NOW PHIL YOUR BOOTS, ROBINS
PHIL PARKINSON says Altrincham are in the golden hour for moving into fulltime football.
The National League Robins are on course for another season of progression under boss Parkinson.
Since leaving Nantwich Town in 2017 to take over an Alty reeling from consecutive relegations from Step 1 to Step 3, they have won back-to-back promotions, completed two seasons back in Non-League’s top tier and continued their FA Cup tradition.
New plans – that have been in the pipeline – were revealed this week the playing squad will become full-time football for next season.
Parkinson, whose side currently operate on a traditional part-time Non-League model of Tuesday and Thursday night training, believes they have reached a glass ceiling.
And, in a division that is nearly all full-time, says it’s the right time to make the transition.
“For what we are as a football club in terms of a parttime club in the National League, we’ve done brilliantly,” Parkinson told The NLP.
“I just feel we’re going to hit a ceiling and if we don’t do something now, for me, the only way we will go is backwards. We might have another season of slight progression, but I feel the club is in a position where it’s one of those ‘now or never’ moments.
“Altrincham have got a history of yo-yoing up and down out of the National League. Looking at the National League at present, it’s more full-time than it’s ever been.”
It will mean a total overhaul of the squad this summer by Parkinson and his right-hand man Neil Sorvel.
Some fine servants were coming to the end of their run naturally, while others won’t be able to sacrifice the dual income of part-time football with work.
Culture
Recent recruitment has been with a view to this move and the 41-year-old says they will patiently piece together the rest of the squad and set a professional culture across the club.
“That will be the key; getting the right players, the right mentality and making sure the culture is correct,” Parkinson said. “We’ll be going from one of the last great standing, historical NonLeague teams and changing the identity of that, in terms of a part-time outfit where people are steeped in NonLeague culture. Whereas the professional side of things, as professional as we are now as a part-time team, will now need adjusting.
“It’s difficult when you have a culture change. It’s one of the biggest things we will have to do. I know on the football front we will be fine, we are set there. It’s making sure the club as a whole can understand – and it’s got to be done together – that everything has to be professional. It can’t just be just from a training or match day point of view, it’s got to be everything we do.
“That’s a big culture shift. It sounds simple but that’s one of the biggest challenges. You’ve got people at the club who have been volunteers for years and things will have to change. We want them to come along for the journey but people have to be willing to adapt.”
Parkinson believes he’s already shown the benefits of becoming the club’s first ever full-time manager ahead of this campaign.
Analogy
“It enabled me to really study the division and I’ve been able to learn a lot quicker than I would have if I was still lecturing and trying to fit in things between lessons and marking,” Parkinson said.
“That has helped me help the team. But now I think it’s also got to be the team helping itself by having the opportunity to sharpen the tools, get stronger, get better.
“I’ve used the analogy so many times, but I feel cer tain games are like FA Cup games. You can get by with a one-off. But all over Christmas it felt like we had an FA Cup game for two months – Wrexham, Stockport twice, Southend – who had kicked in at the time – Grimsby. If you’re ten per cent below you just get beat.
“Sometimes I felt we were turning up to a sprint race without spikes on. This is another gap we’re going to bridge where we’re at least on a level playing field.
“Alright, financially we won’t be and the players, in terms of what we can get, won’t be.
“But the work we will do with the lads will be as good as they’re getting elsewhere – I can pretty much guarantee that.”