Accrington Stanley’s owner has admitted the job of turning the club around is bigger than he imagined when he took over at the Wham Stadium.
In the first of a wide ranging two-part interview, Andy Holt told the Observer that Stanley were in “dire straits” when he took the helm last November, but says ongoing investment in the club’s facilities and matchday offer is key to their future success.
Holt revealed that the Reds - who suffered League Two play off semi final heartache after an outstanding season - are still losing money from a lack of proper facilities and said he is also concerned that proposed changes to shrink the Football League could impact on income.
He admitted: “It is a lot bigger job than I thought it would’ve been at the outset. I knew it was going to be a big job but not as much as it’s turning out to be. But I’m not worried.”
Around £800,000 of investment has already been ploughed into club facilities ahead of the new season, including installing a new pitch, drainage system, and revamping the Clayton end to all terracing.
Holt said the club is a ‘massive asset’ for the town and hopes the summer investment will pay dividends in the long-term.
He said: “It’s a family club. I can’t think of any other clubs in the Football League where the managers and players go in the bar at the end of the game and talk to the fans. It’s not a cold, corporate setup where you are ushered into a box and the door is shut.
“I think Accrington’s offer is better than Blackburn’s and Burnley’s.
“In terms of match day experience you are closer to the action, the atmosphere is really good and the spirit around the place is good.”
Stanley have opposed radical proposals to cut the number of teams in each league from 24 to 20 and create a new division from the 2019-2020 season onwards.
Holt said fans would be against their plans as they do not want to see fewer games of football for their team.
He said: “Unless there is big compensation in it then I can’t see myself ever voting for less games at Accrington. I don’t believe fans want less football at any price. For me it’s being done so the Premier League can get B-teams playing in the football league.
“That’s why it’s being done to help build their teams up. I don’t like it and I think it’s appeasing the Premier League.”
Why did you take over the club?
The club was in dire straits. There were a lot of directors, about 15 or 18 directors at the time, a lot of shareholders, it was a mixed bag.
To get anything done we had to cut through all that problematic stuff where you need a million votes to do this, that or the other, and that’s why we took over.
The club couldn’t pay wages and was effectively insolvent.
It is a lot bigger job than I thought it would’ve been at the outset. I knew it was going to be a big job but not as much as it’s turning out to be. But I’m not worried.
Somebody had to take it on. They had to find money from somewhere, it’s as simple as that.
Peter Marsden had got to a point where he couldn’t keep putting money in. Football clubs use a lot of money.
He asked me, after we became sponsors, if I would help. I said I will give £100,000 for the wage bill in September and then look at it again in October.
What work has been done at the club since the takeover last November?
We are still losing money. One of the reasons in my view why that’s still the case is we haven’t got the facilities there to properly give an experience to make the fans want to come.
I’m a firm believer if we get our act in order then people will respond.
It’s not good asking for an increased crowd if you’re not prepared to give them facilities to come to and feel safe and hygienic.
There are problems with toilet facilities and all sorts of things and we are addressing them.
If we get it right then Accrington will one day be sustainable. It’s got to have the facilities to do it.
They are not going to be fancy facilities. It’s going to be ones for a nice little local club. We are not looking for a Manchester United. We are looking for a good community club and that’s what we’ll get.
By the time the new season starts, on the ground alone, we will have spend £800,000 and that’s without the new stand and aside from the losses and the debt.
It’s an expensive exercise but a worthwhile one.
The things we are putting right will last for 20 or 30 years. They are not patch jobs.
The fans have responded and I’m really pleased. I’m happy to talk to the fans all the time and I don’t hide from them in the ground. I go into the bar and talk to them.
I know I won’t be getting the investment back but if we have a club capable of going for the next 50 years and remaining solvent and competing then I think it’s a good job and a worthwhile one.
I’m sticking with it. I’ve had my up days and my down days but I’m sticking with it and we’ll see how it goes.
The pitch looks fantastic. It’s like a billiard table.
We have got a better playing surface.
We shouldn’t flood next year at all next year as the surface is capable of accepting ten times as much water.
We might have a trouble with frost as we don’t have under soil heating.
How can Accrington Stanley compete with local rivals Blackburn and Burnley?
It has a great feel to it Accrington Stanley. It’s a family club.
I can’t think of any other clubs in the football league where the managers and players go in the bar at the end of the game and talk to the fans.
It’s quite a unique offering. It’s not a cold, corporate set up where you are ushered into a box and the door is shut.
It’s got a really great, charming atmosphere that we don’t want to lose in all this.
It is about the fans and the people of the town. We are not looking to build a really glossy and shiny Starbucks or McDonalds, we are looking at improving on what we’ve got but keeping the charm.
We might get things wrong along the way but everything we do can be changed later if we need to.
I’m not afraid of competition. I never have been.
I think it’s about our offer and I think Accrington’s offer is better than Blackburn’s and Burnley’s.
In terms of match day experience you are closer to the action, the atmosphere is really good and the spirit around the place is good.
I think our offer is unique because it’s not Premiership and too corporate.
I think Burnley and Blackburn have to be more corporate because of where they are in the leagues.
I prefer our match day experience offer to Old Trafford’s and people that come along all say the same. We don’t want to lose that and we want to work on it and improve it.
We don’t want to become a corporate animal.
What do you think of proposed changes to the Football League and how could Stanley be affected?
I don’t like it and I think it’s appeasing the Premier League.
It will cost us money. We will lose revenue. They keep saying we won’t but I don’t see how we won’t.
Things like scrapping FA up replays have also sneaked in, I don’t like that one little bit.
If you look at Exeter last year, they drew Liverpool in the cup, they drew 1-1 at Exeter and then went up to play at Anfield in the replay. They got beaten but they probably got £500,000 from the experience.
That fortune will help them do work around the stadium which we all need to do at our level. We don’t have big fancy new stadiums.
As a small club you dream of getting a big Premier League team home or away and get a replay because they play a load of kids as they don’t want to play their full side.
I’m never going to vote for it.
I don’t understand the justification they’ve put across for it either. They say we will sell more season tickets if there are less mid-week games. I just don’t follow that logic.
They will still buy their season tickets but just not come to the mid-week games. Fans will then say that season tickets need to go down because there are less games.
