Club statement

[majorca]

Penny starting to drop?

[Holkerbird]

Well lets get back to the club that we know and love. No more of this ridiculous player's lounge for a start. There was always a connection between the fans and the players---that's what makes non league special. Fans and players and their families all mixing and getting to know each other. Great banter and camararderie. We were as one.

Just for information for anyone who met Brian Owen, YJO's dad, he sadly passed away this week. Always at matches home and away along with YJO's grandad and in one season travelled 28,000 miles in support. A larger than life character who was only in his 50's I believe. You see we KNEW these people unlike now.

In the past we have had players travelling from further afield Wales, Sheffield. etc and Masters from Hasting leaving on a Friday and getting back home on a Sunday and they didn't find travelling to Barrow a hardship cos they wanted to play for us. Andy Burns on the Monday we brought the promotion Trophy home he came straight out of work and drove up to Barrow cos he was proud of what they had achieved for Barrow AFC. Its the quality of the person not the distance that's the problem. Bearing in mind these were part timers Not the pampered spoilt players we have ended up with.
It's up to us fans now to roll up the sleeves and get on with it---as my mam used to say when troubles hit.
We've had better and we've had worse BUT WE ARE STILL HERE.

[Matty]

If a statement like that was provided four years ago when the club were taken over, or a year down the line, we would have been delighted with the current position we're in league wise.

The fact that so much has been promised and so little provided just makes it evermore disappointing. I can't help but think we'll be back where we started in a short space of time, unfortunately.

[Shaun]

I don't know Andrew Casson, but he comes across as a pillock. Let's just fight like hell. It's going to be a long, tough, season.

[Shaun]

The 10th key "takeaway" was a Rogan Josh.

[Holkerbird]

Almost £4m have been ‘invested’ in the club and the return on that has been one promotion, a new boiler system, new floodlights and a nice 3rd round FA Cup tie

Frankly, that is a crap return on £4m. Oh, and note the scare quotes around 'invested'. A lot of this has been in loans - I won't be surprised if Paul Casson suddenly decides he wants his money back. He's barely better than S*****n V*****n.

That's a disgraceful thing to say to compare Paul Casson to Steven Vaughan who is a criminal. You should be ashamed of yourself.

[Pedro]

CLUB STATEMENT:

Before we begin looking ahead, I would like to thank you for your tremendous support during last season, particularly in the final stretch. There is no doubt in my mind that the support at the matches at Guiseley, Aldershot and Bromley made the difference in securing those 5 points and ultimately our survival in the National League.

As we enter our fifth season, I believe it is important to reflect on what has worked and what has not worked so far during our tenure of ownership. By taking stock of lessons learned, we can make adjustments to how we run the club.

When my father took over the club, his intent was to reinvest his success back into his hometown. Almost £4m have been ‘invested’ in the club and the return on that has been one promotion, a new boiler system, new floodlights and a nice 3rd round FA Cup tie. While we are proud of these accomplishments, we know we have to do things differently if we want to leave a legacy beyond these. There needs to be a renewed focus on putting money on projects and people that will benefit the town and the club for more than just the short term.

The second key takeaway is that, currently, Barrow is not capable of sustainably competing for promotion in the National League with its current level of support. The club cannot continue to operate outside its means on the back of crowds around 1000. The club is also limited by not having an academy and having no external facility such as proper training facilities in the town for the first team and youth teams, which can also be used as a revenue stream.

The third takeaway is that the team needs to represent the town, through its players, its identity and its work ethic. Year over year, the team has seemed to become more and more distant from the town and has turned into a team from elsewhere that occasionally played a home match in Barrow. I think this is why our home record was so poor this past season. I also believe this has had an effect on the commitment and size of our support in the last couple of years.

The fourth takeaway is that football is changing. The business model we have followed thus far is broken and clubs cannot continue to leverage their future betting on promotion. We saw this nearly broke several teams at our level and below. Money is consolidated at the top and the financial benefits of getting promoted are not what they once were. However, clubs like Accrington and Macclesfield show that a team built on a budget and characterized by team spirit and toughness can experience success.

All of this means that next season will mark a dramatic transformation in the way the club does business from the first four years. Barrow AFC will go from a club that exists off external investment, to one that runs off the revenue it generates while having an owner who can and will put money in towards projects that generate a return.



Key changes:

• The structure and cost for the first team will be closely analysed and brought in line with club revenues. While the scope of the changes required is still being determined, we enter the summer season with a much different ambition for the next year or two. We will be more realistic with our expectations for every season, with our primary aim being to put together a team that works hard, plays good football, and plays with pride for the badge on their shirts.

