To receive a tour of the facility followed by a presentation from Mr. Shahid Azeem, Chairman of Aldershot Football Club on the working arrangements and activities of the Football Club.
Minutes:
The Panel took a tour of the facility, led by Mr. Bob Green, Club
Secretary, before receiving a presentation from Aldershot Town Football Club
(ATFC) Chairman, Mr. Shahid Azeem.
Mr. Azeem advised that the current owners had brought the Club in August
2013, but that he had been associated with the Club, as a non-executive member,
prior to the acquisition. The aims of the owners included seeking to ensure
that football remained in the town and that the Club was kept
at the heart of the community. It was noted that the owners had managed to exit
administration two years ahead of schedule; within eleven months
all the debts inherited from the previous administration had been cleared. The
Club endeavoured to live within its means and had made a small profit of around
£3,000 in the first year.
The Panel noted the working arrangements with Chelsea Football Club
U21’s and were advised that realistically the existing arrangements wouldn’t last forever, but it was hoped that they would continue for
the next 2-3 years. Links with the Military had also been
strengthened and the Club had a good relationship with the Garrison
Commander.
It was advised that the results on the pitch
had been a little disappointing the previous season, but this would hopefully
be addressed by the appointment of new manager, Barry Smith, previously of
clubs such as Celtic and Dundee United. Mr. Smith had plans to move to
Aldershot with his family soon.
Mr. Azeem explained the Club’s place in the community and how this particular
role had to be respected and understood. It was advised that thousands of residents in the area
perceived ATFC as “their Club” and it was important to maintain this perception
through work within the community. The Club achieved this in a number of ways
through the provision of coaching and training for young people in the area which, in turn, allowed young people to follow their
dreams, support for local charities and facilitation of social inclusion and
cohesion. It was advised that the players also got
involved in the community through visits to schools, hospitals and charities
acting as role models for the community.
The Panel were updated on the arrangements of
the Youth Academy. Mr. Kevin Knight, of Knights Group Training, who ran the Academy,
advised that the Academy sat in its own right, based at ATFC. It currently had
42, 16-19 year olds in full time education from the local area training and 16
part time players. The Academy took youngsters from the age of nine and in total, there were about 120 members at present. The emphasis
of the Academy was to breed home-grown talent to move
up into the first team when they came of age. It was noted
that the new manager, Barry Smith, had a remit to only sign players from within
an hour’s car journey of the stadium. It was also noted
that a player from a neighbouring Academy had joined the ATFC first team to
help develop his game further for the future.
Mr. Azeem reported on the aspirations of ATFC and the need for a plan
for the future and continued community engagement and inclusion. It was
important to the Club that visitors felt welcomed and that the Club was an
ambassador for the town. It was noted that sponsors of
the Club were all local firms, including Bridges, Reade Signs and Elm Ltd, (sponsors
of the new community stand). Sponsorship equated to one third of the Club’s
turnover and was vital to the continuation of ATFC, as funding from the
Football Association (FA) was only in the region of £60,000 per season.
The Club had a mission statement which stated a
number of aims and achievements, these included:
·
Providing
community football to the young, disabled and disadvantaged
·
200
free tickets for young people, per game
·
Under
11’s free to all games
·
Helping
the local authority to enhance neighbourhood facilities
·
Being
proactive in helping local businesses
·
Partnership
building with a diverse range of stakeholders
·
Inspiring
the young to grow responsibly
·
Increase
growth directly and indirectly in the regional economy.
It was noted that through developing interest
in the younger generation the Club was creating future paying supporters. Some
work was being carried out to target the younger generation by developing a
kids’ match programme written by their peer group, email promotions for free gifts etc. and acknowledgement of birthdays and
Christmas.
It was advised that the Club’s work in the
community had been recognised locally and nationally. Locally the Club had been
awarded the “Hampshire Inspire Community 2014 Business Award” for work in the
community, particularly due to projects like “Seats for Soldiers”, work with
The Source young people’s charity, links with Sahara UK and the Nepalese,
working with First Wessex to support troubled families, providing roles for the
long term unemployed and supporting apprenticeships. The Club had also been awarded the “National League Respect Award”.
This award had been given for projects such as a trip taken to Nepal with the
youth team in February 2015 and their involvement with the 1st
World War commemorations, where the Club had hosted a “Truce Game” at the
stadium, at which a number of German officials and Sir Bobby Charlton had been
present.
Mr. Azeem reported that the Recreation Ground was one of the last
remaining traditional football grounds in the country bringing many advantages.
The character, history and openness of the Recreation Ground had been a reason
why Chelsea had chosen ATFC for their U21’s. However, there were also
downsides, particularly around compliance to the FA’s standards. It was advised
that in recent years the Club had spent in excess of
£1.5 million updating the facilities, but significantly more investment would
be required to maintain safety standards. This was not sustainable in the
Club’s current financial position. A strategic plan would be
developed over the summer period and a first draft proposal would be
ready in the early autumn of 2015, for presentation to the Council. It was noted that the Club would seek support, help and advice
in the preparation of the plan from the Council.
In response to a query regarding women’s football
it was noted that the women’s team had left the club some years ago to manage
themselves with some support from the ATFC. This had proved unsustainable and
the team would be moving back to the Club, where ATFC would endeavour to raise
their profile and provide them with more hands on support in the future.
The Panel discussed the relationship with the supporters and were advised that quarterly meetings were held with the
fans. These meetings had helped identify skill sets within the fan base which could benefit the Club.
It was advised that the Club employed only four
full time members of staff. The rest of the work was done
on a part time basis and by volunteers.
The Chairman thanked Mr. Azeem and the other Directors and staff for
their hospitality and informative presentation.