8/3/2019 Ken Bates Programme Notes Leeds United vs Barnsley 26.11.11 P2

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their means. Sugar Daddies who use football clubs

as rich man's toys will no longer be welcome. The

proposal is to achieve that by limiting the amount

of new funds which can be introduced in anyone

year. However, I think that the Football League

should differentiate between long-term capital and

opportunistic shor t-term loans made in the hope of

gett ing their hands on Premier League TV rights.

All this simply emphasises what I have been

preaching for some time. As a club, Leeds United

must work harder to maximise the use of our assets

and great ly increase both our matchday income and

non-matchday income on the 340 days a year when

we don't play soccer at Eiland Road.

Further congratulat ions are

in order for the staff of our

award-winning Howard's

restaurant. They have just

been placed 13th out of a total

of over 300 restaurants in the

Greater Leeds area, if you

haven't tried it yet, you don't

know what you are missing.

MEMBERS

CHR ISTMAS

PARTY

ANNUAL

CHR ISTMAS

CAROL CONCERT

04

05

If we are to join the ranks of the current big

boys, leeds must continue to widen its horizons

beyond the city and, indeed, the United Kingdom.

Some five years ago Iwas part of the city of

Leeds' of ficial delegation to our twinned city of

Hangzhou in the province of Zhejiang some 120

miles south-east of Shanghai. It was very successful

and built on the club tour some years earlier. With

this in mind, some two weeks ago, Shaun Harvey

was one of a two-man delegation to establish

more formal links with the fastest growing hi- tech

province in the biggest country in the world. Dur ing

this very successful trip we signed a Memorandum

of Understanding with the most important state

institut ion in the province. We have agreed ways to

work together on exchange of coaching skills and

facili ties and cooperation on commercial mattersof mutual interest over a wide area.

This is a long-term project which has great

potential. Food for thought : there are more Chinese

students at Leeds University than Oxford and

Cambridge combined. Don't hold your breath but

this could be the start of something big.

Meanwhile, back. at the ranch we made another

signif icant step forward with our fan relationship.

Yesterday we h~ld the inaugural Conference for

the Officers of our Regional Members Clubs.

This was held to formalise the lines of

communication with them, agree standard

procedures and discuss matters of common

interests. Having regard to the quantity of ourMembership, I am sure that the standard of

discussion will be on a higher plane than t icket

prices and the quality of tea.