If you've missed buying a programme...

...then you won't have read the first 'Commercial Column' of the season by Liam Hickey.

This is what he had to say:

Welcome back to another season of football at Champion Hill and we hope it will be a successful one. After the disappointment of the end of last season, Gavin Rose has been working hard to revamp the team to launch another promotion push.

You will notice that we have a new shirt sponsor for this season. i would like to thank Paul Bent and his team at Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward who have agreed an initial one year deal with the club on top of their existing sponsorship of our Youth teams.

Much has been written about this deal over the summer and I don't propose to cover it any further here. Suffice to say that the club will always need sponsors and this source of income is vital. We would love to be able to pick and choose sponsors based on all our preferences but we don't currently have that luxury.

We have made a decision that we will not take money from businesses associated with gambling or payday loan companies but that is the extent of our current policy. However, if people would like to return to the days when sponsorship wasn't required then I am very happy for fans to raise finance to replace what we receive.

It has been another summer of record Season Ticket sales and we have managed to hold prices unchanged at the turnstiles.

Personally speaking, I find the £10 adult charge high enough for this level of football and have been shocked to see the increase in the number of clubs charging £12 this season, it seems a strange way to attract new people when they weren't exactly bashing down the door to pay £10.

I continue to be proud of our Concession price, which is the lowest at this level of football, and with the number of Concession categories. It seems that half price is now a thing of the past in many places, with prices for concessions as high as £8.
We have also managed to increase the age of free admission to Under 13 and offer Concession price to all teenagers.

I think it is safe to say I believe that more can lead to less. It was once said to me that if you are selling blue umbrellas when it isn't raining then offering people red umbrellas instead won't make any difference.

We will continue to work with many community groups again this year and Mishi has his own 'manifesto' that I am sure he will soon share with you that list our aims and objectives. What I can reveal is we are planning another really special in season friendly; working with Football Beyond Borders and will have another 'Pay What You Like' game in aid of charity.

Another new initiative is our Mascot Package which, in itself, isn't unique. However, we are offering it for FREE and will give the child a FREE replica shirt. This is open to children 12 and under and all you have to do is email me with the reason why your child, or a child you know, should be our mascot for the day.

Returning to the need for new sponsors and advertisers, we are continuing to offer 10% of what we earn to anybody introducing new advertisers or sponsors; yes even if you introduce your own business. We are still looking for sponsors of the Match and Ball in pre season, so if anybody wants to reach our fans or those of our local professional clubs then now is the time to reach hundreds of people for under £100.

Finally, if you want to sponsor your old, or new, favourite player then just email me, but be quick because they are going fast.

Before I go, there are another couple of people I need to thank. To Andy Greig, a big thanks for continuing to sponsor the Player of the Month Award and for tidying up the Boardroom and to Christine, Derek and their team at Joseph Decorating who redecorated the Boardroom.

Please support the Advertisers that help us and tell them why you are using them. It helps to keep them involved with the club.
Liam
Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel 07967 212353