Chairman Bob Andrews Thanks Supporters in Wide Ranging Interview - Part 2

TFC.co.uk ‘So without any football taking place are you still busy with the management of the club despite the absence of live football?’

BA ‘Yes, we are. There are several projects taking place at the ground. Obviously, we have seen the installation of the new LED floodlights which was a major piece of work. We also have the groundwork taking place for our new Broadband supply which is important for the future of the club. For example, all the scholars use laptops in their educational work and our current internet provision is not coping with the bandwidth required for them to do their work. In addition, this will bring a lot of benefits for the club on match days too. We are grateful to the Premier League and the Football Foundation who have contributed grants to support these projects. Ground maintenance is hitting us hard currently. We had a bad leak in the First Aid room which required the roof to be replaced and we have just suffered major damage to the club house roof due to the all the snow we had recently. This will result in the roof having to be replaced. All of this is expense that we do not need at the moment!’

TFC.co.uk ‘Despite there being no income being received how are the club coping financially. There are still bills to pay!’

BA‘It is difficult for us and we are going to have to make some tough decisions moving forward. We had to take out a Government short term ‘Covid Bounce Back’ loan like a number of businesses did to survive. This has helped us as there are still a lot of regular bills to pay such as utilities, insurance and wages, however it will have to be paid back over the next few years. Although the contracted players are on furlough, this does not cover all their costs. With us having to pay out for damage to the First Aid Room and now the Clubhouse there is little money for us to play with. We are hopeful that our application for the Government Winter Survival fund grant will help us cover our costs from January to March, but the summer months will be difficult until football recommences. The bad news is that this will have an impact on our playing budget moving forward and the hard reality is that unfortunately we will not be able to sustain the level that we have been able to support over the past two years.’

TFC.co.uk ‘Season Ticket Holders will have paid out for a season of football which only enabled them to see four home league games. What is your message to them?’

BA ‘We are incredibly grateful to all our supporters that purchased a season ticket in good faith of the season going ahead. Of course, it is their right to request a refund which we will honour as this is the right thing to do. However, those that are prepared to hang on for next season, we are looking at a scheme to compensate those that purchased season tickets, which will involve their season ticket being carried forward for the new season. We will release details once they have been finalised and when we know what is happening with the league.’

TFC.co.uk ‘Is this a similar message too for our valuable Sponsors and VIP members?’

BA ‘Yes indeed it is. We are extremely grateful to our sponsors and VIP members who provide vital support to the club but have seen very little return this season. We are looking at how we can work with them for next season based on their contributions this season. We do hope they will stick with us and continue to enjoy the benefits that they get once football is back up and running and fans are back in the ground.’