As a Board we want to acknowledge the level of concern, frustration and dissatisfaction that many of you have openly expressed in relation to the results we have achieved so far this season and our consequential position in the League table. None of us want to be in that position – Board members, coaching staff, players, volunteers and, most importantly, you the supporters.
We assure you that everyone at the Club is working tirelessly to turn things around and improve our league position. That hard work and commitment comes in many forms.
It is most visible in the efforts of the players and coaching staff on match days and on the training ground. They thrive off your support and the energy that comes from the stands so please continue to get behind them as only you can.
Equally important, though less visible, is the work continuing behind the scenes. These efforts are crucial not only to our success this season but also to our long-term sustainability as a football club.
At the recent Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM), shareholders approved motions to allow the Club to issue new shares. The objective of that was to enable us to attract new investors to the Club. We know there is huge interest in the details of when that will happen and who the new investor(s) will be. Those discussions have taken longer than we anticipated but are ongoing. The details of those discussions are of course confidential, but we will keep you informed of progress as soon as we can.
As a Club we are looking at ways to significantly increase our commercial income. That is particularly important because of the strict rules in place which dictate how much a Football Club can spend on its playing staff – in League 2 that is 50% of the Club’s turnover.
We are incredibly grateful to our commercial partners and sponsors for all their support and of course to all of you for continuing to contribute to the Club in the many and varied ways you do – buying match day tickets, season tickets, halftime draw and lottery tickets, through membership of the Supporters’ Trust, by purchasing shirts and other merchandise from the Club Shop and through initiatives like player sponsorship. Without that continuing support, we could not survive.
We are also working hard with the Dragons to increase opportunities for closer co-operation which will be in both Clubs’ interests given our shared home at Rodney Parade.
We recognise that there is more that we can do to communicate regularly with you and are committed to doing so. Our Fan Engagement Plan set out our commitment for the season, and we intend to press ahead with a number of meaningful activities to deliver that engagement with supporters, including through the constitution of a new ‘Fan Council’ over the coming months. We are looking to arrange an All Fan Forum in November and will publicise arrangements for that as soon as they are finalised. We very much look forward to seeing you there and of course at upcoming matches.
Very best wishes,
Huw, Arnie & Mike
