LOFT held a momentous Special General Meeting on Thursday 2 March, where vital matters affecting the very future of Leyton Orient Football Club were discussed.
A packed venue, with estimates of around 300-350 members present plus more who couldn't get in, heard from several members of LOFT's Board on the current crisis situation at the club. Several hundred people at any one time were also following the event via a live stream on our Facebook page, the progress of the meeting was also covered live by, among others, the Orient Outlook podcast and the Waltham Forest Guardian.
The meeting had been called several weeks prior, to discuss LOFT's progress on its disaster recovery plans and the forming of a fighting fund. These plans were presented following a rousing introduction by LOFT's chair, Doug Harper, who made LOFT's overriding position clear: "There is only one Orient and we will not let it die!"
Following a report of a recent meeting with the local council, wherein the council affirmed their overwhelming support for the club to remain in the borough and for the Brisbane Road ground not to be redeveloped for housing, LOFT Board members Mat Roper and Adam Michaelson presented a summary of our recovery plans, as set out in the documents made available several days before the meeting.
The summary included the progress so far on 'phoenix club' plans if the current club is liquidated. Inevitably of course, the meeting wanted to focus on the issue of the winding-up petition served on the club, that had been announced less than 36 hours before the meeting started.
In essence, the key issues are these:
The meeting heard various arguments and questions from the floor (and indeed Board members) about the situation - there are no easy answers, and with the situation having only become apparent the day before, LOFT's Board itself had not had time to reach a settled view on the way forward.
The meeting briefly considered either holding a ballot of all members on this one issue, or to hold an open meeting to allow for discussion by all supporters - however, neither would work with the timing required for LOFT to start preparing an intervention to seek an administration.
Ultimately therefore, the Chair moved to a vote on a Resolution drafted during the meeting:
"This meeting agrees to seek the appointment of an administrator at the winding-up hearing of Leyton Orient Football Club on 20 March. However, that application should be made as late as possible to give the club's current owner time to settle the bill.
This meeting agrees that if the committee believes requesting an adjournment provides a more stable course for the club, then we should seek an adjournment."
This Resolution was passed with an overwhelming majority - a momentous decision, but clearly a necessary one if the club in its current form is to be saved.
What this means is that if no effort is made by Francesco Becchetti to settle the debt or contest the winding-up petition, LOFT will seek to have the club put into administration as late as possible to prevent its liquidation - or seek an adjournment from the court if the LOFT Board believes that is the better course of action to protect the club.
What this does not mean is that the club is in administration now, nor that LOFT's Board will seek for the club to be put in administration unless it believes there is no other option to prevent the club being liquidated.
The meeting then voted on the first planned resolution of the night, to endorse the work of the disaster recovery sub-committee thus far and its plans - this was passed unanimously.
Rob from the Blackpool Supporters Club then gave a message of support which was very well received by members - the key point being, other clubs' fans are there to support us in our endeavours. LOFT is particularly grateful for support received from its friends at Blackpool and Swansea, who we have been proud to support in their current and past issues with owners.
Finally, LOFT's secretary Jonathan Kaye set out the proposal for the Leyton Orient Regeneration Fund, including amendments to the original proposal based on feedback received:
It was also explained that the fund would not be used to settle any debt or loan owed to the current owner, which was welcomed by the meeting.
The Resolution to approve the Fund was passed nearly unanimously with only one vote against (this may not have been a serious vote against, but is recorded in the minutes nonetheless!).
The meeting closed, with the Regeneration Fund launching online within minutes and with collection buckets in the room.
Summary
To those attending or following online, it must have sometimes been a difficult meeting. The issues facing the club are huge, and with an absent owner the race is truly on to ensure the club's survival past 20 March. It was no less difficult for LOFT - we are, ultimately, just fans doing our best to try and safeguard this wonderful club's very existence.
Our apologies to those who couldn't get in to the meeting or left early due to the packed conditions. Every time we book a bigger room, it seems not to be big enough!
This is a testament though to the passion and desire among fans to not let their club simply die - demonstrated by the hundreds of people joining LOFT in the days since the winding-up petition, with the membership count surging past 1,000 over the weekend.
The Regeneration Fund has also been incredibly well supported already, with £35,000 being raised by hundreds of individual donations in just the first few days. Donations and messages of support have come from far and wide, from east London to Des Moines, Iowa!
We will update all O's fans in the coming days regarding the winding-up petition - rest assured that LOFT's Board is more resolute than ever that we will not let Leyton Orient die.
Up the O's!
Our very grateful thanks to Elliot Byrne for live streaming the meeting, to Paul and Steve from the Orient Outlook Podcast for live Tweeting, and to Shona Duthie from the Waltham Forest Guardian for their live coverage.
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