To Everyone Crawley,
Last Saturday marked a year with John Yems and Lee Bradbury in charge. The world has been witnessing an extraordinary year. We are very happy to be able to have the fans back in the ground starting this Saturday. I felt it was vital to communicate the ongoings, developments and our future plans. We as a club are ever grateful for the staunch commitment showed by all the fans during this year. Thank you for your continuous support.
Football:
The football budget has been cut significantly this year in order to provide a small cushion for the incurred losses through the pandemic. The transition and recruitment of the squad have been very pleasing. I urge everyone to get behind this special group, who have arguably (no debate for me) setup the biggest home fixture in the club’s history against Leeds United. All of the lads and staff are bringing pride and honour to the shirt. Two years in a row we will have hosted Premier League football at The People’s Pension Stadium. The squad has youth in its ranks and we are consistently building to give ourselves the best chance of progression going forwards. John Yems and Lee Bradbury are one of the best things to happen to this football club, and it is paramount that from Saturday, our 12th man fights on the pitch with us. John and Lee need to praised for their spirit, work and dedication to the club.
Off Field:
Please don’t underestimate the work of everyone in the club. All the staff have become strong pillars of the club. All throughout the pandemic, they have gone above and beyond for the club. I couldn’t thank them enough for their intelligent, determined and loyal approach for the football club.
Business Operations:
We have had to adopt an aggressive restructure to our operations. Suppliers have had to change and not many businesses in the world are in a position not to overlook contracts and costs. Now, the club is operating at a lower cost. I would like to thank Tilgate Bakery for showing real understanding and an affinity to the club and thank them for their service to the club over the past season. Catering at the club will now be revamped and brought back in house under the Crawley Town umbrella. One thing is for certain, the club comes first; the club is to be served. It should be a privilege to work with the club and this is the present marker and will remain so until my departure. The EFL, HMRC and the council have shown sincere support and guidance during the pandemic.
Commercial:
Our commercial activity has been ever present and ongoing in these tough times. Joe has carried the baton and is delivering consistent results for the club. We thank the sponsors for all their support and contributions during these hard times. It is truly appreciated, thank you.
Training Ground & Stadium:
We have provisionally agreed (in writing) for the stadium lease to be extended for another 30 years with important additions which further protect the badge and the future of this great football club. After discussions with the Chairman, we have also placed our hat in the ring for the training ground at Bewbush. We are doing this as Crawley Town Football Club and expect developments to be taking place in the coming months. Richard, Sue, Nigel and Paul at the council have always been cooperative and positive during these times.
The scoreboard is in process and due to the pandemic, the timing is not a variable in our control. We can not push it further; we hope it will be up as soon as possible. Our sincere gratitude to Paul Hayward for the kind gift.
Community Foundation:
Our relationship with the Community Foundation is at a peak. Thura and Steve have been very welcoming and we believe the relationship now is a genuine pathway for youngsters to come up into the first team. This will only improve with time.
Ballerz/3G Sunday League:
The club setup Ballerz and the 3G Sunday League during the pandemic. Thankfully now they are both generating revenue for the club. We have 6 teams playing every Sunday. Ballerz will become our match day catering service once back to full capacity and together with the fans coming back in, we anticipate the brand growing further.
I couldn’t thank the Chairman Ziya Eren enough who has continually backed the club. To fund £5 million plus and to reinvest all the fees/cup monies, circa £2 million, back into the club, is a massive commitment. We are lucky to have a Chairman of this nature and character.
Thank you for your continued support, and I look forward to seeing you back in the stadium as soon as possible, starting Saturday.
