NL grant: utterly confused and bitterly disappointed

The distribution of the £10million grant from the National Lottery to the Vanarama National League has left me utterly confused and bitterly disappointed.

Maidstone United Football Club have many things to be proud of: one being the way that we run the business in a sustainable way, reinvesting the profits from our activities back into the club, and two the sheer volume of deeply committed supporters who come and support the Stones and pay their entrance fees.

The Government was specific in that the money they brokered for our football clubs, via the National Lottery, was designed to ’replace lost gate revenue.’ Clubs agreed to start the season, taking on trust the promise to cover these lost revenues. This has not happened.

Our average gate over the last two seasons has been 2,000 per match and our club will receive 36k per month from the National League. This is some 50% below our estimated monthly shortfall! It is also nearly £50k per month less than Dover who attract just over 1,000 per match.

On the face of this it looks stupid but when it becomes clear that those sitting on the Board making the decisions are heavily biased towards their own financial wellbeing, then it's not just a stupid decision but possibly corrupt.

For the Board of the National League to arbitrarily decide the first thing that they will do is take 60% for their own clubs and give the South and North just 20% each looks stupid, especially as they have no mandate to keep the money for themselves as they should be representing the interests of all of their member clubs.

We are sure that the league sponsors such as Vanarama, BT Sport and the National Lottery will be carefully reconsidering their sponsorships on the back of this scandalous decision!

This is a clear case of the Board not serving the membership and a clear misuse of the way that the money was supposed to be spent.

For Tonbridge Angels to get 30k per month on their crowds of 600 must have felt like Christmas to them but for Hungerford Town to get 30k per month on their crowds of just over 300 it must feel like Christmas, New Year and Easter all at once.

This is utterly crass, short-sighted and stupid, with the Government's words ringing in our ears that the money is: ‘to be spent on lost gate revenue.’

Hungerford and Tonbridge never ever had this amount of gate revenue so they are now in a massively better position as they will have spare money to sign players that they would never have been able to afford to attract.

This can also be seen with Oxford City and their 350 supporters getting the same 30k as Havant and Waterlooville with their 1,400 supporters.

The corruption and conspiracy theories abound when Boreham Wood, who have already made public their association with Sports Minister Oliver Dowden, and who have 730 supporters get just 10k per month less than Notts County with their 5,000 supporters.

Dagenham and Barnet, with their crowds of 1,200, also do well from the distribution – again just 10k per month less than Wrexham with their crowds of 4,000.

Please bear in mind that both these two clubs have members on the Board before you decide whether this constitutes abuse of power, conflict of interest or stupidity.

This is one of the most extraordinary cases of the misuse of grant funding that I have ever witnessed.

The FA and National League had a clear mandate to spend the money on lost gate revenue. What they have done is ignore this and instead allowed National League Board Members to favour some clubs with outrageous amounts of money that far exceed their gate receipts.

Terry Casey

A return to some sort of normality

We are all desperate to return to some sort of normality after some of the most stressful and anxious times we will ever experience.

Whilst to some football is just a sport, to many people it is much more than just a game. For millions of football supporters attending a game and supporting their team will be a massive step towards the new normal.

Maidstone United is, and will always be, a club deeply committed to the community it represents and the closure of the Gallagher has meant that thousands of people have not been able to gather to watch or play the game that they love.

We are working hard to get all elements of the business operating, as the club is suffering from the complete shutdown of all our income streams.

The most high profile of all our activities is of course the first team which drives the whole business model.

If the first team is doing well we find recruiting academy students is more successful, we find our player development squad numbers increase and, of course, we get bigger crowds through the gates.

On the flip side if we don’t get things right on the pitch, then financially and emotionally life can be dire.

Our three seasons in the National League were a struggle and I also felt last season was a great disappointment.

Despite the difficulties of the last four seasons, we have always made sure that the business is profitable and viable.

We will continue to take a sensible approach to how we run the club and are prudent about the money we spend.

One of the first decisions we have made is regarding the playing budget for the 20/21 season because our retention and recruitment will not progress unless we have a financial framework to work with.

We have contacted players we feel could be right for the team, initially to establish their thoughts about whether they would prefer to train three mornings or two evenings a week.

Our findings were clear in that the majority of the players we spoke to wanted to train three mornings.

There was no evidence that this would force the playing budget upwards but it was evident that the players we wanted were ambitious and wanted to make football their main source of income.

For Maidstone United to continue this training regime is a major statement of our intention to get back to the National League. Whilst our three seasons were difficult, we learned a lot and will not make the same mistakes.

The playing budget will be less than last season but because of the uncertainty around crowd numbers and start dates, we will try to be flexible and keep some funds in reserve.

In addition to the five contracted players, we are in advanced negotiations with a further four of last season’s squad.

We are keen to avoid signing the journeyman players who drift from club to club without really committing to Maidstone United, so our campaign will concentrate on more local players.

There are a substantial number of players that are of interest to us but making sure we make good signings has never been more important.

We know from telephone calls to hundreds of our supporters how vital the football club is to many people so we will ensure that we will be ready for the new season, whenever it starts. Thank you for your continued support.

Terry

Still grounds for optimism

It’s difficult enough when the business you run struggles after so many successful years but when that business is the football team that you support, it makes life almost unbearable.

