Statement From The Board of Directors

The Board of Directors wish to make the following statement.

We are now eleven league games into the season which, overall, has produced a mixed set of results so far. To some extent this is expected, with Andy needing to rebuild the squad again. Several new faces have joined, some have worked out and fitted in perfectly whereas others have unfortunately not. It takes time to develop into a cohesive group, but we’ve seen plenty of promise. As supporters can see from the latest additions to the attacking line, Andy has been backed and hopefully Korrey and Eddie will bring the goals needed. Non-league football is a different beast in terms of player retention and this presents its own challenges for managers.

Supporters will also be pleased to know that works on the new changing rooms are on track. Of course, so much of the work to date is ‘in the ground’ so progress is not always so obvious to see, but the contractors are on site daily and the schedule of works is on target as things stand. Providing we have no unexpected delays, we are due for completion late November. Alongside the funding received from the Football Foundation Stadium Improvement Fund, the club’s major shareholder is again investing significant sums of money to make the new changing facilities a reality. The senior team and teams right through the club are certainly looking forward to the new facilities opening.

Work has slowly continued in the far corner of the ground on the ‘Youth Zone’, clearing of the area and preparing the ground for the next stage. In time, this area will improve the match day experience for our younger supporters and parents alike. Again, our major shareholder is helping to make this vision a reality. It’s worth noting that the youth section has just been audited and passed with flying colours! The youth section is in excellent condition, congratulations to all involved.

Initial discussions have been held around the redevelopment of the 5-a-side cages, as they are certainly coming towards the end of their lifespan! We are sure supporters will understand that this is another large project, taking time. As with all of our plans at Hartsdown Park we will keep supporters updated as and when there is an update to provide.

As a board we appreciate there are other areas of club that need improvement but it’s a case of one project at a time, whilst still fielding a competitive side. We recognise as a Board that fielding a competitive side will always remain the main objective. We have installed a Manager who is young, hungry for success and looking to develop his own style of play with a new set of players. This last week has demonstrated what this group of players is capable of.

We also acknowledge that there are improvements that we wish to make on match day's and throughout the week at Hartsdown Park. All of these changes are taking place gradually. The changes will improve the match day experience for supporters, as well as benefit the hundreds of parents that bring their children to our ground throughout the week to train as part of our expanding and superb Youth section.

We wish to finish this statement by thanking you the supporters for your continued support. We know that there are financial pressures on everyone at the moment, and your support is greatly appreciated. Hopefully continued positive results on the pitch over the next month will give everyone a lift! 

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