First Q&A With our Chairman – wakefieldafc.co.uk

Dear Friends & Fans,

I hope this finds you well. Welcome to our first Q&A. The goal here is to keep improving communication and transparency and we will do this more often on top of monthly updates.

We got exactly 121 questions and comments which shows again how much this club is growing. It is impossible to answer all of it so we are grouping by topic and will try to cover every subject raised. So without much further ado let’s get to it.

GROUND

The club doesn’t have a solid foundation, we need our own home, what is the latest on this please
Is there any update on our own ground?
Realistically, when might we have our own stadium?
Is our own ground a priority

Gui Decca: A small non league stadium with a 4G costs between £1.5mm and £3mm. At the moment we average around 400 fans per game so it is economically not viable. Our goal is to first find a location to build 2 football pitches so we can train, expand the juniors and bring the community together. This is goal number one and without that the club can’t grow. If and when the club starts averaging 1500+ per game we will look into building our own stadium or co-own another local stadium.

An update on the current situation with finding a permanent home for the club would be appreciated
What are the current sites Wakefield AFC are looking to procure for our new home?
will moving back to the city of Wakefield be a priority for the club?
When do you expect to return to playing in Wakefield?
What year and where will be Wakefield Fc ground

Gui Decca: Conversations with council are still ongoing. For the first time it looks like there is light at the end of the tunnel and we have potential locations. There is very little available within the city limits and our goal is to be as close as possible to the city center so doing it in Wakefield is a priority. So a less than ideal option in Wakefield will be preferable than a better one far from it.

In terms of timing we have funding secured and plans to start today but we can’t control when it will happen. My expectation is to have the deal done this season and start building at some point in late 2025. You can be sure, we are on it on a weekly basis.

You previously mentioned that you have plans drawn up for a new ground for when we get land. Can you share any of that with us or tell us what the facilities would be? What would be the plan for how the ground would look year 1, year 5, year 10 etc

Gui Decca: Great question. Assuming we secure our desired location we would execute in phases as follows:

Phase 1: Our Base; Football pitch and clubhouse/club store
- Phase 2: Community: Build a second football pitch (4G)
- Phase 3: Growing: Turn 4G into a small football stadium (up to 1000 people).

Phase 3 can morph into something more ambitious if we get to a point where we are averaging meaningful crowds.

If we can’t build our own ground in Wakefield, what is the long term plan to stay at Featherstone?
Now we have stability for 2 years at Featherstone, what are the mid term plans of the club in terms of owning our own ground?
Are you looking to run out the 2 year contract with Featherstone or look to move when a viable option presents itself?

Gui Decca: Featherstone has been really nice to us and we have no intention of leaving before the contract is up. We will stay as long as it works for us and them as any build will take a few years. Fans and players love it. We are also working with Featherstone in a collaborative way to find alternatives to bring games to their facilities like we did with Halifax Womens x Leeds United.

Are you willing to share a new independent training/playing facility with Wakefield Trinity

Gui Decca: Yes and that is also true to Featherstone. Both clubs need training facilities and we have always been open to exploring options in a partnership to make it financially more viable as Rugby trains during the day and football and juniors at night so there is little overlap. Any facility we invest in will have the look and feel like Wakefield AFC otherwise it doesn’t make sense to us.

What can we as fans do to help secure our own ground?

Gui Decca: Do what we do. Keep following up with your local MP on a regular basis. Show how the club is important to you and your community. More importantly, come to our games – the bigger we are the more compelling our case becomes. Just look at what council did for Rugby in the last few years.

SEASON TICKETS

When will season tickets be available and how much will they cost once ready?
Is the absence of season tickets a money making decision made by the club?
When will season tickets be available to buy?
Will season ticket prices reduce because of the missed home games?

Gui Decca: We didn’t want to sell season tickets for Trinity and then announce the move to Featherstone. We are working with Featherstone to get it done at some point over the next few weeks. We prefer electronic tickets and we need to integrate with FR.

In terms of pricing we will adjust prorated for games missed of course and no, it was not a money making decision. The difference in money is irrelevant and season tickets guarantee better average crowds anyway so it’s a moot point.

RETAIL / KIT MANUFACTURER

Replica kit and merchandise is a big issue in terms of suppliers not providing items ordered in June and still not supplied or not going to be supplied. This affects both the supporter and the club in terms of getting the brand out and profitability
Are you considering changing kit manufacturers after the problems with Ellgren this season

Gui Decca: Yes, the current situation is not ideal. I’ve ordered (and paid) for custom leisurewear at the end of June and today as I write this (September 5th) I don’t have my gear. We have a contract where shirts are supposed to be delivered within a certain window and unfortunately Ellgren has a hard time delivering regularly within those timelines.

We have another season with Ellgren and when the time is up we will talk to other firms but realistically we’ve had worse issues with Macron. It would be easier to buy in bulk and rebrand with our logo but then we wouldn’t have custom shirts and fans and players like that. Ellgren is committed to improving delivery times and we are working with them to streamline the ordering process.

