Dear Mariners,
Now the dust has settled on our amazing achievements last year and with some big announcements recently, I wanted to give some insight into thoughts and plans.
The Macclesfield win possibly beats everything else we have achieved in the last 5 years in terms of moments – the way the promotion unfolded – being real underdogs but with 1,250 Marine fans in the away end and coming through it was incredible despite the tense ending. It was possibly the most emotional moment along with the Colchester away win. The win really rounded off a successful 5 years and put the icing on the cake. Now we move into a new era with a massive task ahead and a new plan. I write off the back of reading about Darlington reaching £160k on a boost the budget scheme and Chester set to do similar. Both of them are former EFL clubs in the National League North and given that one just narrowly escaped relegation and the other finished just above mid-table last season shows the challenge we are facing. I have just come off the phone to a well known head of recruitment who told me if we finish in the top 18 it is an incredible achievement – again this demonstrates the challenge ahead. Our manager would not be happy to settle for that though and with the drive, determination shown by himself, his staff and players we know that they will do everything they can to try and finish as high as possible in our new league. We have got to find our own way on-and-off the pitch to compete in the National League North which we will aim to do. We have made massive strides over recent years in terms of our structure, stadium improvements, on-the-field setup so hopefully this will stand us in good stead to finish as high as we can.
I announced recently a pay-for-a-player donation scheme on buying of a season ticket to contribute towards being as competitive as we can be this season. There was some pushback on there only being a fixed £100 amount to pay so I took this on board and now there are 4 options – £25, £50, £100 and £150. So far over £3,000 has been donated from supporters and I thank everyone for this. If anyone wants to donate you can through the below link: https://marinefc.ktckts.com/donation/mne2425pbd/playing-budget-donation.
On the playing front Neil has met with lots of players since the day the season finished and hasn’t had a day off. We have a number of players that will be putting pen to paper over the next couple of weeks. I wish the players who have left us the best of luck for the future. We have had 5 years of on-the-field transition due to the amount we have kept pushing on in the different levels of the pyramid and this summer is no different. We knew there would be a number of departing players. Sol Solomon as a prime example but we wish him well and hopefully he can go onto achieve everything he can in the game. Further announcements to the shaping of the squad will be made imminently. I’ve praised Neil Young and his management team often and they deserve it – we have the best in the business and I have no doubt we will be competitive in our first season in a new era.
One thing that has really shone through in the first weeks of planning as a NLN club is the professionalism that is required and will be noticeable to everybody. Names on the back of shirts, Vanarama advertising, filming of matches. It is the subtle things but all combined will mean everyone will notice the difference. Everything takes a step up.
Over the coming weeks we will also announce our friendlies and our kit launch following the fantastic new relationship we have with local kit manufacturer Malooka.
The committee since promotion has been proactive in terms of making sure we are on the ball and ready for the change. I have got to say that – anybody who runs a football club and finishes mid table for 5 years in a row will say what a challenge it is but to have dealt with all the changes over recent years has meant my Dad and the rest of the committee has put every second of every day into doing everything we can to try and progress the club and there have been hundreds of challenges along the way people wouldn’t believe.
In terms of our current stadium, the MTA, we comply with all of the grading criteria for Grade 2 (needed for NLN). To be eligible to participate in NLN playoffs though, and within 3 years of being in the NLN an extra 100 seats are needed (500 needed v 400 needed in the first 3 years). We had planned to put a new covered terrace in at the Crosender Road end however due to the above we will now be looking to install a covered 130 seater stand at the Crosender Road end. There are other changes we are looking to finalise. We are awaiting planning permission approval on our new scoreboard which will be situated in the corner of the Crosender Road/Rossett Road corner. I would like to thank Andy and Rob Stones from McCallum & Tritton Funeral Directors who have funded this in entirety. They have become massive Marine fans and it will be an incredible addition to the stadium when it is installed. We are also waiting on planning permission for our new community hub which will be installed in the corner of the College Road end. With promotion, the final change we are looking to make is the installation of a new TV gantry at the half-way line of the Jubilee Road side. This is where the main TV gantry was situated for Havant & Waterlooville / Spurs / Harrogate Town matches. It is a requirement for us to film matches at National League level and the TV gantry will allow us the optimal way of being able to do that.
As has been announced though 2 weeks ago, we have announced plans we have been working on since 2022, which is the build of a new stadium. This is critical in our progression as a football club. There are 3 key stages – 1. securing the land 2. Planning permission 3. Funding. I am aiming to try and secure the land on one of our 3 options within the coming months before then progressing simultaneously with planning and funding. Nothing is easy but we need to do everything we can to make it happen and ensure the future of Marine Football Club for the next 100 years. I am solely focused on security of the land at the moment but have a view to some possible funding lines should we secure the land.
People think we have millions in the bank with the success we have had but I can promise it’s not the case. We earnt c. £650k profit from the famous FA cup run in 2020-21 and then spent £550k on the 4G pitch and £250k on our bars so £800k in total and we took out a loan that we are still repaying to fund the difference. Whilst it was the right move and has allowed us to increase our revenues and reinvest that back into the playing squad, we are still a fan owned club spending on players what we can afford to spend. And constantly trying to find ways to increase revenue so we can give Neil the maximum budget we possibly can.
Reverting back to next season, though, some further announcements: (1) We are in the process of improving the provision of food and drink in the stadium to further cater for the expected increase in attendance (2) There is no change to rules around alcohol consumption within the stadium. That only starts from the National League (Step 1) (3) We are looking to improve WiFi and connectivity around the stadium.
Outside of the main things I’ve mentioned above, we have made a lot of progress in so many areas. Our academy was last year maxed out in terms of students who are educated and play at the MTA. We are now looking to start a media course to add to our student numbers and also looking at how to expand an international student model in bringing students to the UK from abroad – it is something we have dipped our toes into before, but now are better equipped to progress.
Our partnership with Crosby Stuart continues to grow as our aged 5-16 junior football club partner.
Marine In The Community also continues to flourish. Our big problem over recent years is that we have grown at a pace we could not sustain in terms of the facilities we were using. The new community hub we are currently awaiting planning permission on will solve this problem.
The Women’s team will continue to make its mark on the women’s game next season – home matches will be held at the MTA on a Sunday keep eyes peeled on matches and kick off times.
Our Fans Liaison Officer Sonia is available at any time if any fans have any advice/suggestions/complaints. Her email is fans@marinefc.com.
A final mention is for Dave Thompson and Marine Travel. Dave signed a new 10-year ground and front of shirt sponsorship agreement which started this summer. In addition to this Dave has made two large donations to support us with all the change that is happening over the summer. Dave is incredible. His impact can not be understated – I am not exaggerating to say we would not be at this level if it wasn’t for his support over the last 10 years.
We are now at 200 season tickets sold – hopefully we can beat last years’ total. Season Tickets are priced at under £10 a game for an adult and represents great value. They can be purchased from the below link: https://marinefc.ktckts.com/package/mne2425hst/season-ticket-202425. Please tell your mates and let’s get the number as high as we possibly can.
It has been an incredible time for everyone who supports Marine. Through our promotion and the potential stadium move the next 5 years could be just as exciting. We have many hurdles to go through though on both counts and it is only the support of everyone who involved in our fan-owned club which will give us a chance of achieving .
Thanks to the players, management team, supporters, committee, media team, volunteers, staff and everyone else at Marine. The togetherness we have got at the moment will stand us in good stead for next season.
My email is ceo@marinefc.com if anyone has any questions.
James Leary
