Positives as club looks at long- term
THE Chairman of Sligo Rovers, Martin Heraghty, said progress was being made with regard the future years of the club with the recent launch of the Strategic Plan. He told members at the club’s AGM in the Clayton Hotel on Tuesday evening that it was vital to set out a vision for the club, while acknowledging the challenges that lie ahead.
He said: “When we look back, there was progress made with the completion of the Strategic Plan, which was launched before Christmas. This is addressing the challenges in the years ahead. The first one is the financial situation, that is always going to be a major challenge. It has improved, but it remains very difficulty,” he pointed out. He said the fundraising commitments of the club were fantastic adding the goodwill from fans was tremendous. “The ambassadors fundraisers gave the club a great boost yet it is a struggle to get through the season. The run up to the start of the season is always hard. I want to thank those who made the € 100 contribution, that is a headstart.” He said that the club has been re- engaging with the FAI in recent weeks in relation to the Premier Club Alliance.
Sligo Rovers is a € 1m business annually, the chairman added, and that the club cannot be going season to season ad hoc, instead it has to have a five year plan in place.
Mr Heraghty said the underage element of the club was also costing in excess of € 70,000 to run. “The underage structures, including the new U15s in August, along with the U17s and U19s are a large cost, in excess of € 70,000.” The chairman praised Vincent Nally who stepped in to management tasks, which were needed during the season too, as there were increased demands on volunteers and the need for full- time resources. “On the field, the team had to be completely rebuilt. The season was a bit of a rollercoaster, with us being so close to European qualification, while our home form was very strong, beaten only twice. The season was disrupted by the Euros and a change in fixtures and this impacted on gate receipts. As was said before, we need to be getting in excess of 2,000 regularly at the Showgrounds,” the chairman said.
He praised those involved in the committee who organised the Sligo Rovers awards night too at the end of the 2016 season. Looking ahead, he said this will be a very competitive season. “The competitive edge will be heightened with the move in 2018 to a ten- team League, so it will be a very competitive season, with four clubs qualifying for Europe, while three out of twelve will be relegated to the First Division.” He said the club has taken steps to prepare for the season, such as offering extended player contracts, he added. “We need to get everyone behind the club, the strength of the community and the commitment and passion is huge.”
The Strategic Plan, while being ambitious, was also realistic and focuses on the longer- term, with a guided plan or the club, the chairman pointed out. Mr Heraghty said the recently published Sligo Rovers history book was a credit to the Heritage committee for their hard work at compiling the extensive book.
“We need resources, financial and human. A management committee with sub groups, roughly ten different groups, needs to be set up to help spread the burden and ensure we do things better. I appeal to members and supporters to look at the sub groups and think about becoming involved. I am glad to speak to anyone who is interested in helping out, we need to get a move on a plan as quickly as we can.
“I want to thank all the supporters, fellow committee members, all the staff, volunteers of the club.
“We all know the vagaries of football can be determined by a bounce of a ball. Let’s hope we get the luck of the ball as the new season begins,” the chairman added.