QPR 1st is pleased to report that its squad place auction raised £3,250 for the Hoops Fund. The winning bid was actually £3,850, with 15 per cent going as commission to the Club’s auction house, QXL.
The winning bidder was recently-appointed QPR director Bill Power, who bought the place for his son, Andrew. Andrew will now feature in the squad photo and will be listed as a squad member in each programme for the rest of the season. We gather that he is ecstatic to have gained the place and wish him the maximum enjoyment possible from it.
The Hoops Fund has had a steady start since its launch in April, standing now at just short of £6,000, but we are confident that events like the squad place auction will boost it as the season progresses. We understand that it is difficult to see the Club as being any form of trouble, given our play-off place last May and our wonderful first game this season, but the fact is that the Club is flat broke. Despite cutting the size of the squad to the bare minimum and trimming the youth teams, QPR continues to struggle for financial survival. It is up to us fans, as ever, to dig deep to help pull the Club through.
But this time the supporters efforts will be recognised. For every pound of Hoops Fund money that goes to help the Club, it will be matched by a portion of the ownership of the club being transferred from the current board to the QPR supporters through the Supporters Trust. As the Hoops Fund aids the Club, so it will increase the influence of the fans on decision-making at the Club, and in time will place the destiny of the club in the hands of the supporters.
You can contribute to the Club’s future by donating to the Hoops Fund. We already have a number of people donating monthly via standing order and you can also contribute via the web and by credit card. QPR 1st members will also be rattling collection buckets at a number of games this year,whilst individual donations by cheque will always be welcomed.
Please give generously to the Hoops Fund. Right now, QPR 1st committee members are digging for information on just how perilous the club’sposition is. What we’re discovering is not good. The Club will need thesupport of us all sooner than you may think.