I know how the fans have felt over the past three years in the National League and although we enjoyed the feeling of relief when we stayed up in the first year, since then life as a supporter of the Stones has been testing at times.

As owners we have felt the financial impact of trying to stay in the National League. In previous years we have carried our profits into the next season and used the money for building works and improving the facilities.

We did, however, make a miscalculation when we increased playing budget by about 20% at the start of the 2018/2019 season. We felt this would guarantee our survival at this very competitive level, help to sustain attendances and see us push on to mid table and maybe even flirt with the playoffs.

The reality, as we now know, was the polar opposite, with a miserable season ending in relegation.

We have learned from our mistakes and will continue to learn.

Our business model will never be in a position to compete with the likes of Salford and Leyton Orient. In previous seasons, we have also been plagued with trying to compete against clubs who have thrown money into a playing squad and inflating the financial expectations of players.

While we are desperate to win matches for ourselves and the supporters it cannot be done at all costs, which would put the club’s long-term stability at risk.

I have absolutely no doubt that John and Hakan will bring the Gallagher back to life and bring a team together that we can be proud of.

The players we have signed so far have all demonstrated the same eagerness to play for Maidstone United, with one of the big reasons for signing being the reputation of the supporters.

I was humbled by the support and kind words I have received and the massive optimism that supporters show despite everything we have had to put up with.

Here’s to 2019/2020 being a season to remember for all the right reasons.

Terry Casey

Building for a successful future

It seems like a long time since a thousand or so of us heard the news that Hendon had drawn and our result at Dulwich had virtually made us champions. 

It is difficult to describe my feelings of relief and elation because I had never before felt such an overwhelming sense of achievement. Oliver, Bill and I will be eternally grateful to the staff, the stewards and volunteers who gave so much time and commitment to get the club to where we are now. 

Being able to share the moments after the Dulwich match and after the final game at home to East Thurrock with the supporters, who have followed the team in such great numbers throughout the season, meant all of our efforts have been worthwhile. I am so grateful for being part of those joyous moments. 

The minute we knew that we would be promoted we put the finishing touches to the fundraising and plans for the east stand extension. 

Work starts on Monday (18 May) and we expect it to be complete by 7 August, the day before we play our first match in the NLS. 

We have a new lounge with 52 seats and we have 175 seats in the stand extension that we have been able to offer as season tickets. Incredibly all these seats have been sold for the start of the 2015/2016 which has vindicated our decision to spend £600/£650k on this development. 

There will be about 100 seats that we cannot sell as season tickets because we must offer them to our opponent's supporters when games are segregated. These seats will be available for sale on a pay on the day basis as the majority of games will not be segregated. 

Although the schedule for completion is tight we will be working all the hours necessary to fulfil our commitment to those supporters who have bought seats for the start of the new season. 

These works, along with extending the terraces at the north and south ends, will increase our capacity to 2,600 but to achieve the required capacity of 3,000 we must also install new stairs and new turnstiles in the north east corner. 

We have submitted plans for this work and are hoping to schedule this in alongside the east stand extension. We have until March 2016 to get the capacity to 3,000 to satisfy the requirements of the NLS.

To sustain all of our successes we know that we must continue to support Jay in his ambitions to secure the club in the NLS and put a team together that can challenge for a place in the higher league. 

We have the support and we have the infrastructure to play at a higher level and we intend to reward that support by putting together a team that we can get behind and be proud of. 

We will be facing opponents with substantially more money to spend on their squads but we have given Jay a budget that we feel will give him every chance of winning matches.

We have enjoyed three exhilarating years and had an amazing journey and we fully intend to have more years of excitement and success.

Terry

Standing out from the crowd

The level of concern raised by the supporters over the incidents of bad behaviour in the crowd is confirmation that the vast majority of our fans find the abusive and racist language of a tiny minority quite unacceptable. 

There are three incidents currently under investigation: the first involves the setting off of a flare during the Stevenage replay which injured two of our supporters. It was a mindless and dangerous act which ruined the match for some of our genuine fans. We are still looking for the culprit and if we can identify him the club would ban him instantly. 

The second is the person who made racist comments while standing with his young son. 
He does not seem to have returned to the ground as all of our security staff and stewards are carrying a photo of him and if they see him he will be ejected from the ground. 

Finally the abusive behaviour of the three people at the Herne Bay match, which was so depressing to listen to, have been identified and we are currently making efforts to contact them to speak to them.

These idiots do not have the right to destroy the enjoyment of our proper supporters. 

Their behaviour could be deemed to be a breach of the peace and lead to police prosecution if they were conducting themselves in this way on the street. 

These people have absolutely no right to single out a young person just because he plays in goal for the opposition to the levels of abuse that he had to endure that evening. The conduct of the racist, the three morons who were so abusive and the idiot with the flare is intimidating, upsetting and will ultimately put at risk the thousands of real supporters who are passionate about their football team but know how to conduct themselves.

Currently we pay a substantial proportion of our match income on security and we are prepared to spend more so that the real supporters can watch the team feeling safe and comfortable. 

We are looking at the way these incidents were dealt with and acknowledge that we could do more. It is such a shame that the subject of the blog cannot be that we are second in the league, still in the FA Cup and also still competing in two more cup competitions, and have probably the best Maidstone team for many many years.

