Vice Chairman’s New Year Message
Traditionally, this is a time to look back over the previous year, and look ahead with hope and expectation for the one we are about to see in.
2016 saw improved on-field performances in the first half of the year which took us to the play-off final, only to fall at the last hurdle in the two legged tie against Queen’s Park.
Having gone close in 2015-16, the squad was strengthened for a bigger push this season. After a decent start we lost the services of new signings Jordan Lowdon and Dylan Easton to cruciate injuries, while Scott Ferguson is still trying to recapture his full performance levels after sustaining a similar injury back in February. The additional loss of JP McGovern has left the squad short of key players in key areas of the pitch.
No one at the club will pretend that they are content with fourth position, 13 points behind the leaders, going into the New Year. Promotion remains the target, either automatic, or through the play-offs. The expected return of McGovern during the first quarter of 2017 will strengthen the squad, as the recovery progress of Lowdon and Easton is continued to be monitored closely. We also have the prospect of our first Scottish Cup fourth round appearance for eleven years and a goalscorer, Peter MacDonald, who is already well into double figures at the halfway point of the season.
On a sadder note, we can’t let the untimely passing of Chris Mitchell be forgotten, on the very day we had reached the play-off final after a fine performance at Elgin. That news had a devastating impact on the playing and coaching staff as we entered that final. We have also lost some lifelong Bully Wee fans who passed away during 2016, who will be missed by many of us.
Off the field, work continues on a number of areas fundamental to securing the club’s medium and long term security. Twelve months on, progress on our permanent location has been made in the respect that discussions on a four-site shortlist are beginning to crystallise. The Board has been criticised for the length of time it has taken to bring this project to fruition, but we remain committed to finding the site that provides the club with the sustainable future we seek.
The change of senior management at Broadwood earlier in the year brought with it a significant improvement in the working relationship between the club and our landlords, resulting in a number of initiatives which have improved our operational activities. We now benefit from the use of a new office in the Rugby Academy pod, where Club 58 is also situated, a new Boardroom, the return of hospitality facilities on the third floor and the return of other matchday facilities including for the match announcer and filming team. Additionally, the first team is now training on the Broadwood Campus on Tuesday nights.
These activities have allowed us to achieve modest increases in matchday income and reductions in matchday costs. However, there remains a significant gap to fill before where we can achieve long term sustainability here at Broadwood. We continue to look for ways of closing that gap.
In terms of Board structure, we were unable to successfully conclude negotiations to appoint a new Chairman in mid December and are currently in discussion with other candidates. Meanwhile, David Wiseman was formally appointed to the Board at the December AGM following his co-option earlier in the year.
The season began with two new sponsors in the form of Advance Construction and Heartfelt as home and away shirt sponsors respectively and we are grateful to them for their support. We have also just concluded a new Club Partner sponsorship arrangement with Creditfix, which will run for the first six months of 2017 with a view to extending the deal into season 2017-18.
The Clyde Community Foundation, chaired by John MacKinnon, has made significant progress during 2016, delivering throughout the local community and beyond. The community team, led by Tom Elliott and Karen Welsh have promoted the Clyde name and raised our profile to schools, homes, local government and businesses in the area. This activity and impact will increase throughout 2017. The work of the Foundation is fundamental to our location plans, and this ability to deliver community benefit will be critical to location grant funding negotiations and bids during 2017.
Throughout 2016, the club has once again relied far too heavily on a reducing band of volunteers. Despite pleas to our own support to come and give their time, however little, we have been very disappointed with the response. Running a senior football club at this level takes an enormous amount of time, work and effort so if you want your club to survive and prosper, we’d ask you to offer your support. Take a lead from the small group of fans who got together and ran a Race Night just a few weeks ago and raised £3500 – an outstanding effort.
We simply wouldn’t have our club were it not for those dedicated volunteers. They can’t all be mentioned, but they know who they are and they are all vastly appreciated.
We’d like to thank you all for supporting our great club in the year just ended and ask you to give the team your 100% backing in 2017. All at the club wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
John Taylor
Vice Chairman