chilledbear 16 Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 To be fair, the managing members of Club 9 Sports â?? the new owners and most recent saviors of the Quad City Mallards â?? do indeed like the game of hockey. That's not why they are here, however. Club 9 means business. Serious business. They are building a portfolio and they have a plan. That plan starts with a franchise in trouble. Just under two years ago, Jon Pritchett and business partner John Prutch formed Club 9 Sports to serve as a subsidiary of banking firm Prometheus Capital Partners, LLC, and sports advisory firm Tobacco Road Capitalists. The Quad City Mallards are the group's first franchise purchase, though they have other assets in business target areas identified by CEO Pritchett as "sports entertainment, media and recreation." Club 9 is in the process of building its sports franchise portfolio and is looking specifically for teams in distress, but also teams that they believe exist in a market with opportunity. Then came the Mallards â?? a team abandoned suddenly for reasons yet to be clarified by former owner Eric Karls and a team on its third new owner in three years. Pritchett has made it quite clear that Club 9 knows what is it getting into. Their plan goes like this: Find and purchase a team that Pritchett described as "distressed, undervalued or out of favor," rehabilitate the team within what they view as an opportunistic market, and exit -- selling the team to a viable ownership candidate. "That's how we get our return," Pritchett said. "It takes a while to find those kinds of things. They are out there, but you have a lot of work to do. "Typically, it's five to eight years, but the way that we're set up with some of our partners and private equity planners, we can operate the team and keep them depending on how they perform. â?¦ I don't think in Quad-Cities there is any kind of short-term play here. It's going to take a while. There needs to be stability, and it's not an overnight proposition." Pritchett did something similar few years ago while with General Sports Venue. In 2006, the firm worked up a licensing arrangement with the AstroTurf brand, and quickly grew the brand's revenue from $1 million to close to $50 million. Shortly after selling the business, Club 9 Sports was formed. So, why QC? "I think there's a legacy of history there that we understand and like," Pritchett said. "It's a good hockey market. There's not a whole lot of competition from a standpoint of discretionary sports spending. It's a nice facility with a good relationship between the building and the franchise. They've proven that when things are working, they can be successful on the ice and in the front office." Pritchett said inconsistency has been the hockey market's greatest enemy. He said there must be stability in order to put a proper strategy in place and execute that plan. He said the right amount of capital is also key. It's not expensive, but it's not cheap, he said. "It takes a while to get the mojo back, but once you do that, and you prove to people that you'll give them a quality product and care about them, it's going to be worth the money put into that, because they'll come back," Pritchett said. He believes the Central Hockey League is the right fit, but added that he doesn't believe the league is as important as the team and the market's stability. As for the team, front-office work gets underway first. He hopes to hire someone that will serve as both general manager and coach by the end of this week, noting that 2010-11 coach Frank Anzalone will be a candidate. The front office will then be assembled. Pritchett said changes will be made there. Change, overall, appears to be a common thread. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forlanssister 3,114 Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 This is worth a read if only for the humour value. he entity that is Joe Kosich, and his bizarre relationship with English football clubs Posted on May 18, 2010 3:48 pm Eleven months ago Tranmere Rovers chairman Peter Johnson acquired the help of US firm Dornoch Capital in an attempt to find a suitable buyer in the club â?? in dire need of financial help. To Johnsonâ??s astonishment, the club was put up for sale on the auction site eBay without his consent. The Rovers chairman was understandably stunned. â??You can imagine how shocked we were to wake up this morning to find out we were on eBay,â? Johnson said. A â??publicity stuntâ?? gone badâ?¦ â??We were appalled. Itâ??s totally inappropriate. We immediately e-mailed them and said: â??Take it off right away.