WE’RE LEFT HANGING BY A WIRE
WARRINGTON Town chairman Toby Macormac reckons the coronavirus crisis has set the club back five years – but still wants to make sure the Yellows have a bright future.
Paul Carden’s troops lay third in the Northern Premier League Premier Division when play stalled last month and looked on course for another shot at the play-offs.
But with the season at Steps 3 to 7 declared null and void, hopes of winning promotion to National League North went up in smoke again.
While that was a blow for all with Wire connections, owner Macormack has been the one left counting the biggest cost – an estimated £70,000 income loss.
And when you’ve already pumped a ‘high-end six figure sum’ into the club since 2013, that’s a kick in the teeth you could certainly do without.
“It’s really tough,” said Macormac, who was invited to become involved with the club a decade ago and stepped up to become chairman three years later. “We had to suffer the Super Play-Off final last season and now this,” he said. “We were in third place and looking better by the week, in my opinion.
“That’s been reduced to nothing and we’ve been challenged by having no revenue streams. For example, the social club which helps raise finances between April and June for pre-season signings is shut and our small Astroturf pitch on site is closed.
Horizon
“It’s a major setback and we’re probably back where we were in 2014-15.”
While Macormac initially suggested he might be forced to ‘rethink’ his position at the club, he’s now come to the conclusion that he wants to carry on.
“Between now and September, when I think we will start again, it will be really difficult,” he said. “At least we’re in a great league with some great clubs and people involved in it – that makes you want to keep going.
“It’s challenging and you are trying to find different revenue ideas. Do I sell a bit of the club, do I take a season on the chin and rebuild? There’s a lot to think about, though I have plenty of time.”
A JustGiving crowdfunder has quickly raised more than £4,000 of an original £10,000 target to help with the club’s revenue shortfall and Macormac is hoping other fundraising ideas will also bear fruit.
He said: “We have got another couple of ideas on the horizon. One is a stand naming rights raffle for the Shed End with tickets at £100. We’re aiming for 100 entries, which would raise £10,000.
“We also have a number of shirts from all across the years which we can have an online auction for.
“Hopefully the crowdfunder and stand naming rights will tide us over. We will start the season but it’s on what footing. I still think we could be in for a short season, I don’t think we will start on time.”
One thing becoming evident as the coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc is that players across the Non-League landscape are likely to have to accept lower wages, especially in the short-term. It’s no different at Warrington.
“There will be a reduction, but we are hoping the majority of our squad are going to stay,” said Macormac, who turned 49 on Monday. “We want to put together a strong squad of 14 and take a gamble on some young players.
“Normally we start with 2022 and then shed a cou- ple of players once the early midweek fixtures are over.
“Our players have been great as has Paul. He’s keeping in touch with all the players and the WhatsApp group is busy. I think we will lose two or three.”
While the majority of clubs will have to cut their cloth accordingly, Macormack believes a few may prosper. “Their big benefactor’s business may not have been affected or their crowds won’t change too much,” he said. “A couple of clubs I know who are at Step 3 are raring to go and see it as an opportunity to finish higher than normal. They know their original budget isn’t going to be affected.”
As for Macormac, he’s prepared to keep shelling out to keep Warrington in business.
“The best way to describe it is that I decide how much the pies are and how much the strikers get paid,” he chuckled.
“I have put in what I’ve put in over the years and I never expected anything back. You shouldn’t be in the game for that at Step 3.
“There’s no full-time employees at our club, it’s run voluntarily. We’re trying to build something and give the community something it needs.”
Expectations
While he waits to see what the Yellows face in the coming season, Macormac is still keen to drive the club forward in the long-run, though insists it’s getting harder.
“If I had said in 2013 ‘can we get to the Football League from where we are now?’, then today I’d probably say ‘can we get to the Conference National?’. That’s because the game has changed and how difficult it is.
“Back in 2013 you could say the game was changing every six months. Now Non-League is changing at a rapid rate of knots. There are ground-grading changes, rising player wages to get where you need to get to, ex-pros dropping down earlier. It’s evolving all the time.
“It’s also about balancing expectations. Here, it is unbelievably high – because we won the play-offs at South Shields last season, there was an expectation we were going to walk it this season.
“However, our budget is the eighth or ninth biggest this year and we’re third. That’s testament to the hard work of Paul Carden, who made some fantastic signings.”
In his day job, Macormac has a sports group business with a couple of pubs. He also has a transport consultancy business.
“I’ve been involved in the transport game a long time. I go into companies that have problems and get them back on their feet. Sometimes it’s just the most obvious things,” he added
You get the feeling he’s going to need all that business nous now.