To our dear fans, family, and friends,
First and foremost, on behalf of Wakefield AFC, we would like to wish you a great holiday season and a lot of health and success in 2024. We are humbled for all the support we’ve received this year, and we couldn’t thank you enough for your dedication to Wakefield AFC.
It’s been exactly two years since VO2 took over the club. It is crazy to think about December 23rd, 2021 – a dark day for us for reasons we prefer to keep it private – the club was on the verge of collapse, owed money to basically everyone it interacted with, was sitting 7th in the league on Step 7, had no juniors or women’s football and averaged less than 200 supporters a game.
Fast forward to 2023 and we can say we finally we shifted from undoing past mistakes to actually build something the community can be proud off and support. From rebranding to our move to Belle Vue this was an important year for Wakefield AFC. This transformation wouldn’t have happened without our dedicated staff, volunteers and fans. You’ve made it happen.
To quantify our progress:
- Average attendance increased by over 80% year-on-year;
- Social media following has grown more than threefold in the last 24 months;
- 1 league title and one playoff appearance;
- Club debt has been reduced by over 85%, with a goal of zero debt within 36 months;
- Reduced operational loss by 60% while increasing playing budget by 2x;
- From a failed academy to a thriving junior section with more than 300 kids.
Going forward we will keep investing in better facilities for our players and staff and a better match experience for our fans. We thank you for your patience, but we believe starting in February we will be playing with the new stand open, improving fan and match viewing experience significantly.
Another area of focus is Wakefield AFC Juniors. The work being done by Iain, Paul, Keith, Emma, Michael, coaches and parents has been fantastic and they turned this project into reality. We are very competitive in all age groups and have some incredible talent on our teams. For 2024, the goal is to keep expanding gradually and get to +400 kids in our program. We also plan to start a girl’s academy next Spring so please visit the juniors page and register your interest.
However, training facilities remain a pressing concern. The club’s major expense is pitch rentals, impeding Junior growth and financial stability. We are prepared to invest in the community and we need urgent resolution in this particular area.
In terms of sporting performance, we are moving in the right direction and this season’s playing style and intensity is much closer to our goal compared to last seasons. We will keep signing young and technical players that can grow with the club. Success will be judged by a blend of results, adherence to WAFC playing philosophy, and player development.
We invest in facilities and performance analysis to ensure player development happens. This strategy will pay off financially long term while also creating loyalty and attachment to the club. We see that as a reality today with a few of our first team regulars.
This season our goal is to fight for promotion and from now on, every game needs to be treated like a final. We haven’t achieved anything yet and there are at least 6 other teams in this league that have quality to go up. Having said that we trust our current squad, this is a great group of players that are resilient and care about the club and the outcome of this season. They deserve and appreciate all of your support.
On the women’s side the girls have playing as well as ever but we have to be realistic as only one team gets promoted and we compete with the likes of Bradford City and Barnsley. They have more resources and a much bigger scouting network, so it’s more important than ever to build a girl’s academy so we can develop our own players that are attached to the club.
Finally, we would like to reaffirm our commitment to Wakefield AFC. We care for it deeply and will keep working as hard as ever to move forward in a sustainable and responsible manner while being competitive on the pitch.
We also want to thank our coaches, players, their families, our staff and dedicated volunteer group. These are passionate individuals that really care about the community and growing the club. It is much appreciated.
To our loyal fans, your support has been the cornerstone of our success. The club’s growth is a testament to our collective effort. We look forward to continuing this journey together in 2024.
Let’s do it again next year! To a great 2024!! Let’s go falcons.
#AWAW
Gui Decca – Chairman
Andre Ikeda – Board Member