Here we are again, another season underway and not in the league we wanted but I’m sure DC will do all he can to give us something to cheer about come May!
Firstly, I want to pay tribute to John Kayes who was always a huge supporter of the Supporters Club. Much of our stock has been purchased from him in the past and if we needed something John would always hunt it down for us. His passing has left a big hole at The Mem and I know he will be missed by everyone who knew him.
The Supporters Club has been busy during the last year improving our shop and anyone who has visited will see the new ranges of stock we now have. We purchased the Crossed Swords 1883 brand earlier this year and with the help of Gary Brindle, who joined the committee this year, and his wife Natalie, we have several new items for you to purchase.
If we don’t have the item you require in stock in your size we may be able to order it in for you so ask Jamie or Janet and we will do what we can to help. Also if there is anything you would like us to stock please let us know and Gary will source it if he can. Remember members of the Supporters Club receive a 10% discount in our shop.
Following the clubs decision to no longer produce the monthly magazine the committee decided to produce a programme on a five match trial basis to see if this is something the fans would like. Keith Brookman and Gary have been instrumental in producing this (we all know Keith can produce an award winning programme) and, so far, the response has been overwhelming. Each match has sold out and we are happy to continue producing a programme for every home league match this season
We are still selling 50/50 tickets around the ground on behalf of the Football Club. We do need more sellers to maximise the number of tickets we sell, so if you’re happy to give up an hour of your time before kick off for each home game, please call in to our matchday shop or contact myself or Clive and we will be more than happy for you to join our team. As you know, all profits from the 50/50 go to our Academy and, as we have seen this season, we now have several players who have come through our Academy in and around the first team.
There’s been a change in the personnel running our away travel service this season. Leanne has left us and I would like to thank her for the incredible job she did for several years, not always in the easiest of circumstances.
Martin Hudd is now our travel organiser with Darren Stobbs assisting him. Martin organises quiz and football scratch cards to help the journey to away matches pass quicker. We are now leaving slightly earlier than in previous years to allow people time to have a meal in a pub near the ground if they wish. It also allows additional travelling time should we experience any traffic hold ups as we did on the way up to Fleetwood earlier in the season. Supporters Club members receive a £5 discount on away travel and if you travel to four consecutive league matches the fifth trip is free.
As you know at last years AGM Clive Marshall’s position as a Fans Director was ratified and since then we have been working closely with the Football Club to bring fans’ issues to the club’s attention. Clive and I meet with Ritchie Bates on a monthly basis, and he will always listen to and act upon, matters we bring to his attention. Some things cannot be rectified immediately so fans must be patient but, rest assured, he will endeavour to solve the problems if he is able.
My three years as Fans Director officially ended this year but despite advertising the position no one applied so I will continue in the role.
During the close season the Football Club undertook a number of improvements at The Mem to improve fans matchday experience. One major change for us was moving our ‘office’ next to our shop so they could use the compound for storage. We needed to make the area around the cabins safer and after putting an appeal on Facebook up stepped Joe Harris (JH Groundworks). He put up fences for us and made the ground around the office safe.
The Football Club and Community Trust had approached us regarding funding an Astroturf area in the Fanzone and with Joe’s help we were happy make a substantial donation towards the cost and saw it finished in time for the first home match of the season. The Presidents Club purchased the inflatable goal and I’m sure many parents are happy that there is an area for their children to have fun prior to kick off.
The Football Club has also embraced our caps initiative since Ricky Martin joined the club as Director of Football. Ricky was instrumental in organising a presentation at the Quarters for all players who had not received their cap recently and another will be held in February or March for any new additions to the squad.
All caps are available for fans to sponsor, so if you have a favourite player who we have not yet presented with their cap please contact Keith Brookman and he will advise how you can do this. The Football Club are also happy to host former players in the Seat Unique Suite so hopefully you will see many more cap presentations this season.
Finally, I must thank the committee for all their hard work this year. It hasn’t always been easy and at times it feels like a full time position in addition to our own daytime jobs but hopefully you will all see that we are striving to improve things for the supporters. All of our committee members are volunteers so if we don’t reply to messages immediately, please be patient
Helen