Dear Supporters, Sponsors and Friends,
With the Christmas period a distant memory and the New Year upon us, now is a good time to provide an update on the club’s current position.
Team
The current league position of tenth shows how the lads have consolidated well after a tough start to the season. Tuesday’s 1-0 victory over Belper Town, shows how far we have come as a team in what was an immensely hard working and resilient performance to secure three points against a very good side.
Earlier in the season, manager Ian Skinner noted the need for improved consistency, acknowledging the team’s early struggles with a series of injuries among our defenders.
Despite these challenges, the lads have shown resilience and the ability to secure positive results, particularly against stronger teams in the league. Credit goes to Ian, Andy, the staff, and ultimately the players for the progress made.
Groundworks
We find ourselves in the final stages of securing quotes for necessary work to maintain our league status off the field. This process, which is complex and demanding, has been slowed due to the balance we must strike between our regular work and personal commitments. The work will commence in February, and we are confident it will be completed by the end of March deadline. We are also hopeful of attracting funding to assist us in installing LED floodlighting to reduce the heavy maintenance cost of the outdated system, for which we had a £2,100 repair bill only last month. Replacement would reduce our bills and improve our efficiency.
Club
Regrettably, we are confronted with unprecedented off-field challenges with our facility. Like everywhere else, our own utility costs have escalated by over 150% in recent months, and expenses across all services provided to the club have surged. Despite raising our bar prices to counter these increases, our bar revenue fell by more than 25% in 2023, highlighting the cost of living crisis and plunging the operation of the building into a regular financial deficit.
To enhance our situation, we are endeavouring to increase clubhouse usage through various functions and events, having recently invested in a comprehensive booking system. We urge you to help amplify our efforts by sharing our posts promoting live football on SKY / TNT, function room availability and continuing your invaluable support in any way you can.
Commercial Activity
Attracting local sponsorship has been a daunting task. Like everyone else, the business community has been hit hard economically. We are immensely grateful to both those who have stood by us and joined us on the journey this season.
On a brighter note, the response to our crowdfunding appeal and various other activities has been extraordinary, and we’ve received fantastic pledges of support from several local Councillors for our ground improvements.
We were also delighted to bring Drew Tinsley and David Fish on board to help further our skills at the club.
As many know, we operate without a wealthy benefactor. Our club is propelled by a group of passionate individuals who volunteer tirelessly, often at the cost of their personal lives and wellbeing.
We thank you for your patience and encourage anyone who can assist in any capacity to step forward. We have noticed many innovative ideas and suggestions online; however, the implementation is hindered by our limited resources and time. We are in particular need of building our commercial and events planning team to complement existing work being done.
These are undoubtedly some of the toughest times in non-league football, a sentiment validated by the struggles faced by numerous clubs. Your unwavering support and active involvement are critical in navigating through these challenging periods. We deeply appreciate your continued commitment to our club.
Brian Shotton
Chairman