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Open Letter from the Chairman

Open Letter from the Chairman

Matthew Jones18 Mar 2021 - 09:56
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Paul Hilton updates supporters on the latest news from The Neuven Stadium

We have achieved much though, and we have still managed to keep on developing at pace - but some areas we had no choice.
- Paul Hilton

Firstly and most importantly I hope that you and your families are safe and well and I know that I speak from everyone at the Club in sending you our best wishes.

As we (hopefully) begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel of the pandemic and can just about see a glimpse of football on the ever changing horizon we have now begun to make plans for what comes next.

To say that it has been a trying time for all involved at the Club would be an understatement, as it has been for all in the events and hospitality industry and of course the wider community. It feels like a very long time since our last home game on 31st October and even longer since we actually managed to finish a full season, although I'm sure THAT day will live long and clear in the memory for years to come!

I can't imagine what it's been like for Fowls to build a team during all of this and it’s a credit to his drive and determination that even in the short amount of game time we were allowed there were some real seeds of growth appearing in what was an almost entirely new squad. I've no doubt that you will agree that we were becoming an extremely entertaining side and I'm confident that this time away has given Fowls the chance to evaluate and prepare the tweeks that will push us on again when we eventually get back to it.

Equally off the pitch this last year has been a real eye-opener. Of all the crazy things that have happened during my time at the Club (and there have been PLENTY!) I don’t think anyone could have ever predicted civilisation itself pretty much coming to a standstill for the best part of two seasons! Never did I expect to have to become an expert in government legislation and spend hours into the night studying legal documents in order to put on a football match, and let's be honest, get the bar open in some way so that we could provide you with a few hours of normality in this crazy time.

We have achieved much though, and we have still managed to keep on developing at pace - but some areas we had no choice. Getting the site COVID-Secure, reacting to the ever changing rules, implementing digital ticketing, digital bar ordering, managing track and trace all while continuing our development of the football ground itself really proved what a great team we have behind the scenes and I am really proud of what we all achieved together.

The great news is, progress hasn’t stopped and (where permitted) we have continued the development across all areas of the Club during this pause in football. We certainly have a few surprises for you when we eventually open the turnstiles again but that's a conversation for another day.

Earlier during the pandemic I explained that the hard work to make the Club sustainable over the last few years had fortunately helped steer us away from the peril that some of our fellow Clubs immediately faced during this period, and due to that I was not comfortable nor was it ethical asking for donations from our supporters during a time where our whole community was in need. My view has not changed - although I will admit it has been a struggle and huge thanks must be paid to The Premier League, The Football Foundation and Bury Council for the grants and support that we have received as we endure such an incredible loss of income - those grants have been pivotal to our survival.

I am happy to say that despite the challenges there is much to look forward to. Planning for 21/22 season as begun, friendlies are being confirmed and there is the small chance that we may even get a game or two in before the pitch remediation work has to begin, so cross your fingers on that one - it would be great to see the place buzzing again before the summer!

Planning also means making some decisions, and one significant decision to consider once we knew that the season would again be curtailed was how to resolve the 20/21 season tickets. I have watched on with interest to see what other Clubs (much varied) approach has been and worked on a few ideas myself, but ultimately only one solution actually feels right therefore I am delighted to confirm that all season tickets from 20/21 will be rolled over to cover 21/22 at no further cost.

I would like to extend a personal thank you to our season ticket holders for committing to this Club last season in such a period of uncertainty - and I hope that we can repay that faith on the field in 21/22.

There is more good news. I expect that most of you will have seen the announcement that the Club and our Juniors are in the planning stages of a £1.5m development of Juniors' Redbank site across the road in conjunction with Bury Council, the Football Foundation and Lancashire FA. This is a hugely significant step in the development of both Junior and Senior sections of the Club and will underpin the continued growth of our Club as a whole. This development presents us with a host of opportunities for the future and I look forward to sharing them with you soon along with the wider scope of the One Hub Project.

Finally I would like to congratulate our own Raheem Hanley for his call up to the St Kitts and Nevis National Team for their Qatar World Cup 2022 Qualifiers against Puerto Rico and Bahamas and wish him and St Kitts the very best of luck. We are proud that Raheem becomes the first Radcliffe player to be called up while at the Club and it is another milestone in the journey we are all on together.

I really hope that we can soon return to the stadium and get back to performing with pride for our Town. We are hopeful and excited to continue our development and to keep pushing on for greater things, we have big plans and not even this pandemic is going to stop us fighting for them.

This is still just the beginning.

Stay safe and I look forward to seeing you all soon.

Paul

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