I think that Wrexham will be tougher than Stevenage and Welling but with the team we have anything is possible. To all of you genuine supporters who are travelling to North Wales please do what you do every week and make us all proud of our wonderful football club and its magnificent fans.

Terry

A wonderful victory

The achievement of Maidstone United Football Club in changing the face of non and lower league football should never be underestimated. 

By allowing artificial 3G pitches the Conference have opened the doors to football in the 21st century, which can now be played on even and true surfaces. 

I feel we will look back, as we look back on the pitches of the sixties and seventies, and wonder why it was ever in doubt that 3G surfaces would eventually prevail. 

Although I am not bitter about the song and dance Oliver had to go through, the extraordinary attitude of some of those running football became a symbol of what is wrong with the nation’s favourite game. 

Each time I heard a dissenting opinion about 3G it was obvious that yet another dinosaur of the game hadn't bothered to do any research on the realities and benefits of using an artificial surface. 

I recall meeting with the supporters after another depressing defeat playing at Ashford and being asked whether the surface will never be accepted and beginning to doubt whether this incredibly risky decision to install 3G would explode in our faces. 

Bill never doubted the decision and Oliver, by his efforts, clearly was never going to back down. We were alone and isolated in the football world but we knew we were right this had to be the only way forward. 

What then happened is that the football loving public of Maidstone gave the 3G surface the most overwhelming vote of approval. This was no longer a battle for Bill, Oliver and I – it became a cause for almost two thousand people every week. 

The supporters were clearly telling the rulers of the game, the politicians and the football hierarchy that they should embrace the new way that the game should be played. 

Each time we stood up in front of the supporters and said that we would win the battle one day it was your support that kept us going. We have as a club much to be proud of. 

We should all recognise the efforts of Oliver in achieving this momentous change. His skill and determination has been prodigious and an object lesson in perseverance and bloody mindedness. 

I know he would want to acknowledge the various people who helped, such as Matt Dickinson from The Times and Matt Dunn from the Daily Express who so eloquently made the case for 3G and gave it a national profile, and to Greg Dyke and his colleagues at The FA for showing great leadership on this important issue.

The 2014/2015 campaign is going to be another battle but after this victory we must believe that anything can happen.

Thanks for your support.

Terry Casey

Close season observations and ambitions

Terry Casey

Last season was the best that Maidstone United have enjoyed for many years. 

Winning the league cup, finishing seventh in the league, our average league crowds increasing on the previous year – yet I felt that we had underachieved. 

This is in no way a criticism of Jay and the squad but an acknowledgement that at the start of the 2013/2014 season Jay had put together a squad was capable of, at the very least, making the play offs. 

During the early months of the season it was unthinkable that we would not be involved in the final reckoning because we were beginning to realise that this team really was good enough. The impact of the injuries cannot be overstated. 

Losing Steve Watt, our captain and the best centre half in the league; losing Mickey Phillips from midfield and losing one of the most exciting players in Orlando all meant that we were going to hit problems at some stage. Replacing Orlando with Rory should have helped but to lose Rory for most of the season was another blow. We underachieved because we did in fact have a team that might even have won the league but for the crippling injuries.

I continue to say to people that we are not a Ryman league club – we should be in the Conference at the very least, and I feel confident that we are only a year away from making the step up to the higher level.

The academy proved its value to the club as it was lads like Gary Smith and Liam King who scored goals for us on our way to winning the league cup. I describe the academy as the jewel in the club’s crown and watching the way they destroyed Eastbourne Borough in the Conference Youth Alliance cup final made me feel immensely proud. I also felt terrific pride in the numbers of our supporters who travelled to Crawley to support the lads in their quest to complete the double.

Their successes on the field are second to none, leaving other academies in higher leagues wondering how we have become so successful. 

The facts are that we have the best coaches in Jay Saunders and Jack Parkinson, the best tutors in Jim Bodle and Tom Parkinson and the best facilities at the Gallagher Stadium. The young people are also aware that, regardless of their footballing ability, they are valued and are learning from excellent role models within the staff and coaching team. They should leave us with an understanding of how to conduct themselves once they enter into the adult world and to enjoy their triumphs and to show dignity when things don’t go to plan. As a testament to the lure of the academy we have had to turn away dozens of young people who wanted to join the academy for 2014/2015 season.

Not making promotion, whilst desperately disappointing, means that we do have some time to plan ahead with the expansion of the ground. We have met with various organisations and have presented them with our plans to achieve the minimum capacity of 3,000. The problem is that the plans that we are currently looking at have come in at costs ranging between £800k and £1.2million. 

We will have to borrow to get this sort money and the cost of finance is extremely prohibitive. We are now looking at cheaper options which might enable us to finance the project ourselves and would satisfy the need to get our capacity to the level required by the Conference. The fact is that there is a clear shortage of covered seating at the stadium and whatever we finally decide upon , we will meet that demand.

The great 3G debate rumbles on and I am delighted that we have Oliver on this particular subject because he has moved the argument on through his skills, patience and perseverance. Every time I listen to anyone who opposes the case for 3G I can only conclude that they do not understand fully the argument. We must win the argument and my thanks go out to all of our supporters who take pride in the fact that their football club are about to change the face of non-league and lower league football. It has been the support of the Maidstone fans that have given Oliver, Bill and myself the strength to fight on. 

