Statement from the Board

Apr 6, 2020 | Club News

We wish to advise you all that with immediate effect our Team Manager Alex Meechan has been released from his contract by the club.

It has not been an easy decision but was the only outcome based upon what we believe is best for the business.

Whilst Alex didn’t achieve the necessary results on the field we would like to thank him for the professionalism he has always shown and for his passion, honesty and integrity. He worked incredibly hard and we wish him all the best for the future.

He will always be welcome at Stafford Rangers and we now move forward with a determination to succeed during these unprecedented times.

John Bromley
Chairman

Stand Together says Eric Robins

Apr 2, 2020 | Club News

For Stafford Rangers Eric Robins has been a hero supporter long before the Corona Virus that we all now fight off the pitch.You will no doubt either know of or have come into contact with Eric through the clubs Lottery scheme where he was fundamental in driving membership and has been part of the lottery committee for some considerable time. For Eric things have always been Black & White, a man of principle and loyalty always clear in what is right and wrong. The success of our lottery scheme was undoubtedly down to his tenacity and hard work. It helps that his demeanour and enthusiasm to help his beloved club, his family, is palpable. We are sure many people entered the scheme not just to help the Boro but also to support Eric.

Born in Stone in 1946 to Margaret Alice Bedson and William John Robins, Eric was definitively a Baby Boomer. His mother Margaret worked at the Railway Offices in Stafford and his father was a gunner in the war. He attended Oulton Primary School and then Newcastle High School. After his education he continued to reside in Stone and began his career with the County Council. A Stoke City supporter (don’t shout it out loudly) Eric continued to get disillusioned with the amount of hooliganism evident in the game at the time. In 1968 some colleagues suggested a visit to the Rangers and he was hooked. ‘The atmosphere was great and I was made to feel incredibly welcome’ remembers Eric and since his first game, funnily enough, a friendly against Stoke City he has never looked back.

He has special memories of travelling to Italy to watch the Rangers play in the Anglo Italian Tournament and his eyes glaze over a little remembering 1972, when he joined the 20,000 fans who went to Wembley to watch the Boro win the FA trophy. Eric played table tennis up until 5 years ago a sport he found in his youth. Another major love of his life was holidays in Tenerife an Island he loved visiting, firstly in 1979. He continued to go every year up until a short time ago. Whilst he loved the Canaries the most important part was making lifelong friends who keep in touch on a regular basis even now.

For Eric Stafford Rangers have become his family he is part of our team and we are proud to be part of his and today, We Stand Together! At the moment Eric is like all of us at home, but he also suffers from some health conditions that make him vulnerable. We are all in contact with him by telephone and he is being supported with food, medicines and love by two of our other very special supporters and friends Alison Broome and Sally-anne Ashby. I know Eric would like to publicly thank them. Their support makes such a difference to Eric, as it does to us. If you want to contact Eric I am sure he would love to hear from you.

We can’t finish this article without acknowledging not only Eric’s continual moral support for the club but also for his quite astonishing financial support. He has only recently purchased an additional £1,000 in shares to support the club in its hour of need, thanks Eric you really are so much ‘more than just a fan’ We would like to try and run some more supporter profiles in the coming weeks so we would welcome any details of those you would like to see mentioned.

 

£10k raised so far

£10k raised so far

Mar 31, 2020 | Club News

WE ARE STANDING TOGETHER!!

‘WE’ means the directors, the business continuity working group, the players and management team – but most of all our wonderful fans whose support since we launched this appeal just over a week ago has been truly fantastic. Thanks to them we have already raised over £10,000 towards our target of £50,000. Understandably many fans are asking for more detail about where the money is coming from and what it’s going to be spent on, so here are the headlines.

From government:
Although the mechanism for claiming them is not yet up and running, all the signs are positive for us benefiting from:

  • no business rates in 20/21 – not included in our £50k target but a very big saving;
  • a grant of £25,000 which, so far as we know, will have no strings attached. This grant is to help small businesses in certain sectors including sport;
  • support for wages – the so-called furloughed workers scheme whereby we should be eligible for a grant to pay 80% of the wages of players, managers and key staff. This is also not included in our £50k target. The support from the players has been absolutely brilliant, agreeing to forgo wages if we can’t get grants to cover them.

