In recent months, a number of consortia have approached Stockport County with the aim of investing and/or becoming involved in the running of the football club.
All of the club’s directors have signed nondisclosure agreements, so we are unable to elaborate on the detail of these approaches. However, we can confirm that talks are ongoing, and we have made some recommendations to TopCo, the ‘top company’ which owns Stockport County.
We are unable to predict when these discussions will reach a conclusion due to the complexity of the negotiations, and further meetings are scheduled for later this summer, but it is important to state that nobody is holding up the process and we hope fans understand that it could take some time to reach a conclusion.
In total, ten interested parties have approached us in the last three years, but the majority of them failed when asked for ‘proof of funds’ and a solid sustainable future business plan, and therefore are usually not taken any further. However, our commitment to the club’s five-year plan remains, ‘to give serious offers due consideration’ as custodians of the club for all fans and future generations.
In the meantime, the current shareholders have agreed to continue to invest in the business. We are planning for next season and we have also committed to move towards a position where we will be full-time from 2019/20.
Chairman Richard Park said: “We want to be full-time in 2019/20, regardless of any external interest, so in preparation for this the Board is in negotiations to extend the contract of manager Jim Gannon by a further 12 months, as our full-time manager with immediate effect.
“As a Board, it is important that we continue to run the football club and maintain ‘business as usual’. We have not set any deadlines and we are not under any pressure to rush through any deal which may not be in the club’s best interests. However, we are encouraged that there is so much interest in County this summer, which was certainly not the case when I first joined the Board, and it is a signal that everyone associated with Stockport County has played their part to turn this football club into an attractive proposition.
“I have been directly involved in some very positive discussions already, but nobody is seeking to move into the club overnight, so we will continue to operate in the best interests of Stockport County and its supporters.
“The manager has made his plans for pre-season and we have announced a number of fixtures already. We have announced a number of new signings and we will shortly release season tickets. We have also provided the manager with a highly competitive increased budget for the new season.
“As ever, we are grateful for your continued support, and thank you for your patience whilst we make these major decisions about the future of a club that we’ve all supported for many decades.”
Everyone involved has taken County from a position of heavy losses (£800,000 in 2012) to a state of profitability, making the club more attractive to potential investors. Our five-year plan states: ‘We are not interested in acquiring investment purely for financial reasons (but) we are always open to offers of investment and welcome anyone with good intentions (although) we will not allow them to use Edgeley Park to leverage debt against the club.’
Whilst we will miss some of targets, our five-year plan remains on track to deliver a huge reduction in debt, to achieve £1.5m in commercial revenue, to reconnect with the community through engaging with 80,000 school and college students, and to protect the future of our stadium.
Training regime
During 2018/19, the club will continue with the training schedule which brought us tremendous success during the second half of last season when Jim Gannon’s side collected 40 points from the final 21 games, just two points fewer than the top two teams in our division over the same period. This structure will allow our handful of remaining part-time players to train on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, whilst the rest of the squad will take part in an additional daytime session every Monday.
Additional staff
Manager Jim Gannon has appointed a Chief Scout ahead of the new season, as Mark Gould joins us from newly-promoted Salford City, and we all extend him a warm welcome to Edgeley Park.
Chief Executive
Board member Simon Bellamy has agreed to oversee the day-to-day running of the football club as a voluntary Chief Executive, working at Edgeley Park on two or three days per week with immediate effect. This is a critical period for the football club, so the Board would like to thank Simon for his generous offer to dedicate a substantial amount of time to the business and we look forward to working with him to achieve our aims.
Junior football
As part of our drive to reach out into the community, the club has agreed a deal with Stockport-based CS City Juniors for them to be renamed Stockport County Colts. The agreement will see more than 200 children aged 7-15 playing under the club’s banner across the borough from September 2018 and wearing County colours for the new season. The agreement has been endorsed by the club’s Youth Development Director, Alan Lord.
