Question from Kevin: The only way to get the crowds back is to have a winning side. How do you propose to do this? How are you hoping to attract quality players to the club when the wage bill has been slashed?
Dave's answer: Can I firstly say, that even during the more successful seasons in recent times, I am told that the crowds were not a lot better than they have been this season. Going back to the 60s and 70s though, the crowds numbered in the thousands and yet presumably, Hastings had a smaller population then?
Most football clubs have the same problem in attracting bigger crowds, so how can we do it? A winning side obviously helps enormously, and of course, this is again what every club wants. We thought, and hoped, that this season’s squad would have every chance of success. We thought at the beginning of the season (and still do), that we have pretty much best players in the area with us, and this also satisfied those that called for more local players, rather than those that have to travel from outside the area. Add to this, the likes of Wes Lopez and Chris May, who live in the Brighton area. If it turns out that the players we have are not good enough to get us out of this league, where do we turn to find those that are?
We recently made various enquiries to bring a new striker in to cover for injuries and suspensions. We enquired about Richard Brady at Dulwich, but did not pursue him for a couple of reasons, not least being that his wage was twice as much as our highest earner. We were then offered the chance to take Stafford Browne or Richard Pacquette from Worthing, both of whom have scored a number of goals in the Ryman Premier this season. Their wage demands were even higher and yet, despite this, we would have taken the risk of taking one of them until at least the end of the season and yet, they both turned us down, partly because they did not want to drop to the level we are currently at.
We could have only met the wage demands through making cut backs in other areas and through relying on generous donations. There are two supporters who donate money when they can and I can’t thank them enough for this. They do not want anything in return for doing this, whether recognition, shares in the club, etc.
We then tried for Luke Piscina at Tonbridge, who some of you will remember got the winner against us in the FA Cup replay, and I have to say it was an excellent goal. He had fallen out of favour at Tonbridge, but despite Nigel trying to get hold of him and leaving a number of messages, he did not even have the courtesy of returning the call.
So, we have tried to improve the squad and will continue to try. Personally, I think we would be better off with a group of players who, first and foremost, want to play football for Hastings United, with money being a secondary consideration. I think most of the lads currently with us fall into that category and I am equally sure that, given a little time, they will develop into a side that will at least get the crowds back up to a reasonable level.
Question from Redundant: Isn't an 'across the board' fines system more trouble than it's worth?
Dave's answer: The problem has stemmed from the Club rules and code of conduct not being applied at the start of the season and the fact that our disciplinary record is the worst in the whole of the Ryman League. I was recently summoned to the F.A. to explain this and it helped to show that we had a new code of conduct in place, which was being strictly applied. Maybe this went too far, but I am sure you can understand that we had to be seen to be doing something. As it is, we will almost certainly be charged at the end of the season and given a suspended fine of up to £2500, which will have to be paid if our record does not improve next season. This will mean that, when trying to bring new players in, we will have to be mindful of their previous disciplinary record and this may influence whether we can take them or not.
Question from Chrisb: Have we got any sort of business strategy to improve the financial position?
Dave's answer: Our business strategy currently keeps the club solvent. We have had two main sponsors contributing £10,000 each for the last two seasons. When was the last time that happened? We have a successful Business Partner scheme involving forty local businesses, to which we are constantly looking to add more. Chris Russo and myself attend as many local business meetings as we can to meet new potential advertisers/sponsors. I was recently invited to speak at the 1066 Luncheon Club and, as a result, we attracted two new Business Partners. I also recently was asked to present certificates at the end of a business conference. I managed to meet the MD of a prominent local business and had a further meeting re main sponsorship for next season. Unfortuunately, this didn’t work out how we would have liked and so we are still looking for a sponsor for next season. We try and get as many match and ball boy/girl sponsors as possible. We have a development fund very well run run by Dave Bealey and Pat Ringwood, that provides vital funds, although these have steadily gone down over the years, not least because of the national lottery. They are crying out for help in terms of collectors and more people to buy the various bingo, golden goal tickets on offer. We hire out our boardroom as a study support centre and our function room for private functions in the evening and to companies for sales/training meetings during the day. We tried last year to get more midweek use in the function room with music and comedy nights. The response was dismal and so they had to be stopped.
I have recently had an idea re the World Cup. We will all be watching it, so wouldn’t it be great if we could all get together and watch games on the large screen in our function room? The atmosphere would be good and we would raise funds for the club. How about if we charged £5 for entry, for which you would get a pizza and beer, and organise taxis to be waiting after the game (or preferably closing time!)? Or how about if we reduced beer prices for the duration of the game and hoped people would come early/stay late? I also thought about targeting local foreign communities, language schools, restaurants, etc to try and encourage them to get together and watch their countries play at the Club. What do you think? This will only work with your help and motivation.
Question from Redundant: Why hasn't Terry White been brought back on board?
Dave's answer: How many more times do I have to answer this type of question? When Neville left, Terry was offered the job and he declined to accept it. I then offered it to Nigel and Pat, who accepted without hesitation. Terry subsequently changed his mind, but does anyone seriously think I should then have turned round to Nigel and Pat and said "sorry guys, I know I offered the job to you yesterday, but Terry has changed his mind and now wants the job, so I am going to have to retract my offer to you"? Give me a break. For the avoidance of doubt, there was, and is, no animosity between Terry and myself and who knows whether he will be back at the club at some point? Anything is possible in this game, but surely it is time to move on from this one, for Terry’s sake as much as anything else.
Question from The General: What is the weekly playing budget? What was it before it was cut? Or, if the actual figures are deemed too sensitive, by what percentage has the playing budget been cut?
