At the risk of repeating myself and in response to statements made here and on a previous post, here are some facts with regards to some of the issues raised.
Barrow AFC have bought InsideOut and taken over the running of the Barrow AFC Community Initiative and Barrow AFC Performance Centre, both of which were run by Inspire Furness, which is a not for profit company. These three entities will come under the umbrella of a new not for profit company the club are setting up “The Barrow AFC Community Initiative”. The Directors of this new, not for profit company, will be Jamie Reid, Steve Patton and myself. The plan was always for the Barrow AFC Community Initiative and Barrow AFC Performance Centre to become part of the club and this would have happened in September regardless of the new ownership. During the discussions with Jamie Reid we both discussed the addition of InsideOut to the new initiative and we both agreed it would provide a strong platform to promote the club and their wider community aspirations. It was the right time for me and it was the right time for the club.
Contrary to the statements made, InsideOut has increased turnover over the last two years by over 20%. The company currently delivers in 25 schools locally and the Barrow AFC Community Initiative is currently delivering in 8 schools. Together they will cover 31 schools out of 43 in the local area, about 70% coverage, which, I hope, demonstrates why Paul and the Board see the acquisition of the company as a positive move.
I was unaware of a similar venture setting up in the town so I can assure you that it did not have any influence on my decision. Had I known, my response would have been as it has always been when similar competition has come and gone in the area, which has been to use the opportunity to improve what we do for our customers and I think this has worked as we are still here after 8 years.
The Performance Centre is not a “closed shop” and I believe the “facts” demonstrate this. Over the last five years 34 new players have joined existing squads and 23 players have left. This is broken down as follows;
Under 18 – 11 new players
Under 17 – 7 new players
Under 16 - 4 new players
Under 15 – 5 new players
Under 14 – 3 new players
Under 13 – 3 new players
Under 12 – 1 new player.
We are now attending more matches than ever before and our volunteer staff recorded attendance at 70+ local junior games this year, as well as attending the Furness Futsal tournament and Holker Street tournament. We would of course like to do more but it is not always possible with work and family commitments, as anyone who has a young family will understand.
I recognise that people will be disappointed when their son, nephew or friends son doesn’t get a place in the Performance Centre and I would love to have 5 shadow squads, so that every child gets a chance to shine but it is just not possible. There are seven coaches at trial sessions and players are chosen democratically based on ability – nothing else.
Before setting up the Performance Centre, I carried out 6 months of consultation with local managers and other stakeholders to find out what would be the best model of delivery. The model we currently have was based on that consultation. I believe previous attempts might not have got this far because local managers did not necessarily support the various programmes. To create an “Academy” would mean local players could only play for the team and not their local clubs, which I know would not be welcomed. In addition to set up an Academy the club would be required to apply for a license to be registered under one of four categories. The least expensive of these, category four, would cost about £1 million pounds per year to run and would require all coaches to have at least a UEFA B qualification, a full size 3G pitch to play on and a UEFA A coach to manage the programme, amongst a list of other things. (please follow link for the rules surrounding licenses
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j& ... KXx4OuxKDw
I am not saying that this can never happen but we certainly would not have anywhere near the resources required to be able to do this in the near future.
Finally... I am more than willing to accept constructive criticism and indeed many changes have been made following feedback from parents and other stakeholders, however, I find it very unhelpful and disappointing when incorrect statements are published publicly, particularly when neither myself or my staff have been approached about any of the issues raised. I know from the feedback we have received the vast majority of local people are pleased with what has been achieved but I guess the process of selection will mean there will always be unhappy people. All I would ask is that you contact us directly to discuss any concerns you may have, I would like to think we are approachable and if we can improve anything, we will try our best to make the changes required.
Thanks Neil
