Dianne Jones has always been a team player, she has had to be from the moment she came into the world.
As the youngest of 9 children (7 girls and 2 boys) the family nearly had a football team themselves as they grew up in the Baswich area of Stafford with Dianne attending Leasowes Juniors before Walton High School together with her twin brother Dave.  After school she went to work at Groundslow Hospital as a ward clerk before the move to Stafford General Infirmary where she trained to become a Phlebotomist nurse, staying for 38 years. The last 3 years have seen her working as a Clinical Nursing Assistant/Phlebotomist within the Surgical Pre- assessment Unit. Recently she has been re-deployed to Royal Stoke Hospital in support of Coronavirus efforts.

‘It’s a very anxious, apprehensive and emotional time for all patients and staff right now ‘states Dianne ‘but everyone is supporting each other so fantastically and I have never been prouder of working for the NHS’
All at Stafford Rangers Football Club applaud the efforts of all the NHS and other front line workers and Dianne we are so proud of you and your colleagues.

Dianne’s Dad Jack Mayer was chairman of Stafford Sunday League football and it was he who inspired her interest in the game. They used to watch Stoke City one week then her beloved Stafford Rangers the next along with Southend Club, who Jack managed on a Sunday. Her infatuation with the Boro developed and she became a regular fan at both home and away games, she was hooked. Dianne went to all 3 Wembley games and then started working voluntarily for the club in 1972. Originally selling match day programmes with her sisters Linda, Chris & Pauline, she went onto work for Alf Wood and Mick Cullerton in the Commercial Department and also helped in the mobile canteen. She had a short break from the club when she had her son Lewis (now 21) but soon went back and worked in the boardroom hospitality unit when Stuart Maun was in charge.

Dianne is still a vital part of the team today making fans, sponsors and officials feel totally at ease and welcome in the new Chairman’s suite as well as being part of our fantastic bar staff on function nights. A true fan with a passion for the club and someone who has always stood together in good times and bad. Dianne is currently missing her football and her all-time favourite players who were Ben Seddon, Frazer wood and of course Shoota. We hope that whenever the season starts again we can add a new name or two to that list. We are so proud that one of ours is making such a difference off the pitch and know you will join us in saying thank you and we look forward to seeing you at the club Dianne as soon as we can. Please Stay Safe !

With over 50 applications made to the football club the interest in Stafford Rangers remains  as high as it has always been and we are delighted with the response we received. We said right from the start that we would carry out this recruitment carefully and professionally following all due process. Every application was considered and looked into in the initial review process and this was whittled down to 12. Due to the current pandemic we proceeded to send out a questionnaire to all 12 seeking information in areas not covered by applicants in their original CV and after reviewing these thoroughly have established a short list.

It is now hoped to complete interviews within the next week or so after which if an offer is ultimately accepted an announcement will be made. We believe that in the current lockdown situation the process has been as swift as we could make it and we hope to give you good news as quickly as we can.

Since Stafford Rangers first launched their Stand Together campaign only a few weeks ago the response from fans has been incredible and the club has now raised just over £50,000.

The overwhelming response has now been recognised by the wider football community with a glowing supportive statement from the Chairman of the Northern Premier league, Mark Harris who comments.

The initiative from the club enabled fans to attend virtual games and buy shares and the club has already set out their intentions to try and raise an additional £90,000 through commercial activity with a goal to make the club debt free and ensure the club has a sustainable future.

Not only have local supporters taken up the challenge It seems that once you set foot in Marston Road the love never leaves you if the list of benefactors is anything to go by. The Boro have had contributions from exiles in Cambridgeshire, Cardiff, Cheshire, Devon, East and West Sussex, Essex, Lancashire, Leicester, Lincoln and Lincolnshire, Rutland, Shropshire, Somerset, Southampton, South London, Sunderland, North and West Yorkshire, and the Canary Islands!

A spokesperson for the Business Continuity Group driving the initiatives states,

In the next chapter of Stafford Rangers ‘Stand Together’ initiative Andy Fearn has joined the board of directors at the football club. He will also take the responsibility of Director of Football looking after all things related to the football side of the business.

He brings with him a wealth of business knowledge having worked in sales for the past 30 years in senior roles as a Sales Director and Managing Director. Since 2009 he has operated as a freelance consultant with his own company dealing with well-known brands such as Boots, Tesco and Superdrug. The years of negotiating with some of the country’s toughest retailers will give the Football Club additional help throughout the business.

Andy’s extensive background in the football arena started with Nuneaton Borough in 2000 when they were in the Conference Premier as a Scout/ Match analyst. As the years progressed he gained experience in the Conference Premier, Conference North, Unibond and NPL levels in both full time and part time clubs. Chester, Kidderminster Harriers, Northwich Victoria, Stalybridge Celtic, and Hucknall Town have all played their part in establishing his CV. He was involved with clubs who won the Conference North and Unibond leagues.

He has tasted success with clubs finishing runners up in the conference Premier and shared the excitement of being play off finalists in the Conference North and being part of FA Cup runs as far as the 3rd Round. His appetite for the game remains strong and he is eager for success at Stafford Rangers in a role he recognised was a perfect fit for him and the club. With 20 years of relevant experience under his belt he is more than ready and capable for the challenge.

“In the two years I have been involved with the Rangers already I have developed a great affection for the club and an affinity with the staff, supporters and directors. It has been a disappointing time for fans on the pitch, we made some mistakes but this role has been on the cards for some time and I can’t wait to get started” Andy continues, “The challenge which lies ahead is immense especially with the current crisis but the Stand Together initiative shows just what we can do off the pitch and we must now build something to show what we can do on it. I believe I can be instrumental in securing a bright future for the football club and will always be there for fans to talk to win, lose or draw.”

His first challenge is to attract the right calibre of Head Coach, the modern way many clubs are now organising themselves with a clear split of responsibilities between the Director of Football and Head Coach. The Head Coach will be responsible for team selection, tactics and training regimes as well as player recruitment but any discussions regarding terms will be led by Andy.

“My role is to lighten the Head Coaches workload by taking responsibility for the financial side of the football, making sure we stick to our playing budget and I will negotiate terms for both contract and non-contract players within guidelines we will set in the boardroom” states Andy.

Final line discipline will also end at the Director of football feet, but Andy insists his major role will be to support, advise and enthuse. The Director of Football’s responsibility is also to oversee all aspects of football within the club, in particular the structure taking players from the junior teams all the way through to the Academy, the Under 21’s or even into the first team. He will look at the arrangements for the Academy once we have moved passed the Coronavirus restrictions and look to connect all elements of the club, everyone who plays in the rangers’ shirt.

Andy states, “I want us to nurture local talent for the benefit of the player and the club. I want us to drive everyone into the vision of a ‘Community Club but this will take a great deal of hard work and commitment by all. We need to create an atmosphere of unity and I want all teams and managers to be part of the First Team match day experience at some point. Junior teams and their parents need come to the club on match days once or twice a season. I want the club to look at our community programme and how we engage schools colleges as well as businesses and how our partners could use our facilities.”

The football clubs fans have dug deep into their pockets in recent weeks supporting the football club financially and Stafford Rangers are deeply grateful. The appointment of Andy Fearn as Director of Football is yet another example of all at Marston Road Standing Together and moving forward.