The only sad note is that it appears the Michel Platini of the directors’ team has not been able to agree terms with Bill Williams and may not be in the team to face the supporters on 20 June. Representatives from both parties have been unable to reach a compromise. Sources close to the Ash camp have said that the tactics used by Williams did not suit Ash’s unique skills. Sources close to the Williams camp were unaware of Ash’s skills.

Thank you for making Maidstone United Football club the envy of every non-league club in the country.

It's a pitch Jim but not as you know it

Terry Casey

It is clear that we still have a long way to go to win the 3G argument judging by Jim Parmenter's recent article. 

Jim was kind enough to show Bill and I around his operation at The Crabble ground before we began the building of the Gallagher Stadium. In an effort to dispel some of Jim's pre-conceptions on 3G surfaces I would like to return his hospitality and invite him to our ground so that we can explain why 3G works for Maidstone United FC. 

Whilst I cannot deal with each point that Jim raised there are some fundamental facts that I would want to clear up when we meet. The first is that 3G surfaces do not mean that games are sterile. We have played hundreds of competitive matches on the surface and because the ball rolls and bounces in a consistent and proper way it simply means that players can play the "beautiful game" in the way it was always intended to be played. 

Our supporters keep returning and they will tell you that the games that are played satisfy all football supporters need for excitement. The term level playing field is never more relevant than when we play on the 3G surface. The next point deals with injuries to players. I can say that there are more injuries to players on pitches which are part iced over and part waterlogged. 

We can and do play on our pitch even when there is heavy frost and other matches are postponed. We would not risk the safety of the hundreds of children that use the surface, we would not risk the safety of the players who hire the pitch.

We would not dream of risking the safety of our first team players or the safety of our 60+ academy students who use the 3G surface every day and play all of their competitive matches on this same pitch. I do notice that the Dover academy use a 3G surface and I am sure that the coaches at Dover would not risk the safety of the young people who could be the future of the club. 

If our confidence about the pitch is not enough, surely the fact that teams in Europe from Bayern Munich to Barcelona have embraced this surface shows that it is the way forward. Games played on the mud baths of the Ryman and Conference leagues are not always going to be a true contest of footballing skill.

We have made a decision at Maidstone United to create a business model that enables the football club to conduct our business on the basis of its income exceeding its outgoings. This means the distortion of football club owners ploughing their own money into a football club that is hopelessly insolvent could be a thing of the past. 

Our business model can only happen with a surface that will be used for fifty hours a week. Many of the numbers quoted in the article are a long way off the true figure and I would relish the opportunity of showing Jim that the cost of the surface can be re-paid within two/three years.

I do sincerely hope that Jim will come and visit. We are not trying to persuade Dover to change their pitch or even change their approach to the way they run their business, we are just hoping to explain why it works for us and how it could work for others.

Taking stock and thinking about the future

Terry Casey

If someone had told me that we would be in the promotion places of the Ryman Premier at the start of October I would have been obviously delighted but also relieved that we were not struggling as we did the last time we were in this league.

I remember watching numerous Ryman Premier matches wondering when we would field a team that deserved to be playing at that level. It seemed to me that almost every game we played we struggled to dominate or even compete on some occasions.

This season so far, apart from Margate, we have played well enough to justify our position and fully deserve to be where we are in the league. This constitutes real progress on the pitch and Jay and his squad supported by Bill should be congratulated on their achievements.

Because of our position it is inevitable that we are now gazing upward to the possibility of promotion to the Conference South. From what I have watched there is no doubt in my mind that we have the playing squad, the infrastructure and the leadership that could challenge for promotion. Oliver, Bill and I are already looking at the requirements for entry into the Conference South.

The most high profile and obvious battle we face is getting the Conference to agree to playing on our 3G surface. The arguments for clubs at our level playing on 3G have been eloquently put by Oliver and I feel confident that the work he is doing will eventually win the argument and common sense will prevail.

One of the reasons put by the Conference opposing 3G is that it would create problems for Conference teams gaining promotion to the Football League. Our response is that Conference South clubs like Boreham Wood (average home attendance 208) and Hayes and Yeading (average crowd 180) must be more concerned about survival than getting promotion to the Football league.

Promotion to the Football League would also come at enormous costs for clubs as there is a requirement for a minimum capacity of 5,000 and 500 under cover seats. If Maidstone United achieve promotion to the Conference South we have enough covered seats (the requirement is 250 we have more than 400) but we must increase our minimum capacity to 3,000 with the potential to raise the minimum capacity to 4,000 for further upward progression.

To achieve these increases in capacity we have asked our advisors to look at developing the Loucas End into a three tiered stand that could increase standing and seated capacity. To achieve this ambition will require further substantial amounts of money and whilst it is on our wish list we are not going to abandon our business principals and start trading beyond our means.

We can honestly look into these possibilities because we are the biggest non-league club outside of the Conference and we have a greater following than any club currently in the Conference South or North. We can genuinely consider thoughts of expansion and development as we have the potential to go a lot further up the pyramid. 

We will continue to strive to change the face of non-league football with our 3G campaign and we will continue to look to ways that we can maximise the potential of the football club.

If our fantastic support from local businesses and individuals continues then there are no limits to what we can achieve. 

