Interview With Grant Biddle Chairman Of Peterborough Sports Saturday 12th March.

[Chris_N]

Peterborough Sports are living on the one man's money model. As the second team in Peterborough, and like Arlesey, without the fanbase that would generally equate to their position in the pyramid. Whitehawk did have similar - went to Step 2 then now back at Step 4 as the money dried up and the quality of players employed dwindled.

The other team in recent years who lived for a short while on one man's money......Billericay. Rose to Step 2, now heading towards Step 4. But I do think there that they did have a fanbase, and the infrastructure definitely improved. But the ex football League players that were being employed was a short-lived dream.

[DarrenW]

Peterborough Sports are living on the one man's money model. As the second team in Peterborough, and like Arlesey, without the fanbase that would generally equate to their position in the pyramid.

Agree. Will come a time it will simply be unsustainable.

The ground has not changed a huge amount from 2015 to 2022 but some improvements no doubt just to get accepted into the leagues.

Like Billericay it cant end well.

[MichaelD]

Good luck to any club trying to climb up the leagues. Good luck to other clubs battling to stay where they are.

[Chris_N]

large fan bases do not guarantee success and without being pessimistic neither do large fan bases prevent any club tumbling down the leagues.

Good luck to any club trying to climb up the leagues. Good luck to other clubs battling to stay where they are.

Ooh here comes a bit of controversy (?) from me, but truthful fact. Agree with both of these statements.

Here's an analogy: If you were a restaurant owner, you can't spend lots of money kitting out your restaurant to create a greater ambience designed to attract more and better custom, and then serve up crap food expecting to retain your custom.

No disloyalty from me here - looking at it purely in business terms. As I have said many times before, Hitchin Town FC is not just a local football team. At the level we are currently playing it is now a business. It currently appears like we are battling to serve up satisfactory food (except for Canary Kitchen). 5 x 3-0 defeats in the last seven games suggests so. That has to change and now. Relegation zone at end of October again is currently looking closer.

The matchday experience can only be complete if the product being served up is at a satisfactory level. That said, I do see most of the players out there giving their all.

[MichaelD]

I would suggest that the same attitudes have been ingrained in the club for the last 50 years. Many fans consider that is what loyalty truly is; to think otherwise is to be disloyal. Mark Burke is the epitome of loyalty, which in itself produces the same loyalty to him from others. Is this loyalty breeding a good thing? If you are a business then probably not.

Other teams in the same league have dismissed managers who have been loyal servants to the club, even club legends. Most of the time this has had a positive effect on performances, even if only in the short term.

[Spooks]

Ok we get promoted, how are we going to sustain that? Join The Jackie Fan Club!!!

[Chris_N]

Ok we get promoted, how are we going to sustain that? Join The Jackie Fan Club!!!

If we got promoted, actually from my experiences, more would need to change off the pitch than on it to survive at Step 2. The whole culture and ethos of the club would need to change. To survive at Step 2 now you have to be a business. Everything has to be run on a true business level, with appropriate business behaviours, defined roles, and regular review and reporting of activities, budget, expenditure and income within a robust and accountable internal team charged with managing the club. Step 2 clubs have almost all got salaried, accountable employees because the volume and intensity of the football administration, use of computer systems, marketing , commercial revenue, general day to day club operations in whatever capacity its required, has increased in the past 4-5 seasons out of all proportion, and has become increasingly more difficult for clubs to sustain with a volunteer model that are dedicated and committed, but ultimately not accountable. And it's all done against a background culture of possibly incurring fines in cases where you don't do it or don't get it right, so the pressure is intense. Volunteers can walk away now, tomorrow - whenever they choose. And the top Step 3 clubs with aspirations of promotion to Step 2 and then survival within it are now forward planning and switching to this model. And many of them are the opposite of Peterborough Sports with many affiliated Youth teams that fall within their jurisdiction.

Oh and significant ground enhancements to meet the Step 2 criteria for ground grading.

Without the right basics off the pitch being in place, you wouldn't sustain football at Step 2. End of.

On the pitch? Replace the best players who have now been poached by bigger clubs, address the increased wage demands of the players retained who get us up, and increase the budget substantially to replace the players that you've lost with as near to the equivalent standard of those who moved on, to give yourselves an on the pitch chance of survival at least. If you're a winning team you will get bigger attendances and then more income from everything.

Or do none of the above, don't change anything, don't forward plan, just deal with what's in front of you and just carry on as you are and enjoy one wonderful season of new experiences before returning to where you came from.

Well that's how I answer your question Spooks.

[Greenfinch]

Looks like we are stuffed then Chris,unless I win The Lottery,The Cow Commoners disband,or The Council start taking an interest in football,and none of that is going to happen anytime soon.Football at Top Field is much more than winning promotion,we will always be in the G7 of local football whatever happens,along with all the ups and downs that go with it.Looking at the negative posts on here nobody has come up with a solution,because there isn't one,we are where we are.Solvent,with a dedicated Manager and at least 300 loyal supporters.
Wish you had put your post on from the beginning Chris,it has given a first class insight of exactly what an enormous task it would be if ever promotion was fulfilled, let alone appeasing The Cow Commoners.
"I'm Spartacus"

[russell]

Ok we get promoted, how are we going to sustain that? Join The Jackie Fan Club!!!

If we got promoted, actually from my experiences, more would need to change off the pitch than on it to survive at Step 2. The whole culture and ethos of the club would need to change. To survive at Step 2 now you have to be a business. Everything has to be run on a true business level, with appropriate business behaviours, defined roles, and regular review and reporting of activities, budget, expenditure and income within a robust and accountable internal team charged with managing the club. Step 2 clubs have almost all got salaried, accountable employees because the volume and intensity of the football administration, use of computer systems, marketing , commercial revenue, general day to day club operations in whatever capacity its required, has increased in the past 4-5 seasons out of all proportion, and has become increasingly more difficult for clubs to sustain with a volunteer model that are dedicated and committed, but ultimately not accountable. And it's all done against a background culture of possibly incurring fines in cases where you don't do it or don't get it right, so the pressure is intense. Volunteers can walk away now, tomorrow - whenever they choose. And the top Step 3 clubs with aspirations of promotion to Step 2 and then survival within it are now forward planning and switching to this model. And many of them are the opposite of Peterborough Sports with many affiliated Youth teams that fall within their jurisdiction.

Oh and significant ground enhancements to meet the Step 2 criteria for ground grading.

Without the right basics off the pitch being in place, you wouldn't sustain football at Step 2. End of.

On the pitch? Replace the best players who have now been poached by bigger clubs, address the increased wage demands of the players retained who get us up, and increase the budget substantially to replace the players that you've lost with as near to the equivalent standard of those who moved on, to give yourselves an on the pitch chance of survival at least. If you're a winning team you will get bigger attendances and then more income from everything.

Or do none of the above, don't change anything, don't forward plan, just deal with what's in front of you and just carry on as you are and enjoy one wonderful season of new experiences before returning to where you came from.

Well that's how I answer your question Spooks.

To me as a non league anorak and football fan generally this is really enlightening.. However even if you were to do all the above, as soon as we lose a couple of games in the national league the usual suspects would be spitting their dummies out online

[MichaelD]

Despite the difficulties of being a Level 2 clubs, other clubs do make the jump successfully. Yes, it would require a complete change of attitude within the club, but even Hitchin are not beyond that possibility.