Well here we are already – blink and it’s Christmas!
As I write these notes, the final set for 2021, it has been another year that has challenged us, certainly from an operational point of view as the Club was thrown into new waters upon promotion to Sky Bet League One in the summer. I believe we have got to grips with the demands of the job, and have started to make inroads into developing the club in a sustainable fashion. We have bigger and better plans for 2022, and your support is invaluable to everything we aim to achieve.
This season, we have had the joy of return to football with full stadia, and now find ourselves in more difficult times. What matters most is the health and wellbeing of everyone associated with the Club, so we will continue to monitor all of the advice and guidance we are offered by the relevant authorities. We will continue to keep you informed as soon as information reaches us…
Tottenham Hotspur Game & Travel
Tickets went on sale on Monday to Season Ticket Holders and those supporters who had pre-purchased a ticket to either the Round One game versus Newport County, or the Round Two game away at Buxton FC. Sales have gone well so far in the first day, and at the time of writing this, we have sold around 700. We should get a better guide on numbers now that the general sale window is open, with the ticket office very busy this morning. We would like to remind supporters the easiest way to purchase tickets is online via our ticketing portal. Anya has worked very hard in the last few months to improve and streamline the system, and we now have it in a good place, with postage options now available for certain matches, along with a seat selector for away games now, which is a new feature. We will continue to work hard to improve and develop the system. Phone lines are very busy at times like these, and we would ask for patience from supporters as we work our way through.
We are pleased that Tottenham Hotspur suggested very reasonable and (hopefully) affordable ticket prices, and we were keen to ensure that the coach travel was also available at an affordable cost to supporters. We are extremely grateful to Morecambe Care, The Morecambe Hotel, Morecambe FC Community Sports and MJ Catterall for their sponsorship of the coaches, which has allowed us, with further club subsidy, to offer competitive pricing.
Football is for everyone and we are keen to ensure that everyone who wishes to be at the game can do so.
Community Matters
I am fortunate, in my role as a trustee of the Community Sports charity, that I get to see first hand the impact that our charity has on the local community. The work that Janet, Stuart & their team undertake in Morecambe and district is inspirational, and changes so many lives for the better. A few weeks ago, I was invited by the team, along with Rod, to visit Lancaster Farms to attend a ceremony of achievement for a cohort that had achieved their Level One coaching certificate, a course ran by Martin Powell in conjunction with the Twinning Project, which helps offer offenders a chance to change the path they are on. Following this successful project, the Community Sports team will be running another course starting in January, with a cohort twice the size of the first course – this shows the success of Martin’s work already!
The Community Sports team have had an incredibly busy few weeks – coordinating the Club, Academy & supporter foodbank collections, arranging (socially distanced outdoor) hospital visits with presents for the children’s ward, Armed Forces Veterans coffee morning, the over 55’s Extra Time Christmas party, holiday soccer camp amongst much more!
We are very proud of the work that the charity undertake, and thank them for their continued great work, with so much already planned for 2022!
Bartercard Terrace
The gears keep grinding on in terms of the construction of the roof behind the Bartercard Terrace. All steelworks are now complete, which you will have seen at the game on Saturday, and we are just awaiting delivery of the cladding for the roof and sides. Christmas will have an obvious impact on the project, but we aim to get this done and dusted early in the New Year. We are hoping that there will be plenty of space within the structure that we can utilise for artwork and murals, and once we know what we are working with, we will put the options out to supporters to have their say!
Bolton Wanderers (a) Boxing Day
It has now been confirmed that Bolton have informed the EFL that they are unable to fulfil the fixture. At the time of writing, we had already sold just shy of 800 tickets for the Boxing Day game, thank you all for your support. As soon as we have any information on a new date for the fixture, and as a result, details on tickets/refunds, we will pass this onto you via the website.
A Thank You
I would like to take this opportunity to thank some of the unsung heroes at the Club who work incredibly hard day in, day out to push us forwards;
So thank you to Martin, Anya, Owen, Alan, Christine, Diane, Dan, James, Sharon & Natalie in the commercial, shop & ticket department. Thank you to Ryan, Matt, Jack, Derek, Mark S & Brian in our media & matchday team who have raised the bar again. Thank you to Toby, Paul, Tim, Julie, Nikki, Belle, Denby, Dawsey and all of the wider stadium and matchday safety team. Thank you to Mick & John, who run our Football Administration department efficiently. Thank you to Mike, Jodie, Liam, Jackie, Ryan, Jo, Steve and the hospitality & events team who ensure we have the Mazuma Stadium busy 7 days a week. Thank you to Simon (our newest colleague) & Susan in the finance department. Thank you to Sally, Martin B, Kelly, Peter & Adele in their all respective roles. Thank you to Rob, Chesh, Lee & the wider grounds & matchday team, including our lovely friends who sell programmes and those who volunteer to litter pick post-match come wind, rain or snow – you are all very much appreciated. Thank you to Janet, Stuart & the community team for their amazing work around Morecambe. Thank you to Stewart, Wainy, Dave, Ollie & all of the academy staff who work tirelessly to help develop our players of the future. Thank you to all in the first team, players & staff who have given us some wonderful memories in 2021.
Finally, thank you to our supporters who have followed us all over the country, week in week out. You are the heart of this Club.
Finally
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all associated with Morecambe FC!
Together – we can make 2022 another one to remember.
UTS
Ben