Message from Terry Casey following Saturday's match

The events on Saturday were very disappointing for all genuine supporters of Maidstone United. 

We have been in discussions throughout the weekend and met today to look at photographic evidence, in an attempt to find out how the problems began, and how we propose to deal with any possible future difficulties.

It would appear from the CCTV footage and photos that there was provocation from the beginning of the match from a very small number of supporters from both sides.

It’s important that lessons are learned. Since opening last July, we put in place arrangements to provide comfort and security for all. Given what happened we must make sure that we are better prepared in the future.  

Some of those of preparations and actions will be behind the scenes in the run-up to games, others will be more visible. For example, we intend to increase the numbers of trained professional safety stewards and will consider arranging a police presence for at least some of the games. 

We have photographic evidence of some individuals who embarrassed the club in Calais and we have reason to believe they may have been involved on Saturday. This small group of people are not supporters of Maidstone United. We will identify them and ban them from the ground.

May I make it crystal clear that any person entering the stadium who is responsible for anti-social or violent behaviour will be removed, banned and may even be prosecuted.

Saturday’s isolated incidents almost spoiled the enjoyment of more than two thousand people, so they must be stamped out immediately.

Building for the future

Maidstone United co-owner Terry Casey

During the close season Oliver, Bill and I have been working hard to make some significant improvements to the stadium. 

We had a limited amount of money that we could spend but we wanted to show that we are listening to our supporters and also demonstrating that we are not going to become complacent about the extraordinary support that we have had in our first season back in the town.

We are also working closely with Jay and, as you can see with the signings we have made, we are not going into the Ryman Premier to simply make up the numbers. As a football club we have the support that cannot be equalled until we look at the attendances in the Conference so we must be looking at involvement in the play-offs at the very least by the end of the 2013/2014 season.

In terms of the building works we have had the usual immense support of our business partners, notably Gallagher Group and Britelite, which have enabled the club to make so many improvements to the ground. We have also had the support of the BTSH committee who have made a substantial contribution to the developments.

Our first requirement was to spend money to satisfy some Ryman league requirements. Next on the list is the addition of another terrace at The Loucas End (town end) which will be installed towards the end of July. All the measures undertaken should increase the capacity to about 2,500 but this is subject to verification.

We need to clear some areas around the pitch and also to add some catering facilities at the Henry Reeves & Co Stand (Springfield end). At the beginning of July we will be laying a tarmac hard standing area on the river side of that terrace which will mean that we can put the six a side goals away during match days and also stand a permanent catering van on the site.

There has been a shortage of toilet facilities and we are installing a toilet block (the same as we already have at the town end) which we be sited between the fire escape steps and the storage building. Fortunately we have installed drainage in that area so there will be a minimum amount of disruption.

We are also creating a further hard standing area in between the changing rooms and the main stand. We have been overwhelmed by the numbers of children who want to have their birthday celebrations at the stadium and this area will accommodate those children and families.

We are also installing a building at the south end to serve as our second bar as we have reached capacity in the Spitfire Lounge and we are aware that many supporters are going elsewhere to have a drink. Our partner and supplier, Shepherd Neame, has recognised the need for further bar facilities and have been highly supportive in the installation of the building.

Finally, we are also installing another building again at the south end that will serve as a club shop. This will not be a permanent shop but will be an improvement on what we have used in the past.

Despite the generosity of the Gallagher Group, Britelite, Shepherd Neame and the BTSH association, these improvements will cost the football club more than £50,000 and whilst I appreciate they will not go far enough for some of our supporters we have to draw a line in the spending somewhere.

We have had the most wonderful season and we are re-investing in the infrastructure and the future of Maidstone United. I know that by continuing to improve the facilities is an investment in the future of the club but we are also aware that we must continue to serve up football that entertains and excites and is successful or the facilities will not be needed.

Thanks for all of your support.

Terry Casey

Exciting, humbling and ultimately rewarding

Terry Casey

The last year has given me some of the most exciting, humbling and ultimately rewarding twelve months of my life.

When we gathered last September on a piece of wasteland in Whatman Way it was difficult to imagine what we would achieve. I now watch our own Maidstone United academy students as they study in their state of the art classrooms and play each afternoon on the equally state of the art playing surface. Many of the students show genuine footballing talent which will secure the playing future of Maidstone United for many years to come.

The future is also being secured by the numerous children’s and youth teams that use the pitch every week. Many of these children never knowing that the county town of Kent ever had a football team but now having a burning ambition to, one day, represent their home town sometime in the future. These youngsters are the future supporters of Maidstone United and we will nurture their love of football and make them feel part of the club.

The future of Maidstone United must also be secured by an attitude to business that means it will never again suffer the indignities of financial collapse and should never teeter of the brink of extinction again. We must make the club commercially viable and there is a clear link to a successful youth development system and a financially secure football club.

To complete the work of building the stadium was sometimes traumatic and often stressful but the support Oliver, Bill and I have had from the supporters of the club meant that we were never going to be deflected from the ambition of bringing football back to Maidstone after twenty five years. The 'tours' I conducted of the stadium, or as it was then building site, for the fans made me feel very humble with genuine supporters telling me about their aspirations for the club and their memories. They would often recall their fathers taking them to their first matches which reminded me of my dad who used to take me to the Athletic Ground on the London Road.