Dave's answer: I had a conversation with Neville at the start of the season to say that we were making a significant increase in the budget to give him every chance of getting us promoted. However, I also told him that it was something of a gamble, as we would not be able to maintain it, should we not have a successful season and crowds don’t steadily increase. It is unfortunate that Nigel has inherited this situation, but we had no choice. Recent home games have seen us bank between £300 and £400 after some matchday expenses, the largest of which is for the match officials (our average so far this season is £150). Contrast this with the fact that the budget was £1500 per week, which of course is paid every week, whereas we get gate income every other week at best. Reducing the budget to £1200 still means we have to find the balance from somewhere. Most, if not all, of the players have accepted and understood the situation and have taken a decrease in their weekly wage, as have Nigel and I.
Question from Redundant: Are the recent resignations a sign that all is not well behind the scenes?
Dave's answer: I can understand that it could look that way. What I will say is that, in all walks of life, people come and go and things are not always as they may appear. Suffice to say that I am confident that we are now close to having a very positive, hard working and dedicated team of people 'behind the scenes', who are determined to take the Club forward. I appreciate the efforts of people who have given their time to the club in the past and hope they will continue to support the Club in future. So fear not, we are getting there!
Question from Chrisb: Have we any strategy in terms of future ambition?
Dave's answer: We want to get into the Ryman Premier as soon as possible. Once there, we will aim for the Conference South as soon as we can. Every supporter can help. Sadly, just coming to watch games is not going to be enough to take the club forward. I challenge everyone who wants the club succeed to do more to make it happen. If you are not sure what you can do to help more, see me in the bar after most games and I will give you more ideas than you can cope with! In fact, just being in the bar after the game will be a start, if you don’t normally go in there.
Question from Chris: Does Dave have someone lined up to take charge next season?
Question from Kevin: I know Nigel is working hard but it is just not happening on the pitch. Does Dave think it was wise to appoint someone with so little experience to do the job?
Question from Den S: What's happening about a new manager for next season? I would not expect Dave to answer this specifically by naming who at this stage, but is it unreasonable to ask whether he has a certain person in mind and, if so, whether there is agreement, even if informal, that such person is prepared to accept the post?
Dave's answer: Nigel Kane and Pat Brown were appointed on a permanent basis following the initial caretaking period. They were not given a specific time period, as I felt this would serve no useful purpose. Pat is currently having a break for personal reasons, so, at this stage, I do not know whether he will come back in the same capacity. Ryan Light is assisting Nigel in all aspects of team affairs.
Before appointing them, it was widely reported that I had targeted two individuals, who I felt would have done a great job for us. One of these was Francis Vines, who had done such a terrific job for Crawley Town. He was very interested, but, in the end, the fact that he lives in Aldershot proved to be too much of a stumbling block. Interestingly, before taking the Crawley job, he was unknown and inexperienced and yet look what he achieved. Sometimes, being ‘hungry’ and having energy and enthusiasm can be just as important, if not more so, than experience. I have said before that the other candidate has to remain nameless, but again, we came very close to attracting him.
At that point, I had to decide whether to go through the process of advertising, interviews, etc, with the time that would have taken, or to give the job to Nigel and Pat, who had impressed in their caretaker roles. There were no guarantees then and there are none now. I am as hopeful as everyone else that Nigel (with or without Pat’s help), will go on to be a great success, but only time will tell. What I do not want to do is change managers every time we have a bad run.
Question from Ming: Where does the current board see the club in two years time, taking into account the last two years?
Dave's answer: We all hope that, in two years time, we will be at least in the Ryman Premier. Next season, we are planning to enter a Reserve side in the County Reserve League. This will largely be made up from the two Under 18 sides we currently have, who we obviously want to stay at the Club. The plan is also to stay in the midweek league. Also next season, the new Under 18 side will be the current Under 16s, who won their league last season and are applying to join the stronger County Youth section. They probably contain the best prospects we have had for some time. Add to this the fact that three of the current Under 18s have made their First Team debuts this season, and I think that should give us all some optimism for the near future.
Question from Ming: What intiatives does the current board intend to implement to increase crowds?
Dave's answer: I have already answered one question regarding crowds. However, I would like to ask you whether you think it is solely the board's responsibility to increase crowds, or should supporters, who have just as much interest, if not more, be also prepared to improve crowds? How about encouraging a friend to come along, even if you have to pay for them to get in? You never know, they may enjoy it and become a convert!
Question from Ming: As new commercials initiatives led to a profit last season, where did this go, as we appear to be in the middle of a cost cutting exercise?
Dave's answer: We do still have money in the bank and we don't owe anything, which is a very positive situation to be in. The money in the bank is dwindling though, partly due to lower crowds. This also has a knock-on effect on sales in the bar, tea bar, programmes, etc. We have recently had as few as 150 paying to get in to games. We have approximately fifty season ticket holders and there are usually at least fifty complimentary's (staff, committee, players' guests, etc). We have to work hard to bring in other revenue and, again, supporters can help by backing ideas such as the proposed World Cup initiative. What do fans think of this idea, will you come and watch World Cup games at the club?
Question from Gazza: What would the club have to do in terms of ground improvements to reach Conference South and are there any ongoing talks with the council with reference to ground improvements? The toilets at the entrance to the ground are disgusting.
Dave's answer: As things stand, we would have very little to do to achieve entrance standard for Conference South and we would have at least a year to make some improvements before we got there. When we get into the Ryman Premier, we will start focusing on that. We looked at making some improvements recently, but would only have got a grant of 55%, which was not enough to go ahead with them at present.