This is the first season we’ve been to watch Wakefield we tried to buy the club’s shirts but found it impossible it’s such a shame, surely you could have a team shop even if it online
Now back at Fev will the club shop be open again?

Gui Decca: Some good news here. The club has paid for a big retail order and items have been delivered last week. We are working with Featherstone to open our club shop at the stadium so fans can purchase items during games. From now until the end of the season we should always have gear in stock.

5-YEAR PLAN

Which league do you see yourselves competing in 5yrs time.
What is our 5 year plan?
Where do you see the club in 5 years?

Gui Decca: First, if we don’t get our own facilities there is no 5 years. We can’t invest our time and money if the City and local business don’t get behind the club. We are not doing this to play football manager, the only goal is to build a real club.

Having said that in 5 years we would like to have training facilities and have achieved 2 promotions to become an established Northern Premier club. It is easier said than done as we’ve seen the last two seasons – we need to put our heads down, work and take it one step at a time.

Do we still have plans to get into the football league at some point?

Gui Decca: This was a crazy promise made by previous owners to try to raise money since they didn’t have funds to complete one season of Sheffield and Hallamshire.

The club will go as far as our and your support takes us. That means constantly growing attendance and commercial revenue as it wouldn’t make sense to keep investing in wages to get promoted if attendance is not following. To be competitive at the national league level after “Wrexham inflation” clubs need to spend between £700k to £2 mm in wages per year. That’s the National league. That’s why we need our own facilities, without it there’s no way we can generate enough revenue to get out of Steps 6 to 3.

ON-FIELD

Player recruitment has been great – how do we keep them? A settled playing staff is key.

Gui Decca: Thanks, we like our players too. We have to be realistic when we sign players from 2 divisions above – if they are performing well they will look to leave (i.e. Jordan Helliwell). There is nothing wrong with that, we take that risk when we sign them as we want good technical players. What do we do to keep them? We have fans, the best facilities to play and train at this level, a great manager in Junior that plays progressive football that players like, we pay competitive wages and provide full support from staff and board.

Who picks the team…
The board seems to have the ruling decision around the hiring and firing of players. Why does the deciding factor not sir with the manager, who is hired to manage the players?

Gui Decca: Thanks for the opportunity to answer this. The board never (not even friendlies) picked who’s playing, starting and formation. No manager worth their salt would accept a deal without autonomy and that’s the case with Junior (and Gabe and Adam). The club, like in the pro game, has a say on who we sign. That’s how it works: the manager requests a player based on his needs. The board and scouts find options within our budget. Those options are discussed with the manager and based on a variety of factors we settle on a final name. Once the player is in it is the manager’s responsibility. 100% of players signed (and released) over the last 3 years were approved and/or requested by the manager.

How are you going to compete with early pace-setters?

Gui Decca; We are competing already and we will go up the table and be competing by the end of the season. 100%. We have a good squad and will keep scouting non stop to try to improve the quality or cover for injuries if we need to.

Concerns about turn over of players, what’s the issue? We are not paying as much as everyone else?

Gui Decca: We normally don’t lose players the manager wants to keep. At this level some players will leave when they are not starting regularly. Some stay and fight for their place but most prefer to get guaranteed player time – we don’t do that.

Why did it take so long to get going with transfers this season

Gui Decca: We got most of our business done in the off season (Owen, Morgan, Kiyani, Keegan, Steve and Scott). It’s a two way road, and while players not starting here will leave, the same happens at other clubs so opportunities will appear in the market. When they do, we will act quickly like we did with Akeel, Asamoah and Jimmy Eyles.

Signing more reputable players

Gui Decca: Like doctors? Lawyers? Remember, you had a Sir. You know how that ended.

MEDIA / MARKETING

How about more signs to get people to come and watch Wakefield?

Gui Decca: We are looking to get a few signs up but these cost £ and we are trying to raise sponsorships to do it.

Is there any chance of watching the games live online for a fee?

Gui Decca: I would love to do it. We did it last year and streamed 2 games. We asked for donations and got the whooping amount of zero pounds in income.

Is there any chance of getting highlights on YouTube ? Maybe even some commentary
Are we likely to improve media production for the people who cannot attend matches with the move back to Featherstone? Eg. Commentary highlights, improved camera work and updates.

Gui Decca: As you’ve probably seen, the social media coverage has greatly improved since the beginning of the season and goals and highlights are being posted already. Starting IX and other info is also being shared on a consistent basis. There’s improvement to be made of course but the new social media manager is bringing new volunteers to the team and coverage should keep improving. Last year full game highlights were done by an employee from VO2 Capital. This employee is now helping with performance analysis and analytics to help JR and staff. We plan to get back to it at some point in the near future as we expand our social media team.

What are the plans to grow the support? Everyone in the city should be aware that we have a football team, which is currently not the case
Are you considering maintaining a current sponsor and club sponsorship to help us with the development of the club
What are your plans to increase attendances?
How can the fans help the club attract more fans?

Gui Decca: Social media, marketing in town, expanding the juniors among other initiatives. There are many ideas we would like to execute like going to schools, organizing in town events,etc. Problem is, every idea requires more volunteering and we are short on people. Please reach out to Emma if you want to get involved.