The interment of Elvis’s ashes are a poignant reminder of all the supporters who could not make the return of their team to the town.

The backing, financially, physically and emotionally, that we received from the supporters carried Oliver, Bill and I on a wave of enthusiasm and whilst I have said it many times I should repeat that it has been the supporters that have kept this football club in existence. The crowds we have attracted since we opened are proof that the football followers of Maidstone have an appetite for semi-pro football and I hope that they will stay with us because there is a lot more to come. What is also evident to me is the large numbers of families who are coming to the games which also bodes well for the future.

While what happens on the pitch is vital to all of us we are creating a stadium which will function throughout the year and become a hub for sporting and business activities for many years to come. I am acutely aware that a successful first team will generate more income than all the other activities of the business as a whole so we must ensure that we always financially support the team.

To the supporters who stuck by the club - thank you again.

I wonder where we will be this time next year!

Taking shape at The Gallagher Stadium

Oliver Ash

Every day means another chance to see the pictures and photos of the Gallagher Stadium taking shape. 

It's a very exciting time for everyone connected with the club. The contractors, our project managers Prime, Terry and Bill, and all the well-known club officials (including a few familiar new faces in new jobs) are all working flat out now to get it all done on time.

 

The ground has become green this last week and what a difference that makes. It suddenly looks like a football ground, which is a good job really. Getting the pitch laid and trouble-shooting every day to solve problems is a real challenge. 3G pitches, particularly when they will be used for senior matches in main stadia, are an unknown quantity; not much experience exists of installing them; independent advice of quality is hard to come by; empirical evidence even rarer. So we are having to make difficult decisions at times and we trust we won't come to regret too many of them when we see how it all looks and plays.

 

Our group of clubs, 3G4US, is going strong and lobbying for greater awareness and change on 3G pitches. We are eagerly awaiting feedback from the Football League after their survey, to which many of you contributed. Even more so because we are targeting automatic promotion this season. We want to progress up the pyramid as quickly as sensible business performance will allow us. 

In a nutshell that means that as long as enough supporters come to games, drink and eat in the clubhouse, buy merchandise, join our future membership scheme, play the lottery etc. and as long as local businesses support our sponsorship and advertising campaigns then we will generate enough revenues to afford a top quality team and infrastructure.

 

In addition we will have a pitch to hire out, a car park to fill, an academy to operate and a clubhouse/ bar events centre to manage profitably. The more revenues that all generates the more we can invest in due course into the football club. We won't go down the road of other football models where owners' or bank money is thrown at the first team and insufficient revenues are deemed irrelevant until the ship starts to sink. 

That's why we need all of you, including hundreds of new followers we will meet at the Brighton game, to keep behind us on and off the field so the business works well. Then we can realistically hope to be able to jump up at least couple of levels in the next few seasons. And that's why we want to get change on 3G sooner rather than later because you will know that under current rules the Conference has not yet agreed to allow 3G.

 

We are working with Jay to reorganise the squad for next season and give ourselves the best chance possible of achieving this aim. The new stadium and quality turf will give quality players the chance to show their skills; it will be such a different surface to the ones we're used to; looking like Wembley, genuine skills will be at a premium; luck will be less important than elsewhere. I for one, cannot wait to see the first few games and savour the spectacle!

Thanks for all your support.

Bad weather = good news for 3G

Oliver Ash

The bad weather is back, turning thoughts to our future 3G synthetic pitch.


I noticed that Durham City played one of the few games to survive the weekend but Woodley did not - it snowed heavily just before kick off and not even 3G could cope with that. So even if it's not perfect 3G has proved its strength again this weekend and it will continue. 


We are leading the lobbying, as we said we would, in order to inform football people of the qualities and advantages of 3G, with a view to getting increasing acceptance of the surface at higher levels. We have now established a lobby group of clubs and so far have received nothing but positive replies from other clubs to the initiative. 


You will have seen the good news on the Football Stadia Improvement Fund grant. A special thanks to Mike Littleboy for his efforts on our behalf; he is a tenacious battler and never gives up: essential qualities on and off the field. 


I met Mike a few years ago when I first joined the club and saw how he and others worked hard on the first presentation to the FA. I originally agreed to help the club financially based on the 'hope' at the time that a major grant could be obtained. I was conscious of the risk. We had no other resources. 


Well it soon became clear that getting a £2 million grant for a stadium project (without a serious financial business plan to back it) was pie in the sky. It had nothing to do with whether we were a limited company or not, simply such substantial grants were not available for such projects. End of story. 


Except that fortunately it was not the end of the story. I was now attached to the club in every sense and Terry Casey swallowed hard and jumped in our direction at the last moment. The result is that 12 months later a well-conceived and prepared grant application was made for a much smaller amount, that we were confident of winning. Sincere thanks are due to the  Football Stadia Improvement Fund and the executives who believed in our project and backed us. 


The other sums needed for the stadium are being put into place, with other essential contributions from the supporters and our stadium sponsors the Gallagher Group. It's still challenging despite all these contributions because the overall cost will be around the £2 million mark. 


However the club will be on a strong footing as a result of the business model being developed: the revenue generated, once loans and running costs are covered, will be able to be reinvested sensibly to support the club's efforts on the field. But the model will only really work if you come in your hundreds to support your team and your club at The Gallagher Stadium.


