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FC United February Board meeting report

The latest FC United Board meeting took place on Monday 25 February 2013. Board member CHRIS HAMMOND reports.

The Board convened on 25 February for its first meeting since the Judicial Review ruling and since its own decision to move back Board meetings to the final Monday in the month to allow time for monthly management accounts to be fully prepared and checked.

Although the quality and accuracy of those accounts is a matter of great pride to the club and is a real credit to the staff and volunteers involved, unfortunately the content was less pleasing. The harsh winter weather and volume of fixture rearrangements has had an inevitable financial impact and currently we are forecasting a £10-£20k deficit.

There are plans already set in motion to mitigate this and manage our costs. With ten home fixtures remaining there is time to recover this and the best solution is one that is in the hands of members and supporters - more fans through the turnstiles!

The important issue of filling the three vacant board positions was also discussed with the result we will be opening nominations shortly for election to the board at the forthcoming general meeting for a six-month term until the autumn AGM. This provides a real opportunity to get a taste of being on the board without the usual long-term commitment involved. We are looking forward to a well contested election!

The board also heard that the finance and audit Committee met for the first time in February and has established terms of reference and some initial activity around assessing risk and providing financial expertise to the board. This will be much needed once we move into the build phase of our new ground.

Another thing that will be crucial to our build is pushing ahead with the Community Share Scheme and refocussing the Development Fund fundraising initiatives. The board heard updates on both fronts.

Turning to football matters, progress on the pitch has been excellent and we have seen some great football. Our disciplinary record overall has also been better this season than previously and we have a strong squad available for the run-in. The decision to move the Matlock game was reviewed in light of feedback received and a number of criteria suggested by fans were adopted to guide future decisions of this nature.

Planning for pre-season friendlies is already underway and there are some interesting options on the table.

Lastly, amongst the numerous reports received and accepted by the meeting, I would highlight the FCUM radio report and the latest community report, each in its own sphere describing activities that are of immense credit to the club and each only made possible by dedicated and hard work by many volunteers.

The next Board meeting is on Monday 25 March 2013.



First Posted ~ 09:10 Sat 2 Mar 2013
News ID ~ 4763
Last Updated ~ 01:52 Tue 16 Feb 2021