To our Friends, Staff, and Fans,
It’s been a while since our last update. We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to secure a sustainable future for the club and it’s important for you to know where things stand.
Quick football comment before we get started. The board’s main role for the past couple seasons has been supporting the management team we have in place while working on the long term plans for the club. From this perspective, we are happy with Jason’s work since he arrived at the club and although we do not have one of the highest budgets of the division anymore, we are still competitive. We like this squad and believe we will always have a good, technical and hard running team which is all we expect at the moment.
Moving to the key issue around the club, which is finding a permanent home for Wakefield AFC:
We talk regularly with other non league and EFL clubs and it is undeniable that clubs that own their ground are better off long term than ones that don’t, regardless of results on the pitch.
By owning we mean full, long-term, control of land and stadium, not just a subsidized rental from local council or other private organizations. Looking at other clubs in non league across the pyramid (i.e. Bath City, etc.) any meaningful capital investment is being done in facilities or in clubs that have their own facilities. We need to unlock this potential at WAFC.
This is the single most important thing we can do for this club’s future, and we are putting everything we have into making it happen. We’ve been having weekly conversations with Wakefield Council, reaching out to investors, land and facility owners and other organizations that can help on this development.
In terms of location and structure we are currently working through terms on a long term lease at Brook Farm, to turn it into a proper sporting facility that serves Wakefield, local junior clubs and the neighborhood around it. On top of that, we’ve had approaches from other groups interested in partnering on real estate development in other areas close to town, which tells us this direction has real legs beyond just us. Like us there’s many that still believe that football can be big in Wakefield.
Progress with the Council has been genuinely good, better than at any point since we started this. The new officials have been extremely supportive of community oriented sporting facilities funded by private initiative and we are optimistic about where this is heading.
We obviously can’t disclose details of live negotiations but we can say the project will be funded with resources external to Wakefield AFC. At the moment, the club cannot afford to build a facility as current income covers only 40% of clubs expenses, with the remainder funded by the board. In terms of timing our goal is to reach a commercial agreement over the next few weeks and then move to planning approval and secure funding for the build out.
What is the end game? Based on our current model for the facility, once built the revenues will generate enough funding to make the club sustainable, allowing for investment in the football structure and as a result push hard for quick promotions while growing sponsorships, fanbase etc.
We will keep you posted over the next few weeks as we move forward. In the meantime I ask you for full support of the club, Jason and this squad. I would also like to invite you to reach out to contact@vo2cap.com if you want to join the club as a commercial partner, volunteer or if you have practical ideas to move the club forward. We genuinely want more fans involved in the club.
Up the Falcons.
Gui Decca & Wakefield AFC Board