John Hayne steps down from the board

At the end of a board meeting on Friday afternoon 30th January John Hayne announced that he was resigning immediately as both Chairman and Director of Stafford Rangers Football Club Ltd.

John was appointed a Director in July 2019 and was elected Chairman by the directors in February 2025.

We thank him for all his hard work, commitment, and support during often difficult and challenging years for the club where he demonstrated resilience and determination to try to play a part in ensuring the club looked forward.

Challenging Times

The years were sometimes tempestuous given the team’s struggles on the pitch. The Chairman of a football club will always be a target for fans expressing their discontent at tough times.

Some of those accusations were framed in fact, but the level of intensity from some fans went well beyond the level of acceptable behaviour on social media, especially in the last few months.

What fans and shareholders did not see was the daily support and involvement he had with the club making him the ‘go to’ director for any issues be it operational challenges in the social club or problems in and around the ground. They are not glamourous but are vital and are often imperative to ensure our continuity.

John also financially helped the club putting money in to facilitate short term cash flow issues and most notably agreed to provide the funding for a commercial loan to the club in 2023. The Board proposed the nature and structure of the loan.

New Investment

New investor Nathan Owen’s first connection was with John in December, and his words of encouragement paved the way for subsequent interactions with the board culminating in his investment. 

The Board unanimously approved the investment proposal negotiated with Nathan Owen and George Bruneau in January which will eventually hugely benefit the football club.

The commitment is total and monies are invested through shares not as a loan requiring some form of financial return with interest.

Changing Times

There needs to be a culture change now at the club with a board willing and able to deliver a structure and skill set to give it the opportunity to move forward.

The board will expect that directors, staff, and volunteers all work in a professional manner compliant with all regulations.

A new Chairman will be appointed in the next couple of weeks.

We recognize that these are challenging times for the club on the pitch. Everyone has a vision and everyone is entitled to their opinion, but we ask that this be respectful and, in a manner, and tone that carries as many as possible along for the journey ahead.

Best Wishes

John Hayne comments:

“I was honoured to be the Chairman over the last year and enjoyed my time at the club. I wish the club all the very best for the future”

We thank John Hayne for carrying the helm at the club for the past year it is not an easy job and sincerely wish him all the best and happiness in the years ahead.

Stafford Rangers Board

The Future Is Black and White

..and the Rangers Badge is front and Centre

We are excited to announce a second significant new investor in the club.

Nathan Owen

Nathan Owen is also a US-based investor but has close personal and family ties to the area.

Nathan’s Background

“I grew up in Etching Hill, Rugeley and went to school in Wolverhampton, my birthplace, where I would meet my future wife on the daily school bus from Stafford with Leon’s.

My late father-in-law owned and operated a pharmacy on Marston Road for many years until his retirement, where she also worked part-time.

Throughout the late 1990s I regularly watched non-league football at both Stafford and Hednesford before moving to Paris on secondment at the end of 1999 after becoming a chartered accountant at an international accounting firm.

I subsequently became a partner in Paris specializing in cross-border M&A, before leaving the firm after 15 years to become CFO of a joint venture based in Connecticut and recently celebrated my 16th anniversary in this position. I am extremely proud of the organization we have built that has grown to become the North American leader in its industry and has done so by always putting people first.

Over the course of my career, I have had the opportunity to work in more than 35 countries but suffice to say I have never lost my love for home or Sunday roasts, oatcakes, black pudding, Balti, pork scratchings, an Islay malt and a pint of bitter. Nor for a 3pm kick-off on a Saturday and a last minute winner.

We have two daughters, both born in France, who sadly have no idea about the offside rule, set pieces, or serious foul play.”

Nathan’s Vision

‘’I know there is a lot of concern around the future of Marston Road. For me, this project is deeply personal, and I passionately believe home is where the heart is. Marston Road has been our home for 130 years and this is generational. Supporters of this club have consistently volunteered their time and effort to take care of this grand old lady generation after generation. We have a duty and responsibility to carry that on. It may need more than a coat or two of paint, and it may be landlocked from a redevelopment perspective. What it lacks in kerb appeal it more than makes up for in atmosphere, tradition, and its location so close to the town centre. I have seen great clubs abandon their ancestral homes and sacrifice their traditions for soulless out of town sites. I for one could never contemplate relocating and selling it for housing unless the supporters compelled us to do so. There is so much we can do to turn our home of Marston Road into a stadium we can all be proud of and my vision and desire is to make that happen.

 I may have been away from the country for twenty six years, but I have always retained a passion for football and an even deeper passion, pride and commitment to the people and area we grew up in. In 2023 I was dismayed to learn a club not too far away had fallen on tough times and offered a helping hand. This ultimately came to nothing, but I am a big believer in fate and believe things worked out for the best for all concerned and this led me to today. In another twist of fate we happened to be visiting family in Stafford over the festive season a year ago when I heard an incredible roar of a goal at Marston Road while walking by the canal [near Radford Bank / over two miles away] and I would like to recognize all those who were at the Hanley game on New Year’s Day for the impact that had on me. I began to dream of what could be and I have kept a close eye on the club’s fortunes since. I reached out to the board at the end of December 2025 with a vision, capability, and desire to make a difference, especially in the club’s 150th anniversary year’’.

Investment proposal

My vision is to invest across the club’s infrastructure — the social club, the shop, the stands, toilets, PA and other facilities within the ground, catering, community engagement including [potentially] hospitality, social media and critically a 3G pitch — in order to arrest and reverse the club’s decline, ensure sustainable long-term development, and restore Stafford Rangers to the proud position and reputation it enjoyed when I left the country. 

We cannot control what happens on the pitch, even if we can influence it, but we can absolutely control what happens off the pitch. The plan is therefore to invest heavily across all of these areas: to maximise daily use of the club’s facilities by the local community, to transform the matchday experience into something Stafford can rightly be proud of, and to reinvest those proceeds back into the club both on and off the pitch, again and again and again.

Both George Bruneau and I share the same belief that investing properly off the pitch is the foundation for restoring the club’s fortunes on it. I am excited by the combination of my financial and strategic experience and expertise in growing an organization with George’s equal passion and knowledge around the commercial and communications aspects, on technology and social media.’’

My Commitment to you

‘’We are both committed to Stafford Rangers for the long term. This is not about any returns other than good fortune on the pitch, transformational change off the pitch and a great deal of enjoyment and pride for us all along the way. We recognize that we are both thousands of miles away and cannot be present as we might like (although the excellent SRFC radio goes a long way to making up for it).

For this reason, we will be looking for a well-structured board of directors to help turn our vision into reality. From our discussions so far, we are excited to collaborate with them. They care deeply about the club, are committed to these critical changes and, we would not be in this position today without their support and determination to succeed and are incredibly grateful for this.”

The Next Steps

George and Nathan will both be present for this weekend’s visit of Bury FC and are excited to work closely with the board to ensure the fulfilment of this vision, including the development of a long-term strategic plan touching on every aspect of the club, taking into consideration the views of supporters and notably the valuable feedback from the recent fans’ survey.

The scope of their initial investment is currently limited by the share capital still available for subscription, and a vote shall therefore be put to the club’s shareholders at the upcoming AGM to enable the second and subsequent tranches of their investment commitments to be made to turn this vision into reality. There is obviously still work to do to clarify some of the finer details over the next few weeks, but we are confident that with the goodwill of all this is very achievable.

 We encourage all shareholders and supporters to take this opportunity to invest alongside George and Nathan.

This is fantastic news for the club, and we look forward to giving both Nathan and George a warm and genuine welcome to The Stan Robinson Stadium as we take on Bury.

Up The Boro