A Message From The Chairman

Now the dust has settled on another season for the men’s team, it’s time to reflect.

Last year, the team were a game away from winning the league and then still so close to going up through the play-offs, losing to Dover in the final.

This year, we had hoped for a similar season, with promotion our aim. 

We kept the majority of the squad that got us there and went out and made some good signings in the summer that we thought would push us on. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen. 

We can look back at a slow start. Poor disciplinary, with red cards in double figures. There have been injuries to key players. Poor away form. But ultimately, we didn’t get to where we wanted to be. This league is getting stronger and stronger with a lot of money being put in.

There has been a lot of talk about budgets in recent days. The budget we set last season got us into the play-off final and close to the title. We increased the budget this season and offered more money in January to support our manager, some of which was used in March.

There are a number of teams with bigger budgets, that is for sure. We don’t have a millionaire benefactor or a magic money tree. 

But we spend what we can afford, are honest with our managers and hope, as a few things come into play, that the budget will get bigger and bigger. Many things can’t happen overnight.

We said goodbye to Ady at the weekend. We have enjoyed working with him and his staff over the past two and a bit years and wish them all the best in their next job at Ramsgate. There’s been some fantastic moments under his reign and if we’d been promoted last season perhaps things would have been different.

We are in the process of choosing a new manager – and that manager will certainly not be getting a smaller budget than Ady had this season. We also want the process to be wrapped up quickly so they can get to work as soon as possible.

This summer will see a host of changes at the Club. There will be a new manager and staff, of course. Some players will leave. Many will stay. And the new manager will come in with new ideas, new contacts and new energy.

Other changes include things being put into place to help the club increase revenue, some of which supporters have suggested at the fans forums and have been on our radar for some time. With rising bills and costs to attend with, we have to keep pushing ahead and make some big decisions. It’s not easy in the current climate, but we are putting more and more things in place that can continue to support the club financially and help us move on.

There are a number of major projects that will take months to get going as they include a lot of planning and approval, but these are being worked on simultaneously with those that can support us in the coming months. 

We will be putting on more events in the Champions Bar over the summer months and will be screening the football during the World Cup. Please consider joining us as the extra money behind the bar will help support our managers next year.

We also have our music event that takes place in less than a month now. For any supporter saying we need to invest more money into the club, please buy a ticket and come along. This was an idea to bring new people to the club that wouldn’t normally come, but is also a way you can support the club, even if you don’t like the music. We need you all there. Many fans appreciate we are trying something different and out of our comfort zone for the good of the club and its finances. Many players and managers from our teams will be there and there will be a host of cheap drink offers, a Prosecco bar and food stalls. Come and join us for a few drinks and some food at least. It’s shaping up to be a brilliant day, so we hope many of you will attend as we celebrate 20 years since the opening of Princes Park.

As we have discussed at length, if this succeeds, expect to see many new and different events being held at Princes Park as we continue with our plans to change the fabric of the club as we know it and pave the way for the future.

The season of course is not over for our fantastic women’s side who are hoping to add the league title to their brilliant cup win last week. We congratulate Macca, Connor and all the players and hope they can bring the title home too! We also have The Academy Whites battling for their league title – which will be some feat, should they manage it. There are many youth and academy teams who have had great success this season and I know they will be getting mentions in the weeks to come.

We thank all our volunteers, employees, the supporter’s association, players and of course the fans for all their support and hard work this season and hope to see many of you during the next few months at our events that really can make a massive difference to the club as we plan for the new season.

Thanks to all, and hope to see you all very soon.

Steve Irving, Chairman