Following the publication of blogs, internet articles and social media statements by former committee members and a group wishing to wrestle control of the club from the current committee we wish to clarify our actions and correct some of the statements and speculations made by these individuals and groups.
All these individuals and groups are entitled to their opinions but equally the committee believe that supporters deserve a balanced picture of the situation at Sandygate regarding the speculation and opinions being proffered as fact.
Promotion to the NPL proved a challenge but the committee supported every stakeholder to ensure that all these hurdles were overcome and that Hallam FC retained their hard earned NPL status.
Subsequent to this we are now working with a sustainable budget and can see the way forward to creating a community/fan based club. These plans have been in formulation with Andy Cartledge speaking with the Football Supporters Association for twelve months and this AGM, that recognises season ticket holders as members, is the first step towards creating a membership scheme that will then see the supporters become owners of the club.
That is why you have already been presented with a model constitution and following this AGM we can move to implement this if everyone is willing to help us achieve this goal. Every member of the committee supports the transition to becoming a CBS. Having come this far do you want to create a change?
We recognise the frustration of some supporters at off field events and that is why we feel the need to move to a CBS as quickly as possible and to then have supporter engagement that can shape the direction of Hallam FC.
These are not the actions of a committee that wants Hallam FC to remain un-incorporated.
Over the past year the club has successfully met all the ground grading criteria required to retain our place in the NPL:
– built two new turnstiles to meet NPL criteria, thanks to Neil Jessermino at Contract Joinery
– completed on time the extension of the away dressing room
– fitted infills around the perimeter, thanks to Steve Shepherd and our fantastic volunteers
– erected fencing on the cricket side that meets NPL criteria
– completed the construction of a press box
– improved the Ann Holland Hospitality suite to meet NPL criteria
For spectators/supporters we have:
– improved the ladies toilet
– provided a new large tv screen for the bar
– held successful World Cup evenings
– created additional terracing
– held a variety of evening events in the clubhouse
– held a junior football morning on the pitch with Hallam Rangers
– invested in improving the playing surface. This investment was obvious for everyone to see with the pristine playing surface ready for the first of our pre-season friendlies and reflects the hard work of our groundsman, Dan and again our volunteers who worked on a rota watering the pitch.
In the future we will:
– create additional food outlets
– take advice on the choices offered at the Saxton Mee Bar
– look to improve the hospitality experience for sponsors to generate increased revenue
– continue to develop the club merchandise area
We decided not to engage in discussions on social media as we considered that such debates would not show the club in a positive light to outsiders.
Each of our actions listed above demonstrate a clear commitment to supporters and the wider community. Successful redevelopment requires collaboration, investment, planning and broad stakeholder support. We want to achieve this through collaboration with all supporters and not by political point-scoring. Collaboration and constructive inputs from all stakeholders would improve the opportunities for making Hallam FC the fan based club that supporters indicated they wanted to see in the meetings we held at St. Columba’s.
We acknowledge that we have made mistakes but the situation is not out of control as has been portrayed but we remain committed to strengthening the club to create a successful future working with all stakeholders. While this season results and progress have not always met the standards we expect to suggest there is no commitment within the Club is simply wrong.
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