â??â? â??Itâ??s not a second-hand bike weâ??re selling. One has to think of supporters and the ability to run the club.â? The man behind the idea was a Mr. Joe Kosich, who claimed the listing was a â??publicity stuntâ??. Unfortunately, the only publicity it received was of the bad variety, turning the club into a laughing stock. Unfortunately, Kosich wasnâ??t finished with the game they call soccer in the States. In early 2010 he put Sheffield Wednesday FC in touch with Club Sports 9, a sports and media company, with the intention that CS9 would help with Wednesdayâ??s own financial problems. Joe Kosich In the months that ensued Kosich became a regular on internet fan forums, apparently convinced of a successful deal, and his entitlement to a large fee for himself. In mid-May CS9 made their offer to the club â?? a derisory one rejected out of hand by the Owlsâ?? board. Evidently, CS9 didnâ??t have the money to back up their claims of a successful deal, and Kosich was left with nothing. Enraged by the news, Kosich launched several extraordinary tirades aimed at the club, its board members â?? even its fans, for holding the club back, and right here on BigSoccer posted on a blog claiming the fans, among the most loyal in the footballing world, were getting all the misery they deserved. His Dornoch Capital firm changed their outlook on the club to â??EXTREMELY NEGATIVEâ??. He claimed that â?? - â??Lack of/poor support by Wednesday fansâ?? â?? despite the Owlsâ?? fanbase being widely regarded as one of the more loyal sets of fans around, averaging well over 20,000 spectators a game through over a decade of misfortune on and off the pitch. - â??Increased negativity and anti-American segment among SWFC fansâ?? â?? only to then respond to criticism of his comments by calling fans â??senseless south yorkie gitsâ??. The words of a professional businessman? Serveral fans responded, only to see Kosich delete their comments. Kosich had well and truly thrown his toys out of the pram. So is it karma that Wednesdayites, who have stuck by their club through thick and thin, must see their club go through heartbreak after heartbreak? Or is it karma that Joe Kosich has ended up with nothing but a shattered business reputation? Iâ??ll let you decide, but a word of warning, he may be coming to a club near you soonâ?¦ 14 Responses to The entity that is Joe Kosich, and his bizarre relationship with English football clubs Wannabechairman says: May 18, 2010 at 4:32 pm Anglofile is a nob! REPLY BILLSAJA says: May 18, 2010 at 4:43 pm Well said. UTO, FJK REPLY BILLSAJA says: May 18, 2010 at 4:44 pm And letâ??s not forget his time at Norwich, where after being run out of town by their CEO as a time waster â??thereâ??s more chance of me taking over the club than Joe Kosich and his friendsâ? was the quote â?? he had a similar toys out of stroller moment on here and slagged that club off too. REPLY Anglofile says: May 18, 2010 at 11:18 pm BTW, Who is being hired as your administrator? probably billsaja. uneducated south yorkie gits and pigs to boot. REPLY Enliven says: May 19, 2010 at 3:54 am Deary deary me anglofile Did you not learn a thing whilst you were supposedly an owls fan? The likelihood of us going into admin is minimal due to the majority of our debt being with the Co-Op bank. Course admitting that wouldnâ??t suit your brown tinted glasses. For all other readers that might read this and Anglofiles blog. We donâ??t have an increasing anti-american sentiment. Just an increasing anti-anglofile/C9S sentiment due to a) Anglofile throwing his toys out of the pram and having a big temper tantrum as evidenced from his changing us from a buy recommendation to a sell within a very small time frame even though the fundamentals of the club are/were exactly the same. b) C9S reneging on what was the original deal and making a joke of an offer. Now then, why donâ??t you crawl back under that rock you came from REPLY salmonbones says: May 19, 2010 at 6:31 am Racist Joe, Iâ??d be wary of what thousands of football fans, no matter which part of the world they reside, could do for your ability to trade. Your card has been marked. REPLY AndyMead says: May 19, 2010 at 10:11 am Why do you delete any and all comments? You obviously donâ??t understand how blogs work. Even my complementary comment was removed almost immediately. REPLY That Phat Hat says: May 19, 2010 at 10:17 am Blogs are meant to be a one-way communication. Like spitting into the wind. As if thereâ??s some sort of metaphorical marketplace of ideas! REPLY