the money comes from the teams that are going further in the competition....just a thought.

#19

If the competition is losing money then changes have to be made...Simple as!

It seems like a big increase and will effect the lesser teams more because they will not see any benefits because they will undoubtedly fall at the league stages.

Perhaps taking it out of the Teams on the day money would be better than getting everyone to pay extra, that way the money comes from the teams that are going further in the competition....just a thought.

If at have been losing money then let us know not just sneak a rise. lets know how many teams entered at £25 a throw last year and what the prize fund was, and what was made by tacklefest.

#20

Does anybody else get the feeling someone is trying to send traditional fishing down the 'commercial' rout.

By that, I mean very expensive matches, a decent pot for the winner and crappity smack all for anyone else.

Next, they will be telling organisers to charge more for a peg fee to cover this 'hidden' extra.

If I go in a shop, even Joffs! and buy a Mars Bar I get a receipt, that is my balance sheet. Why can we not be told where this £60 is going; if the truth is known that is the hub of the problem.

If it is going somewhere legit there may just be no problem.