Invest in a Player!

The fledgling scheme has been passed by the Football League and its bound to generate some debate with fans.

The general details behind the idea from Gary Hall and commercial manager Tony Styles is explained by Gary Hall, he told todays advertiser; "We first hit upon the idea last year when we were trying to negotiate a new contract for Will Hoskins. A firm said they would be interested in paying a proportion of his wages but, before anything could be arranged, he was sold on for big money."

"It struck us that a scheme could be set up where companies or individuals invest in a player by paying a proportion of his wages on a weekly or monthly basis and receive a part of any future transfer in return." he added.

"We think it is a fantastic investment opportunity considering the terrific youth policy Mark Robins has established here and the wealth of promising players coming through. Of course, the younger the player, the more chance investors have of getting something back."

"People like Stephen Brogan, Jamie Yates, Marc Newsham and Ryan Taylor are all on the up and even the slightly older players like Dale Tonge have promising futures. Anyone supporting the Invest in a Player scheme will help free up money for other things and we guarantee it won't be frittered away. It will go straight back into the player budget for additional strengthening." he assured.

Investors would'nt own the players but would be entitled to benefits including:
• The services of the player for any sponsorship or PR opportunities on behalf of the investing company
• Executive tickets for Rotherham United matches
• Interaction with the club and the board of directors regarding the player, including discussions if they were thinking of selling him.

Hall added: "We don't know if this scheme will work but we are certainly hoping it will. We have cut costs as much as we can at Rotherham United and now we want to start bringing more income in. This seems an innovative and refreshing way of doing so."

Meanwhile the clubs commercial department in conjunction iwith the Rotherham Chamber are holding a presentation at the Rotherham United Suite.

The open evening is to be held on Thursday 6th December and opens at 5.30pm for drinks with a presentation at 6pm. Rotherham Chamber is urging its members to attend.

The club's Commercial manager Tony Styles told the Advertiser; "This is a chance for businesses to hear what we can do for them and what they can do for us. We have all sorts of sponsorship opportunities available and we are hoping to have about 200 people here for this important event."

People interested in either the Invest in a Player scheme or the open evening are welcome to ring commercial manager Tony Styles in the commercial department at Millmoor on 01709 512760.