Anglofile says: May 19, 2010 at 10:33 am No not really, meant to be used and manipulated for my own and my clientâ??s welfare. Go off to your own little dream world. REPLY That Phat Hat says: May 19, 2010 at 10:42 am Your clientâ??s welfare? Good one! REPLY KivooOwl says: May 20, 2010 at 8:39 am What client is that? Do you have one? REPLY BILLSAJA says: May 20, 2010 at 5:03 pm A class act, our Joe. On Wed, May 19, 2010 at 9:24 PM, wrote: BTW Davey boy, just ordered a new E class for Euro delivery in July. Driving it on vacay for 2 weeks then shipped to Charleston. Black on black very nice. What are you driving, a Rusted out Yugo?? My fee on this deal as well as other advisory work paid for it, are you happy for me, choke on it ol boy. Yer a vey brave boy behind the keyboard, how are you in person? Joe Kosich Managing Director Dornoch Capital Advisors 1 Market Square, Suite 205 PO Box 265 Pinehurst, NC 28370 Yet youâ??re so pathetc. Talks still going on. Hope yer disappointed. Have a nice evening knowing that c9s has made profess today in taking over the club for what itâ??s true valueâ?¦.Jack shit Hot dogs and burgers next season. Hope you choke on one eh???? Joe Kosich Managing Director Dornoch Capital Advisors 1 Market Square, Suite 205 PO Box 265 Pinehurst, NC 28370 REPLY Eric B says: May 20, 2010 at 8:27 pm Someone should tell Joe if heâ??s going to talk like an anglophile, the term is â??holidayâ? not â??vacayâ?. REPLY Namrog The Just says: May 22, 2010 at 12:18 pm Oh boy, an E Class. Really? dudeâ??s going to brag about an E-Class? I mean itâ??s a nice enough car and all, but Joe should definitely do himself a favor and never, ever move to Los Angeles. REPLY 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zappa 0 Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 Hopefully the administrators tell Club 9 Sports to bugger off! I can't believe they rejected Brian Kennedy's bid and have kept this mob at the negotiating table. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forlanssister 3,114 Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 Hopefully the administrators tell Club 9 Sports to bugger off! I can't believe they rejected Brian Kennedy's bid and have kept this mob at the negotiating table. I'm quite sure they have their reasons not quite so sure they're good reasons. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
54andcounting 0 Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 Hopefully the administrators tell Club 9 Sports to bugger off! Should that not be burger off? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zappa 0 Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 I'm quite sure they have their reasons not quite so sure they're good reasons. It would be nice to know their reasons, but something tells me that we won't find out the true facts. At the end of the day, I just hope the administrators are working for the best interests of the club too and not just the best interests of Whyte and a few creditors. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zappa 0 Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 Should that not be burgeroff? He's a cracking player! Would run riot in the SPL! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bears 0 Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Hopefully the administrators tell Club 9 Sports to bugger off! I can't believe they rejected Brian Kennedy's bid and have kept this mob at the negotiating table. This is what got me the most. I had read up about this club 9 mob and thought they'd actually have been laughed at by the administrators because of their previous history with the 2 English clubs. Yet we had Brian K with a visible history with cash being told to beat it. This is why i have no doubt in my mind that Rangers are finished 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
54andcounting 0 Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 From a little known Scottish rag..... FORMER Sheffield Wednesday chairman Lee Strafford last night warned Rangers fans they must see the colour of Club 9 Sports’ money before trusting their takeover bid....... More here - http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/2012/04/02/rangers-in-crisis-ibrox-fans-warned-to-be-cautious-over-club-9-sports-bid-for-their-club-86908-23810233/ 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovanAllan 0 Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Jeez this mob sound like a bad Delboy and Rodney here's hoping were not the fools. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.