I hope you are well and in good health during these terribly difficult times for all of us.
Yesterday’s decision by EFL clubs is one we welcome. While I made no secret earlier in the process of my desire for the League to be completed in full, as time passed this became more difficult. With this in mind, I feel the clubs came to a sensible and inevitable verdict. We now face the prospect of a hugely exciting end to the season and Joey the team will be doing everything they can to give us the best possible chance of success.
This has undoubtedly been the most challenging period of my time at Fleetwood Town and also for me personally with my group of companies, and one which will have a long-lasting effect on football and this country. Thankfully we are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel and it’s been a huge boost to everyone to have our players returning to Poolfoot and training this week.
I understand how difficult this has been for everyone, and I’d like to personally thank you for your understanding and patience in continuing to support us during this time. The loyalty shown by our fans, sponsors, and particularly our Onward Card holders, has been nothing short of incredible - I can assure you it will not be forgotten.
While our play-off games will take place behind closed doors, we are hopeful a limited number of supporters will be allowed into the stadium sooner rather than later, and it will be those Onward Card holders who we will prioritise with access to the stadium first, whatever division we are in, so your loyalty will be rewarded.
We are confident, that our Onward Card holders will also be able to watch home games on iFollow next season, for any period they are unable to attend in person due to government restrictions as part of their benefits package.
Many of our supporters have contacted us to say they do not intend to ask for refunds on their Onward Card for 2019/20, and we are greatly appreciative of that. We do however also understand the struggles many people are going through financially now and anyone wishing to obtain a pro-rata refund should email the ticket office. For example, a full-priced adult card which cost £170 would be able to claim back £29.56 as compensation for the four home games missed.
In recent months we have been looking at all areas of the businesses to streamline without compromising the high standards we are proud to have built a reputation for. We’ve made a number of improvements to the offering to fans, and players to ensure the best possible experience for all.
Our excellent ground staff have overseen the relaying of a new pitch at Highbury Stadium and we’ve also invested in a brand new ticketing system which will make it much easier for you to purchase for home and away games in the future - more will be revealed on that soon. A new range of retail stock will be launched with our new online store website in the coming weeks, with brand new home and away shirts to follow next month.
As you know the club and our Poolfoot Farm complex has been closed since March, but thankfully we are now working on its phased re-opening. We are also undertaking a complete rebrand of the restaurant on site. We are also confident you’ll be able to use Poolfoot to enjoy watching the return of Football in England safely in our beer garden using our big screen in the very near future.
On the pitch, we’ve been able to agree on deals to extend the contracts of our key loan signings for the remainder of the season, a huge boost to everyone. The quality of our squad after January was there for everyone to see, and I’m delighted we’ve been able to keep it together for the play-offs. Hopefully, we can all end the season in style.
Stay safe and I hope to see you all back at Poolfoot and Highbury Stadium soon.
Andy