From fans:
We have so far received wonderful support from:

  • the sale of shares: click here for the letter which the Chairmen sent to existing shareholders on March 20th which kick started the Save Stafford Rangers campaign
  • ‘purchase’ of virtual match day packages – a great way to support the club with small amounts whenever you feel the need for a nostalgia trip to Marston Road which has already raised an incredible £1,313!
  • miscellaneous donations – with many thanks to the Social Club Committee who have donated £2,000, Northern Soul who donated £200 and Shaun Reynolds and the Up The Boro Facebook page whose virtual football matches have raised £100. Be inventive. Think Sport Relief and come up with wild and whacky schemes to raise money!

Money raised from and by fans, will be used – and only used – to support our business continuity plan to keep the club going through these troubled times and ensure that when the Boro takes the field again it does so in the best possible condition. The league threw us a lifeline – let’s make the most of it!

Up The Boro!!!

Latest news from the Club!

Mar 28, 2020 | Club News

STAND TOGETHER!

Thank you for Standing Together with us. As a result of our Stand Together campaign we can advise you that we have so far raised in excess of £8976.00. This is made up from fans buying virtual game packages, sales of shares and donations. We are also seeing a small but increasing number of lottery participants.

To all of you who have contributed so far, Thank You, you are the best !

Target

Our minimum target for fundraising is £50,000. Of this figure £25,000 will be provided from government grants, so we are concentrating all our efforts on raising a further £25,000 from our fundraising activity. This figure will hopefully enable us to weather the immediate financial storm as the world battles against the virus. One of our major aims is to be as transparent and clear about our goals and objectives as possible and leave no one under any illusion about our predicament, which is no different from clubs all over the country.

We communicated to principle shareholders one week ago that following a poor season our finances were not in a good place. Whilst Covid-19 certainly has the ability to bring us to our knees we believe that early intervention and a call for help has already given us some traction to move forward. Our fund raising is vital but will only go some way in impacting our viability in the medium term. We are looking at and actioning our financial position on a daily basis concentrating on minimising the impact of our creditors and pushing forward the administration of schemes and grants, which we will be entitled to.

One of the challenges is the impact on cash flow and trying to determine when these funds will come on stream and its impact on requirements. We also need you to be aware that as stated above the football club was in a difficult position and has been for some time. Whilst the positive actions we have taken are definitely having an impact, we have to be aware that at some time in the future we will need to fund the start of a new season which is why we have to be realistic about action we take now and not give ourselves an insurmountable problem in the future. We are obviously looking at advance season ticket sales but there is no benefit at the moment from taking future income today that we will need to launch our new season although we are actively looking at this.

Your help is now really important and if you can in any way add to our fundraising activity please do so now. We have all seen why Stafford Rangers is ‘more than just a football club, it is part of our community. We also want to take this opportunity to thank the Social Club Committee for their £2,000 donation which forms a substantial part of the funds raised already. If any of you have any contribution you wish to suggest to the SRFC War Council dealing with all of the above please e mail any or all of us below. Alternatively, click here and complete our simple form.

Please Stay Safe and Stand Together – We wish you and your family and friends a safe weekend.

Yours sincerely,
The SRFC War Council

Paul Griffiths, Sally-anne Ashby, John Macmillan, David Montgomery and Alan Gee.

paul.griffiths@staffordrangersfc.co.uk
alangee1@sky.com
john.macmillan@staffordrangersfc.co.uk
david.montgomery@ggcltd.com
sally-anne@staffordrangersfc.co.uk

 

 

Covid-19 Update 2

Mar 26, 2020 | Club News

We have had confirmation from the FA and League that the 2019/20 season has come to an end and all records will be expunged, meaning no relegation or promotion at levels 3 to 6.
This obviously means we are saved to continue at level 3 but the fight to keep our club alive continues. We still have to operate, meet committed costs and also look forward, so we can hit the ground running when business resumes.
We thank all of our supporters for the interest and backing so far and we will continue to update you on our situation while promoting our Stand Together campaign.

If you haven’t yet donated and would like to donate to our Stand Together campaign click Here

You can donate an amount that suits you!

For those that have expressed an interest in becoming a shareholder please click the link here of a letter that was sent to existing shareholders.

 

Stay Safe, Stay at Home

And again thank you to those key workers out there working hard in our community.

Up the Boro!