Fan-tastic to see flags flying back at stadium
AS THE season begins to gain momentum and the Stanley points tally start to grow nicely it has been great to see a sense of normality return to the Wham Stadium.
The matchdays have been well attended, protocols well respected and a general good day out has been enjoyed by all, excepting our visitors from Cambridge and Doncaster who both left for home with no points for their toils in East Lancashire.
The atmosphere generated by the Stanley Ultras has been exceptional as they vent their frustrations of 18 months of no football at the Wham Stadium and the flag displays have been a joy to behold.
The number of younger fans now joining the match day masses is on the increase which is testament to Andy Holt’s annual shirt giveaway project which will take place again this season in early October.
This project sees every year 3 pupil in Hyndburn borough receive a free Stanley Adidas shirt and also some goodies from the clubs sponsors.
Off the pitch the new hospitality and supporters bars are rapidly taking shape with an anticipated completion early in the New Year.
The club has released some early images of the new facilities with the ambition of developing one of the premier venues in the borough, both for matchday hospitality and a variety of non-matchday events.
The facility will host a “formal” hospitality lounge and a separate supporters bar, which will host a memories wall, but will also be eminently suitable for numerous types of events.
It is vital to the club that the facilities provide a new strong income stream which will ensure the club is on a sound financial footing for years to come and will assist the building of the team on the pitch.
It is the intention to appoint a venue manager to oversee the day to day running and profitability of the lounges.
The supporters trust were delighted to welcome former Stanley player Wille McInnes as our guest to the Cambridge game. Willie is probably the only surviving player from the strong
Stanley tema of the mid 50s. After retiring from the game in the early 60s he ran a local chip shop in Huncoat and still lives locally. He was also recently inducted into the Stanley Hall of Fame located on our fanzone at the ground.
He thoroughly enjoyed his visit and was amazed how many fans wanted to chat about his playing days.