• My focus in the next 18 months will be on controlling costs and pushing forward plans to develop both an academy and a secondary facility that can support the football club. These will be crucial to develop local talent and funnel it into the first team. This isn’t a marketing exercise. It is absolutely necessary for the club’s long-term success and viability.

• In terms of the ground, the idea that we will be redeveloping it or building a new stadium is well and truly laid to rest. In the short term, I have a list of ground improvements that I would like to see implemented over the summer, and we will need volunteer support to complete them. The goal for future investment would be for Paul Casson to then set aside a sum of money at the start of every season to be used for investment. Projects will be selected based on fan feedback and an analysis of their potential revenue return.

• I will be looking for more contributions from the various Supporter’s groups. We have some of the best supporters in the country, both in terms of vocal support and in terms of volunteer support. However, these need to continue to do their part and will be integral to mobilizing the town to support the club.

• The Community group will be a continued focus, as it is crucial not only to developing and retaining talented local footballers, but to also help people throughout the town develop a positive relationship with the club. Craig and the team have done a great job setting an exciting new foundation for the Community, and I look forward to helping them take it even further forward.



In my brief time working in football, I have learned that a club that is reliant on a single shareholder cannot achieve lasting success. This is because we all work a little less hard than we should because we think the money will bring success and I have fallen into this thought process as well. Barrow is capable of having a Football League team, but only if everyone pulls together and works hard to make that dream a reality.

We need a team of players that want to make a legacy for themselves in Barrow and lay it on the line for the badge. We need volunteers who come down and help make the ground a nice place to come on a match day. We need supporters who convince their friends and co-workers to come down to a match on a Tuesday or Saturday so that we have crowds of 2,000 and not 1,000. All of these things are possible, and the next 12 months will decide what kind of club we want Barrow AFC


I take no pleasure in saying the writing has been on the wall

I bet Ady has gone and we are looking for a Manager from a pub team inline with Cassons new targets.
Stadium - what stadium you miss heard
Bennett etc to be replaced by equal or better??
Barrow where is that I've left it to Kim junior to sort out.
I said the owner wanted relegation to cut costs now he is doing just that anyway

[Tommylad]

Just had a look online at some of the past attendance averages for the conference (couldn't find the stats for the conference north years) not entirely sure if that 12-13 season is correct but going off the others it seems as if the core fan base would be around the 1000-1300 mark. Think this year's was around 1100 so not really sure where the crowd thing is coming from with this statement. What did they expect when then came in? Sounds like a really easy excuse to me

11-12 1264
12-13 920
15-16 1335
16-17 1289

[Bingo]

Not surprised and with very little in place to make the club more sustainable it will be a season of struggle

I appreciate the money he has spent but that 4million could have built things to generate money. Instead it went on shit players, pizzas and hotel stays.

I've said it before we must have the lowest spend per head in the league, bar facilties food facilties and a proper chief executive would have generated more cash.

But we are probably no worse off that we were, other than if Casson sold up the price tag would be £4milion more.

As fans we will just have to get behind the club the best we can. We could do with a statement about the manager for next season, we probably don't generate enough to pay for the hotel stays let alone anything else.

What [SwearFilter] me off is some so called fans will be loving this

[Middleton Nick]

Just had a look online at some of the past attendance averages for the conference (couldn't find the stats for the conference north years) not entirely sure if that 12-13 season is correct but going off the others it seems as if the core fan base would be around the 1000-1300 mark. Think this year's was around 1100 so not really sure where the crowd thing is coming from with this statement. What did they expect when then came in? Sounds like a really easy excuse to me

11-12 1264
12-13 920
15-16 1335
16-17 1289

This year the average was 1180 which was fifth from bottom, same as our league position.

[HenneysKnee]

The best part is definitely when he rhymes off what they’ve got for their £4 million as if it’s our fault the clubs been horrifically run since Casson took over and wasted all his money

[Just A Barrow Fan]

“He said the club are lowering their expectations in terms of challenging for promotion, and the primary aim over the next few seasons will be to “put together a team that works hard, plays good football, and plays with pride for the badge on their shirts.”

With the purse strings being tightened, Casson said there will be more focus on urging supporters to help out on a voluntary basis.

There is no mention in the statement as to whether Ady Pennock will remain as manager.”


Lowering their expectations!? We may as well of got relegated last season after that statement. Would of saved the embarrassment for this upcoming season. at least we’ll have a team that plays good football inthe national league north soon!

[Bingo]

Is there going to be a statement on the manger anyone know?

[boyliegladbach]

Is there going to be a statement on the manger anyone know?

Doubt it Charlie. We are only supporters

[Fartvs Antiqvvs]

That looks ominously like a millionaires withdrawal from a venture that was poorly thought through!