It’s been another busy week at the club, in a very positive way and one that has made me very excited for the future of our club.
On Thursday evening we held our first meeting of the new board that included representatives from the Ladies (Andy Westlake), the Youth Section (Andy Joslin), the Supporters Trust (Alan Calder), our Head of Media (Ryan Woolnough), our Head of Retail (Gavin Jones) and I am delighted to announce, our new Clubhouse Manager, Tanya Fisher.
Out of all the people we spoke to and interviewed about the vacancy, Tanya stood out a clear mile with her experience, ambition and enthusiasm – since agreeing to the role my phone has been constantly ringing with Tanya wanting to push ahead with some new ideas and I think everyone will be delighted with some of the things Tanya has planned. Always popular with the regulars at The Chess Suite, we are confident that she will increase the usage of the clubhouse and bring new visitors to our club, generating all important income.
In other news, the Board have this week been tackling the difficult decision of what to do about season tickets and sponsorship from this season, that was so disappointingly cut short, as well as the forthcoming season that we hope will start in August. The decision we have reached is that when the new season ticket applications for 2021/22 are sent out, in the first week of April, supporters that had tickets for 2020/21 will be offered a 75% discount to compensate for the lost games in 2020/21. It is important that we balance fairness to our supporters with the stability of our club and also our ambition for the season ahead – we hope people feel this is a reasonable compromise.
We have also had similar discussions, with very positive outcomes, with a number of our sponsors and by getting the backing of our supporters and sponsors we are looking to put ourselves in a position where we can maintain a playing budget that will make us serious contenders for promotion in what I hope will be an exciting season.
I have also this week had very positive conversations with our kit suppliers about a potential four-year deal that will see us get even better prices on shirts. As mentioned last week, next season we will be using the same kit as the season just gone, and I am also delighted to announce that our shirt sponsors, Shanly Homes, have agreed a deal until the end of the 2022/23 season. Great news for the club, and an incredible commercial deal in these very challenging times. A big thank you to Shanly Homes for their ongoing commitment and support of the club. We will also have a third kit next season, something a little more retro, and let’s just say it is a little bit more claret and blue which I know will please some people!
After the brilliant effort a couple of weeks ago by members and supporters, the club now need your help to put advertising boards back after the filming the ITV crime drama at The Meadow this week. Meeting at 9.00am this Saturday we need willing helpers working in pairs with power tools, screwdrivers and sockets up to 10mm. If you are able to help, I know that the Supporters’ Trust have been gathering names and if you can help, please email trust@cheshamunited.co.uk. The filming was a huge success and if you want to see your club on the television, we will tell you as soon as we know to look out for the new series (8) of Endeavour, in particular the first episode of the series!
As I say, lots going on! I am very excited about our new board, very pleased with the way our first meeting went, in which we were able to introduce ourselves and importantly share the collective vision for the club to move forward together. With Tanya onboard there are lots of great events to be announced in the coming weeks. In the meantime, I would urge you to join the Supporters Trust for their Virtual Beer & Quiz Evening on Saturday 20th March, the details of which can be found on Facebook, or by contacting the Trust directly.
I have said this before but I will make no apology of saying it again, my door is always open and should any one ever want to drop me a line with any comment, feedback, ideas or just to chat then do not hesitate to do so: chairman@cheshamunited.co.uk
Stay Safe – Stay Well and thank you for your support
