Each month our chairman Derek Graham will be issuing an update from our board to keep all of our supporters and partners up to date with the clubs progress. Please get in contact if you have any comments or suggestions.
Welcome to the first monthly Chairman's column. I have been privileged to be a part of Frome Town FC for many years and was honoured this summer to be asked to become the club’s Chairman.
Like so many other companies, it has been a difficult time for the Robins. Last season was cut short with us pushing for promotion, and without live football we were in a serious financial position. Unlike the ‘big boys’ we rely on people coming through the turnstiles to keep us going. During the summer the people of Frome responded amazingly to our Crowdfunder appeal and we were able to survive and start a new season. We are not out of the woods yet, but now have sound financial management in place to help navigate this testing period."
On the field, it's always going to be tricky to emulate the amazing form of last season, but I am pleased with the start the team have made and I am positive that we will again be pushing for promotion, with our home form going to again be the bedrock for this success. One thing that I have noticed was that following my move from the bench to the boardroom, it's clear to see that in Danny Greaves we have a first class manager, who gives a lot of thought to the club and the game. His additional work providing support off the field, to the youth and development teams has been fantastic.
It is great news that at our level we can have still have spectators, although with a limited capacity and all Covid 19 restrictions in place. Even better, attendances are rising, and we have a great on-line ticket purchasing facility. I can not press on our fans how helpful it is for people to buy tickets online in advance for every game. Not only does this help us manage the Covid requirements, it helps us stay as cashless as possible, protecting those within the club as well. We're also seeing more 'new' people from the Town come to games. So, even if your first love is the Saints, City, Rovers or Swindon, you are always welcome to come down and watch some good live football. You can even do it with a drink in your hand! With adult admission at £10, it’s a real bargain.
Click to get your tickets or read all the latest clubs news.
If you've not seen one yet, we have one of the best digital match day programmes I have seen, so even if you can’t make it to the game you can read all about it, along with high quality video coverage of previous games. You can see the latest one here and the programmes come out the day before each league and cup match.
In my previous communications you will know that off the field we have a number of new faces on the Board of Directors, and I am delighted that we now have a really good working relationship with the Supporter’s Club. The fundraising work they do is part of our life blood. For those that come regularly, please look into joining the Supporters Club to help the fans have their say in the club's future.
Although at a very early stage, we are looking at ways of increasing community involvement in the club. Watch this space! I'm also delighted to announce that if people want to purchase additional seat plaques they are currently available on the website. This was a very successful part of our Crowdfunder appeal, but also a great way to leave your legacy by supporting your local club. We have still lots of the original plaques unclaimed, so we will arrange more communications around when you can pick these up or we can choose a placement for you.
At our last two home matches I was very pleased to welcome Frome based My Greek Fat Wraps to provide their amazing wraps to the fans. They have agreed to continue for at least the next two home games. I know Frome is 'foodie' town, so if there are any outlets that want to have a go at providing a food outlet at home games, please get in contact via the website.
We now have two home games, Highworth on Tuesday (20th) and Cirencester the next Saturday (24th). So we'll also be launching a double ticket to help cover both games and reward those that can come to both. We've seen both teams have made a good start, so come along and see some cracking matches.
'Del'
Derek Graham
Chairman