Page 13 - link magazine

swindonlink.com • July 2008 13
Into the light at Swindon Town FC See Swindon Town for less than £10

A new era dawned at the beginning of the year when Swindon's football per game and receive a unique replica shirt
club was taken over. Chief executive Nick Watkins sets out the vision for
the club and reaches out to the wider community. The club has introduced an attractive season ticket package
which gives you the chance to see games for less than £10 per I
After a number of dark and financially difficult years, Swindon Town match, and only £7.35 for 16 to 21 year olds.
Football Club finally emerged from the gloom, when Andrew Fitton led
his consortium up the steps of the County Ground and took control of But this is dependent on 6,000 season tickets being sold by
the club. Under the Andrew Fitton banner, a bright and exciting future 1 August.
has now dawned for this club that is steeped in history. If the ambitious goal is reached, buyers will save over £100 on top
The deal to acquire the club was • The entire playing surface has priced season tickets and over £231 on match day prices. As a
concluded in mid-January and the been removed, new drainage in- bonus all season ticket holders will get a free limited edition 1969
new owners im medi ately took over stalled, the pitch levelled and new shirt that won't be available to purchase in the shops.
day-to-day control. Having known seed sown; Over 3,500 tickets have been sold, the push is now on to boost
Andrew Fitton for over 20 years and • A new season ticket initiative, town support by 1 August. Junior tickets are just £3 per game, un-
often talked about bringing profes- designed to secure over 6,000 season der 7s go free and there is a great deal on family season tickets.
sional management practice into a ticket holders, has been launched - To find out more, call the club ticket office on 0871 223 2300.
professional sporting environment, see right; www.swindontownfc.co.uk
I was invited by the consortium to • A new ticketing system has been
take the role of chief executive. installed;
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Taking STFC forward, from left, Jeremy Wray (Director), Nick Watkins (CEO),
Maurice Malpas (Manager), Andrew Fitton (Chairman), Daze Byrne (Assistant
Manager)
We found a club in a state of some • The stadium is undergoing a
disarray and in need of urgent at- complete face lift and smarten up;
tention. The immediate task was • A new fitness and conditioning
to get the club off life support, into coach has been recruited;
intensive care and then begin the • The hospitality areas are being
process of steady rehabilitation. refurbished;
Five months of hard work sorting • The 2008/09 budgets was pre-
out the financial matters and intro- pared in great detail and presented
ducing proper processes, has seen to the Board on 16 June;
the patient now in a stable position • Designing and ordering new
and ready to take the next steps. playing kit;
These are centred on the introdu c- • Completing negotiations with
tion of a 5S strategy throughout the new sponsors and announcing our
club which is built around: Sort out, partnership with Britain's biggest
Set Up, Shine, Standardise, and Sus- selling monthly football magazine,
tain. I am confident that adoption FourFourTwo;
of this approach will have positive • Refitting and smartening up the
impacts across the entire club which club shop;
will be evident to everyone. • New players for next season are
The actual season ended on 3 May being identified and assessed;
and at that time the start of the new • Development and introduction
2008/09 season seemed a very long of community related projects.
way off. But time has flown by and The management of these and
it is now but a few weeks before we many more issues has kept every-
host Portsmouth FC at the County body highly motivated and there is
Ground for the first of our pre- great excitement and anticipation
season friendlies (18 July). to see the County Ground and the
Whilst the players may have been club restored to its former glory,
on holiday, the rest of the staff at the once more standing proud in the
club have been busily working on a Swindon community.
whole range of initiatives. To give If you have passed up the op-
readers a taste of what goes on in portunity to watch your town's
the incredibly short closed season football club, I very much hope that
period (May to August) these are you will consider taking up the very
some of the key topics that are be- attractive season ticket offer.
ing addressed: www.swindontownfc.co.uk