Reflecting on the past five months since I embarked on this journey of club ownership it has been exhilarating, exciting and at times, an emotional roller-coaster.
As I have got to understand and experience what Kettering Town Football Club means to the fans and the community, it has been the ambition and aspirations of so many that has acted as an accelerator for our drive to gain promotion together with a realisation of the responsibility that being an owner of the club brings.
On the pitch, despite the recent loss to Gainsborough Trinity in the FA Trophy, we have witnessed successes from the recent league win over Stamford AFC at Latimer Park, 12 wins over the season to date and we are on the verge of being in the draw for the first round proper of the FA Cup for the first time since 2011. The preseason ground works have laid the foundations for an excellent surface to allow Lavs and the team to play positive expressive football and also avoid some of the postponements that were a feature of last season, especially with the first team in such a rich vein of form. We have assembled a team capable of challenging for honours this season. However, success on the pitch is dependent upon your support to ensure that the Poppies are where we all believe that it should be.
Off the pitch activities continue at pace. We are already planning and implementing initiatives to ensure we can compete in the National League, hospitality and excellent food on match days has been hallmarks of the club1872, fan zone and Social Club experience. Moreover, you will soon be aware of the ‘4th Wall’ campaign that we are launching shortly to fund and build a family stand at Latimer Park. There has been great progress in relation to the development of the Astro 3G pitches application. Ongoing planning discussions with stakeholders and officials relating to the investment package, construction planning and funding options are all underway. Whilst this takes time, it will be well worth the investment of the time and effort required to generate finance for the club and the building of an asset for the community. Indeed, integral to these initiatives is the matter of the renegotiation of the ground lease which is progressing as well as the continuing exploration of potential options for the club to return to the town. Significant credit for the above, has to go the Red Army of Volunteers without whom, we would have no club to support.
I have been blown away by the commitment and passion for the club, The crowds have been unbelievable and hope that you have been experiencing the positivity around the club. I am seeking to exhaust and promote services to enable the club to be sustainable and reinvest funds back into the first team to make a substantial contribution to our successes off the pitch. There will be more on this in the near future.
We need you on this journey to playoffs and or promotion. Safe travels to all for the FA Cup and see you at Bromsgrove Sporting next week.