Weather permitting I look forward to seeing many of you at Dulwich.

Construction, crowds and commitment

Terry Casey

We continue to make good progress at Whatman Way - thanks to a combination of good weather and the hard work of the Gallagher team. There are now a number of significant target dates we are working towards with 14^th July the intended first match against Charlton.

The installation of the floodlight masts is the beginning of a programme that is working to another target date which is the 18^th April, when works starts on the laying of the 3g surface. 

Before this can happen the framework on the stand must be completed and the terraces must have been installed. We are about to order the pitch perimeter barrier which must also be in place prior to the 3g installation. The work in getting everything in place is enormous but each time I visit the site I am encouraged by the supporters who are also watching the progress.

I want to make a personal request regarding the foul and abusive language at some matches of a small number of our fans. I want the club to be a place where children and grandchildren can attend matches and not have to listen to some supporters using the F word as part of their way of abusing the referee and players and including it in their chants. 

As an example the chant to the Whitstable supporters of “you can stick your oysters up your arse“  was OK as it was a bit crude but amusing whereas “you can stick your f---ing oysters up your arse” is not acceptable. 

When a player or referee is subjected to direct abuse that includes the f word I do not want children or indeed anyone to have to listen to that type abusive language. I accept it is a passionate game and emotions can become inflamed but there are alternatives to abusive swearing.

There has been some debate recently about the club rewarding the loyal fans in terms of  tickets for the friendlies and season ticket distribution. 

I will take this opportunity to make the club’s position very clear as I feel that it has been those same supporters who saved Maidstone United Football Club, so it will be those supporters who will get priority and preference for the pre-season friendlies and season tickets.  

Somehow the club has managed to retain hundreds of loyal supporters despite all the false dawns and the indignities of not having a team that plays its football in the town that it represents. I would not have become involved but for the fans' dedication and loyalty. 

If there is ever a discussion about who saved the football club from extinction there is absolutely no doubt in my mind. It was saved by the commitment and loyalty of a few hundred supporters.   

Wonderful progress at Whatman Way

Terry Casey

The progress made on the Whatman Way site has been wonderful. The hundreds of us that can’t keep away are seeing developments every time we visit. Our thanks and admiration go to the team at Gallaghers who have worked incredibly hard and skilfully which has meant that, in this part of the stadium project, we are ahead of schedule.

The Gallagher performance has enabled us to order and pay a deposit on the floodlights.

The surface is now ready for the final layer of stone and the 3G carpet to be laid. We have confirmed our order with the pitch manufacturer but laying the carpet will be one of the last jobs that we do. We are also endeavouring to lead a lobby group of clubs who will start to get the FA to realise that the future in the game for the smaller clubs has to be playing on a surface that can be used all year regardless of the weather.  

We are currently looking at final designs for the club house and we are very close to starting work on the grandstand. Whilst there is a long way still to go, it is beginning to take shape and the excitement amongst the people of Maidstone is growing daily.

Our sales campaign will start after Christmas and we will be looking at selling advertising boards and a whole range of different items that will relate to our historic homecoming. One of our priorities is to ensure that we come up with a system that enables all of our loyal and regular supporters to get first opportunities for the high profile opening friendly matches. There will be more information on this next year.

We have been close to making the books balance this season for the football club but the historic financial problems still come back to haunt us making the job of making the football club viable more difficult to achieve. We have set aside a fund to build the stadium and I am optimistic that the team’s performances will continue to attract sufficient gates which will allow us to keep our stadium fund intact.

As well as all the excitement off the pitch, the performances of Jay and the lads has meant that we are getting better crowds than we have for some years and I am hoping that we continue to see an increase in attendances for the rest of the season. There is no doubt in my mind that because of the way that the team is playing we are getting fantastic entertainment. I felt that the during the Ramsgate match, with the noise from behind the goal and the general banter from the Stones faithful, that we were beginning to regain some of the old swagger that always went with Maidstone supporters in days gone by. There was a pride that I hadn’t seen for a while which comes from being top of the league, playing exciting football and knowing that we are coming home to our rightful place in the town.

Football can be a great game!

Preparing for a massive moment

Terry Casey

Since the football season ended Bill, Oliver and I have been preparing the way so that we can get the heavy machinery onto the Whatman Way site and get the ground works started.

Having just completed the erection of a fence to stop the slow worms from returning to the site I am pleased to report that matters have been resolved to the satisfaction of the ecologists and they will give us the go ahead to start work on the ground. Once the ground works have started and the site is levelled we can install the fence on two sides and begin to secure the site.

We have had a number of legal obstacles to overcome with the difficulties over acquiring the land bank behind, what will be the East Stand, heading the list of problems. KCC have agreed to sell us the land bank and it is now in the hands of the solicitors.

UK Power will start the installation of the sub-station supplying electricity to the site on 19^th August and the housing of the sub-station will begin in the next few days.

We are working closely with Maidstone Borough Council and submitting all of the alterations in the plans since the application was first lodged more than five years ago. These amendments are also being dealt with by the solicitors but I don’t anticipate any problems that we can’t overcome.

In planning and construction terms we are almost ready to go and we will be able to look at a start date in two to three weeks. Our target of completing the stadium by May 2012 means that we have to start, at the very latest, before the end of September.

