Focusing on football

Sandgrounders calling for return of supporters before campaign kicks off as club begins

SOUTHPORT FC will start the 2021/22 National League North campaign with promotion top of the agenda.

But the club insist the season should only kick off once supporters are allowed back into stadiums.

The Government recently announced that fans would be permitted to attend games from May 17th and it’s hoped by the time next season starts that grounds can welcome home and away spectators at full capacity.

It’s something the Sandgrounders boss Liam Watson and his fellow board members see as imperative for non-league clubs.

Speaking on the club’s recent Zoom update with supporters, director Ian Kyle said: “We have been sensible, we’ve not thrown money at something last season because we knew there were going to be problems.

“I don’t think our position starting next season is going to be weakened, everyone knows Liam and his goals, we’re not going to be going into the season wanting anything other than to get promoted. That’s our goal, that’s what we’ve got to work at as a board, get a squad together that we feel can do the job. Let’s not look at five-year plans, let’s look at next season and let’s concentrate on that.

“I think over the last 12 months it’s been more like a five-minute plan! Everything has been changing so quickly.

“First and foremost, we are making loud noises to the league at the moment that the season should start only if we can all be assured that fans can be in the ground.

“Football at every level, not just our level, without fans just isn’t working properly. I’ve said before that people get involved in non-league football for the day, going along, seeing their mates for a pint, being close to the action. It just didn’t work at all without fans. That’s out first call – let’s get fans back in and then the football can start properly.”

When asked if work on the stadium would be a priority in the immediate future, Kyle said: “We’ve done the Main Stand, we’ve done the pitch, the toilets - the main things that people were asking for. We want to concentrate on the team.

“This is a football club let’s concentrate on the team and where we are moving forward with regards next season. There are no plans to do any of the main works to the stadium at the moment. That might change as the next twelve months go on, but let’s remember, we are just out of the pandemic, no money coming into the club at all for nigh-on twelve months, so let’s get our house in order and worry about the football.”

He did reveal that the

Ian Kyle

club was looking into whether or not the Government’s recent announcement that Southport was to receive £37.5m in a new town deal could involve the Sandgrounders in any way.

“We’ve been looking at that and trying to make noises to see where we might fit into it,” he said.

“It’s relatively new - I think we need to be having long chats with lots of people in the Southport community, not just because of that but let’s get the whole town back up and running.

“The football is a big side of that, the football club is a big part of that. These are all conversations we can have through the summer and moving towards next season.

“There are three or four potential sites where we could have a relationship with the council in relation to potential 4G pitches because grants are available and the area is crying out for it. It’s more a question of which area is most suitable and how much ownership can we as a club have over that. Our starting point will be that any such project in that sense, the club would love to own outright.

“It would be fantastic for the club as an income. Covid put to the shelves all conversations in that respect several months ago, but it is something we are looking to regenerate and restart.”

The board are already working towards next season and the recent recruitment of Tony Evans will help with that.

“I think we’re really lucky that Tony got in touch with us and wanted to get involved, and if we can attract people of Tony’s calibre, we’re always going to talk to anyone who we feel can bring a lot to the table,” said Kyle.

“Time will show that we’re really lucky to get Tony on board and if there are other people who contact us of a similar vein, then I don’t think there are many football clubs who would turn them away at the moment!

“The four of us have to get our heads down and concentrate on the way forward and focus on how we get out of the situation that coronavirus has left us in last year and how we move forward and start planning for next season.”

We’re not going into the season wanting anything other than to be promoted