David Bosomworth, Bobby Ham and Stuart Peacock were the open to question guest of the Supporters Club tonight.
The trio spent a couple of hours answering the fans questions about the past and the future of the old and new club giving an insight into some of the difficulties that have been faced.
They appreciate all the support they have received from everyone at the Club and hope that we can look forward into building a club on solid foundations rather than looking back at the past.
A £10,000 presentation cheque was passed from the Supporters Club to the Directors at the start of the evening.
The official site will do a brief synopsis of the evening below:
Pete Stajic started the evening with a short presentation about the position on sponsorship. There is one main match sponsorship left for this season and approximately 5 associate match sponsors, match ball and mascots available.
Play The Squares is over half way to being completed which supports the work that physio Alan Russell Cox does for the club.
Today Pete and a number of helpers have been at Morrisons selling Christmas Draw tickets, raising over £300 which brings the profit to over £2500 so far.
Any solid leads that you can provide Pete would be most welcome - so if you require any further information or to book any form of sponsorship, call Pete Stajic on 0785 2207635 or email petestajic@halifaxafc.co.uk
|
Kit Walton Hands Over Cheque To The Directors |
Second Presentation:
Chris from Utility Warehouse did a short presentation on how you can save money with them and earn the club some money. For example the club could make £1500 per month if 500 signed up with them.
No obligation - for more information click here.
Main Presentation:
Chairman David Bosomworth did a presentation on where the club was, what happened, how they have set up the new club, Staffing levels, Marketing, Objectives and the future.
They had a battle with the FA and they worked hard to try to find a solution. They prepared a business presentation which went to the FA and Unibond which was accepted by them and a £5000 bond had to be placed with them to show that we would complete the season.
They have had to give personal guarantees to get bank account for the Club and they pleaded to try to keep the name Town in the club title.
They discussed how they reached the decision to appoint Jim Vince and differences between a part and full time club.
|
Play The Squares Will Help Alan |
A decision was taken to try to keep the Club as professional as possible, so appointed Angie Firth as Club Secretary, Alan Russell-Cox as Physio and a new full time role in Pete Stajic as Marketing and Sales Executive.
The club does not just market itself on a Match Day so part of Pete's role is to market the club during the rest of the week.
In terms of the "old club crest", there will be the opportunity to buy merchandise with the crest on. They wanted to have a new logo which would help them achieve their objectives, branding and give a fresh image that they required. It would also appeal to a younger audience.
They discussed the three main sponsors of the club and how they have split the home/away sponsorship this season. They talked about how all the companies were outside of Halifax and it would be good in the future to get companies from Halifax as the main sponsors.
In terms of the future, they know that we need to get it right on the pitch through Jim Vince and the players. We also need to get it right off the pitch.
The website is being improved all the time; there are plans underway to look at the possibility of video highlights etc.
There are also In House Focus Groups which are looking at community and marketing aspects at the present time.
David, Stuart and Bobby are very keen for fans help in providing ideas:
What ideas have you got for the future of the club?
How do we develop teenage interest in the Supporters Club?
What would fans like to see being sold in the Club Shop?
|
The Fans Are Important To Success Of The Club |
It's not where we are now that's important, it's where we are after the final whistle of the final game in April. It would be fantastic if we beat the Bamber Bridge attendance on Saturday and we all have a part to play in the future of this Club.
A big thank you from the Directors was then passed onto the fans for our help and support.
After the halftime break, the Directors answered written questions:
David, Bobby and Stuart were asked to explain the backgrounds and why they chose to come to Halifax. Bobby and Stuart have connections with the Town due to various reasons.
The upcoming sportsman's dinner will be held at the Cedar Court in Bradford next year. This is due to the capacity that it holds. They are hoping that they can attract 400-450 people and the biggest venue in Halifax only holds 280.
Shares in the old club were asked about and they appreciate that there are many people who have lost out with the old Club. They understand the concerns but it's a new club and we all need to look forwards not backwards.
|
East Stand Will Be Good For The Club When Ready |
A reserve team is possible for next season. It hasn't been ruled in or out as yet.
The role of the three supporter's organisations was asked about. Due to various reasons, the Club has been more in touch with the Supporters Club than the other two organisations so far.
It's a delicate issue but in their view we are one club in this town, with approx 1500 fans. They aren't political people and they want to see all fans get behind the club, be positive with everyone doing their bit. They want the Club to go forward as one group of fans supporting it.
They are the custodians of the club which represents our Town and they hope the club will go from strength to strength
David, Bobby and Stuart are not the consortium or faceless people. They want the fans to give ideas to help move the Club forward. They are not naive enough to think they won't make mistakes but they want to keep it simple and have involvement in the right ways.
A discussion about the Centre of Excellence was next on the agenda. David advised the differences between being a Football League Club and a Non League Club which gives us no protection on keeping the best players who can be cherry picked by the bigger Clubs.
Bobby advised that the Club would not be going full time next season should they win promotion to the Unibond Premier but it would be a consideration should we reach the Blue Square North.
|
Working with Jim to help achieve success |
They are always looking to improve the squad and are trying to help Jim Vince as much as possible in doing that.
There are no plans for under soil heating at the Shay!
In terms of the playing budget they are working with Jim Vince closely and they will look at crowds in the second half of the season and react accordingly to help him look at getting the team promoted if at all possible.
The Directors were presented with a bottle of spirits each and Jim Vince was also presented with a mystery gift.
The meeting was then closed.