Relief from the stresses and strains of the stadium project comes in the form of enjoying the highly promising start Jay and the lads have made to the new season. What is so good to see is the blend of youth and experience that looks so very exciting especially when I consider that more than 50% of the squad are either local lads or who have come through the Maidstone United youth system. I assume that the supporters of Hythe, Whitehawk and Bognor Regis are all thinking they have a squad that will get them into the Ryman Premier but I do think that we would never have been relegated if this squad had started last season.

Your support continues to be absolutely crucial to the club both for the 2011/2012 season and also helping the fund the stadium. We have spoken to many people who have said that they would become more involved once the building works starts. I can tell them it is only a matter of weeks away before work will start building a new home for Maidstone United Football Club.

Synthetic turf and humble ambition

Oliver Ash

I went to the conference at Aston Villa on synthetic turf and very interesting it was too.

The most significant piece of information to emerge was that the FA is going to revisit the question - perhaps next year - of allowing (good quality) artificial turf to be used up to FA Cup Third round. This will require the approval of all the clubs but they feel, as we do, that there is a strong case for it now seeing as it is proven (by those nice people at Fifa) that today's high quality synthetic surfaces play like good natural grass surfaces and cause no additional levels of injury to players.

Additionally they also agree with us and others (the Chairman of Folkestone was also making a similar point) that such turf is the way forward for many clubs such as ours who only have room for one pitch and need to generate commercial revenues to survive. And if all that were not enough argument there's also the fact that you can get all your junior and community club teams playing 'at home' on a good surface.

Now if this is done and approved it is fantastic news! It can only facilitate further changes up the line in favour of allowing artificial turf because more and more influential football  people will realise just how good these pitches are and that they favour high quality football.

I had good meetings with suppliers and installers and now know a little bit more about what we need to install and how to go about it. We should be able to choose a supplier in the next few weeks. I'm not sure exactly what payment terms we may end up with. However you may be interested to know that all the pitch related costs are 'only' about 20% of the total project cost. We are still chasing after the final third (£500k) of our overall project financing. This means that while we are planning to start on site we don't yet have the funds to finish!

We will have to beg, borrow or print in order to make up the shortfall over the next few months as we go along. That is why Terry, Bill and I keep urging you to contribute as much as you can afford to our efforts, raise money, buy lottery tickets, keep the ground fund rising, etc. We are very sensitive to your efforts and every time you dig deep into your pockets and show support it really encourages us to do the same.

As for the thorny question of admission cost I know times are tough but I hope all our supporters and those from other clubs will still be able to come along in great numbers this season. As stated above every effort helps the cause and is recognised by everyone at the club. I am sorry if there are some who may not be able to afford to come. As you know we don't yet have any other significant sources of revenue next season to help us along the way.

Finally, is it arrogant to be ambitious? No of course not! I am ambitious for the club to get back to James Whatman Way as soon as possible. I am optimistic because a town the size of Maidstone should be able to host a professional football club at Conference level. I am ambitious because Maidstone has a huge catchment area and we expect new business and individual supporters to rally to the cause when the new ground is under way. If and when that happens, any and all ambitions will be limited simply by the revenues we can generate through the club. We will run it like a normal business.

The more money we can generate from the facilities and supporters and business locally, the more we can plough back into the playing side. The more money we have to borrow to build the ground however, the more interest and capital we will have to pay back for a few years to come. And this will have some knock-on effect on how much is left for the playing side. It's simple. So yes, we are very ambitious but with all our feet firmly on the ground; we are humble, not arrogant.

Sorry for going on a bit but you know we like to keep you posted.

Have a good summer.

Just the ticket

Terry Casey

There has been some interest over the ticket pricing for next season and I thought I would take this opportunity to explain the thinking behind asking supporters to pay £10 for a ticket.

The first and most important point to make is, as many of you know, the club has to pay £2 of the admission price to HMRC and therefore only receives £8.  Furthermore, as the club did not pay any VAT for the previous four years, we have now been forced to set out a re-payment programme which hopefully will eventually re-pay the £25k the club currently owes. Not paying the VAT could jeopardise the very existence of the club.

Please also consider the club’s ambitions both on and off the pitch. We have a stadium to build that will cost £1.6million and will give the club a home after more than 20 years in exile.  Many of the supporters of the club feel that one day we may return to the football league which seems realistic after seeing AFC Wimbledon achieve that feat. Our potential and ambitions is far greater than any other club in the Ryman South so to compare Maidstone United FC to others in the league is like comparing apples to oranges.

Even with the ticket prices as they are we have no hope of meeting the costs of the next season through the turnstiles alone. Our average attendance was 311 at Ashford but our loyal supporters are our best chance of at least coming close to the £170k required to keep the club afloat.

I am unashamedly asking the supporters to help the club by paying an extra £1 or £2 more than Whitstable Town or Ramsgate are asking. Every single penny that comes through the turnstiles goes to the survival of the football club. Nobody receives a wage for what we do and Oliver and I will have invested over £1million into the club to both ensure its very existence and to make sure that we play our games back in Maidstone.

I am not seeking anything from the supporters except their support by their attendance at matches in return we will put a team on the pitch that you can be proud and that will give us a realistic hope for promotion next season.