The last few weeks have been a depressing and worrying time for all of us who care about Altrincham Football Club. A poor run of results saw our league prospects falter and then crumble completely. The severity of the financial situation facing the club has been brought to the fore, and there has been a lack of certainty about the future of the management and the players, in our first team, reserves and youth team. With this background, it is perhaps not surprising that the performance on the field has suffered badly. Unsurprisingly, the club has been awash with rumour and speculation. Questions have been asked about player and management contracts, who will take over from Chairman when Mark steps down, will we have a youth team next season etc.

As a Board, we will be completely open with you. We will give you what answers we know now. If you want to know more then ask. Firstly the financial news. This club has huge debts by which we mean around £200,000 in total. It should be no great surprise to anyone to hear that we are keeping this club surviving on a day to day basis. We are continually looking at piles of final demands for payment some in the hundred, some in the thousands, and trying to balance the small income of the club against these pressing debts. Today it might be BT, tomorrow the water bill, the next day another instalment of Inland Revenue payments due, or we face legal action. The club can probably survive on this day to day basis until the end of this season but no longer than that.

Please read that last sentence again carefully and understand its consequences.

To echo what was said in the meeting we had with fans a couple of weeks ago, this club needs to find at least £50,000 within the next few months in order to survive. We have tested the level of support for a number of possible schemes to raise money quickly. The progress on these is as follows:

We have already launched the Alty100 scheme, seeking donations from individuals or businesses to help Altrincham reach its centenary in the 2002/2 003 season. The basic details of this scheme are as follows:

Corporate Business Sponsors will be provided with a certificate of thanks from the club, and an ‘Alty l00’ badge. Business’ names and addresses will be acknowledged in the trade directory, which will be published in the club programme throughout the season. It will also be made available on-line through the club web-site. Business sponsorship also includes a ticket to the Centenary Dinner, which will be held in 2003, at which all sponsors will be acknowledged. The cost of Corporate Business Sponsorship is £200 + VAT. Personal Sponsors are also invited for the ‘Alty 100’ scheme. Names of personal sponsors will be acknowledged in the programme, and participants will be provided with an ‘Alty l00’ badge. The cost of Personal Sponsorship is £100 (optionally payable in five instalments of £20).

So far, around 30 individuals and half a dozen businesses have pledged to contribute to the scheme. This represents around £4000 income to the club useful in meeting some of the short-term crises, but a long way from resolving our financial difficulties. We hope that further people may come forward to support the scheme, in response either to this plea in the programme, to the publicity in the Sale and Altrincham Messenger and Manchester Evening News, or to the direct appeals which are being sent direct to local businesses in the Altrincham area. If you are able to support the Alty l00 scheme, please contact Bob Peters, Dave Tracey or Jeremy Pollitt at the club. Your contribution is very much valued.

These amounts may seem small in comparison with the mountain of debt but they can make a huge difference to the club in the short term, and can buy time for larger financial initiatives to take effect. The second major proposal was the possibility of undertaking a Share Issue. Firstly we have had to check the club’s constitution and legal implications of any share issue. Share issues have to be authorised by special resolution passed by 75% of the current shareholders of the club. Two things are important if the share issue is to succeed. First the existing shareholders must support this as an appropriate route for the club to take. Secondly, there must be sufficient people willing to come forward to take up the shares that are made available. We have been testing general support for this route, but this is such a large decision for the club to take, that it is important that the option be debated at length in an appropriate forum. The AGM of the club will take place in the Sponsors’ Lounge on Monday 13th May at 7.00 p.m. and will provide an opportunity for opinions on the share issue route to be fully aired. If there is the necessary support at that stage, then the Board will call an Extraordinary General Meeting to approve a share issue.

When the new Board took office, part of the legacy it inherited was not only the debts, but also a huge wage bill for playing and administrative staff, which was well beyond the means of the club. Every week drew us further into debt. People have asked why did we not release players to ease the wage bill. The answer is contracts. The majority of player contracts run to the end of the season, and cannot be ended without financial penalty to the club. As a Board, we took a decision to maintain the wage bill until our run in the F A Cup was ended. The F A Cup gave us our best chance of financial return, and I think most people would agree that this decision was sound. People have suggested we should have brought in additional players and we would then have beaten Darlington. If the club had followed that route, and taken on those costs, there would be no Altrincham Football Club here today. If we had not met the Inland Revenue demands as a first priority, please understand - the club would have gone into liquidation.

We set a revised budget for the rest of the 2001/2002 season for the playing costs (taking into account what was possible with contract situations) - and the management team has been tasked to achieve that level. We have similarly been very clear about what the club can afford in playing costs for the 2002/2003 season, based on what the club can afford. In our view, Bernard and Graham have done an excellent job for the club this season. Until recently we were in with a chance of winning the league, we had a good F A Cup run, and we reached the final of the Cheshire 5enior Cup. More than this, in Bernard and Graham we have two men who share our love of Altrincham Football Club. Even so, as their contracts come to an end this season, the club is not in a financial position where it can offer the same remuneration as it has done previously.

Bernard has accepted undertaking the position of manager, on a further one- year contract, but operating on a part-time basis. Graham was offered the position of Club Secretary, but on a lower remuneration level, and has decided, with some reluctance and a great deal of genuine affection for Altrincham, that he can not accept this and that he will pursue his career in football elsewhere. Those of us on the board, many of whom recall watching Graham from the terraces more than twenty years ago, greatly value the contribution he has made. We will be extremely sorry to see him leave, and wish him the very best for the future. At the end of this season, if we can resolve our financial issues, then we obviously need to start thinking about building for the future. In the last few games, we have had to call on our youth team talent to step into the first team, and they have performed with pride and commitment. As we go forward, the Youth team will continue to play a key role in the future of the club.

Just one final question on the terraces who will take over as Chairman when Mark steps down at the end of the season? To be honest, it has seemed pointless to appoint a new Chairman, when the future of the club is still so much in the balance. We would like to see the present Board strengthened with the appointment of others who are willing to invest in the club and help secure its future. If people are willing to come on board and take on the role of Chairman, then we would not want to stand in their way, if it meant helping the future of the Club. If we can not find others to join the Board, then we can only hope to succeed if we have the full support of the fans, and the Chairman must be someone that the fans can trust with the future of the Club. We would listen to your views and act accordingly.

If there is anything that you feel is still unanswered, please feel free to ask. Call or write to us at the club, and we will answer your questions openly and honestly. Thanks for your support.

The Board of Altrincham Football Club.