Other than that, keep pushing within your community. Nothing better than word of mouth from people that actually attend the games. From our end we are working on signs, more free tickets to Juniors and kids. We also expect free for U16 to attract more fans.

FAN INVOLVEMENT

Would you support a fan club/ supporters trust?
Would you be in favour of a supporters association?

Gui Decca: We would support a supporters trust if it is done like Exeter City where there is a contribution in terms of time and financially in return for a board seat and involvement within the club.

What are the plans to strengthen ties and communication between the club and its fans?

Gui Decca: Monthly updates and this Q&A on a regular basis. We will also record a podcast every quarter to help expand on plans and talk football. JR will be involved as the fans want to hear from him and players, not only us.

What can fans do to help the club more?

Gui Decca: Promote the club within your community. Offer to volunteer – we need media and a store manager at this point. Be more positive. We have a tendency to trash the manager and club when we lose a reserve player but don;t get nearly the same reaction when we sign a League 2 striker. Be present: Yes, relocation was difficult and some prefer FR, some prefer WT. Instead of not coming to the game, voice your concerns by writing to the club and talking to Emma/staff. We are always open to answer questions.

I purchased some shares for myself and my family. Are these still valid

If the shares have become invalid purchased by the ordinary working man. Then these should be re valid. We need to grow as a club and keep the supporters interested.

Gui Decca: Thanks for the question. The shares were sold by previous ownership under a scheme we had nothing to do with. We honored these shares and kept every single person that bought shares on the cap table so your shares are valid.

GENERIC

I’m doing a charity event would you donate a shirt or match tickets or even a cash donation It’s in aid of Andy’s man club

Gui Decca: Please contact Emma. We would be happy to help with fundraising.

Get schools and youngsters involved

– Promote and advertise matches better, Get players & coaches involved with local schools to get them interested and maybe hand out tickets offering a free chocolate bar and programme on entry for every child with a paying adult

Gui Decca: We do reach out to schools and junior teams on a weekly basis. This Saturday one of our junior players will host his party at the stadium and will invite classmates. It is a slow process, fans don’t see it but we keep doing it behind the scenes.

If your kid’s school wants to get involved we are open to talk.

With a high percentage of clubs using the scholarship program to introduce youth players into the 1st team while also raising funds for the club £6k per student, why has the club not moved on this?

Gui Decca: It was one of the many failed initiatives from previous ownership. We have no facilities, the economics really dont work well to start an education program and we don;t want to offer a poor product. Our plan to introduce youth players into the team is Wakefield Juniors. Our oldest age group is U16 so we should be getting the first trialists next season.

Is there a club higher up the pyramid that you look to for inspiration? For example, I know that a lot of Brighton and Manchester City seem to have admirers trying to replicate their model of success.

Gui Decca: We like what Brighton and Brentford do. We’ve had access to other pro clubs in the past (Red Bull, Cruzeiro, etc) and are always talking to people and looking to learn. In terms of non-league I think what Dorking Wanderers and Forest Green Rovers did is quite remarkable in terms of building a club and moving sustainably up the leagues.

What’s the infrastructure look like for running the club on a day to day and game day basis? Short falls? Opportunities?

Gui Decca: Football department is well structured and JR has a staff he recruited. We also have a great Chief Scout. Analytics and performance analysis is performed by VO2.
Off the pitch we need more social media, event organizer, marketing/sales, podcast/media editor and other roles. It is really hard to do what we do and grow as fast as we did as revenue from sponsorships and tickets at this level is negligible compared to the costs of running a club. Most of the work is done by our small devoted staff and board in the wee hours of day and night.

Finally, other local clubs use kids programs to pay 1st team wages. We don’t do that and revs from Juniors go back to the Juniors.

Have you thought about loaning young players from nearby, eg from Leeds, Doncaster, Bradford, Halifax?

Gui Decca: You can’t loan players from the Football League (FA rules). Not that they would come anyway. But a lot of our current and past players played in pro academies: Leeds: (Mase, Aaron), Barnsley (Helliwell, Henry), Doncaster: (Morgan, Keegan) etc

A club mascot definitely a falcon in the white kit with yellow legs or something like that maybe not a full blown costume but definitely a head of a falcon with the sword wakefield as well

Gui Decca: Let’s make a deal. You find someone that will be the mascot and we buy the costume. Volunteers pls contact Emma.

Do you think the cheese on the cheesy chips is getting warm enough to melt properly off the chips? Or should they put them under a grill for a few seconds?

Gui Decca: A hard hitting question. At Brazilian Stadiums, we normally just consume drinks and peanuts. Cheese on chips is a no. I do see the point in having melted, it would be bad if they were not. Will raise the issue.

Well, I feel we finished with the best one. Sorry if your question was not answered – it is saved for the next update. Thanks to the fans that had no questions and just wanted to praise Emma, JR, volunteers and staff. They got your messages and they massively appreciate the support. No one is doing this for money and the recognition from the fans community goes a long way to keep our staff and volunteers motivated.

Talk again next month, Best,

Gui Decca