At yesterday’s regular Board meeting, David Frost announced that he would be stepping down as Chairman of Clitheroe FC after 20 months. Following the announcement, he said:
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at the club and have found the experience invigorating. It was an interesting learning curve for me, coming from a background where I had founded and sold my own company, and at times, I found working through a small board challenging. However, the level of commitment shown by Directors and volunteers alike has been humbling. I have enjoyed their company over the months, particularly that of the volunteers with whom I have shared a coffee many mornings. Finally, I have developed a close affinity with Carl Garner, Sean and the players, and I would like to assure them that they have my support where I can going forward.
The club would like to thank David for his leadership during his tenure, wish him well in the future and hope to see him at Shawbridge in the coming months. The Board has now agreed that Vice Chair Andrew Jackson will become acting chair, with Director Chris Musson taking
on an increased operational role.
Following his acceptance of the role of acting chair, Andrew Jackson said:
I am very proud to have been offered the role of acting Chair. Clitheroe FC is close to my heart and represents the essence of a supporters-led football club. It has grown significantly on and off the pitch over recent years and is now one of the top 100 supported clubs in English non-league football. The club has always been self-financing, and our wage bill has consistently been covered by the income we generate. We are debt-free with a sound business model, but we have experienced tight cash flow due to settling the previous manager’s contract and purchasing ground equipment to secure a £20,000 grant. This will affect us until the end of the season. To secure our playing budget for the remainder of the season, support our new manager, and give him the best chance to safeguard our position in the league, the remaining directors agreed to provide significant personal loans to the club at yesterday’s meeting. We are also launching a prize draw next week, allowing everyone connected to the club to help us through this challenge and set us up for next season. Moving forward, as we plan for next season, we continue to reach out to anyone who has Clitheroe FC at heart and feels they could assist the club in reaching its full potential, whether as volunteers, sponsors, or investors.
Chris Musson, former long-serving Chief Executive of Liverpool Science Park, said:
I was delighted to be asked to take a more hands-on operational role in addition to my existing roles. This will mean detailed planning for all aspects of the business for this season and into the future. Even the best-run companies need to focus on cash flow management. Once we have overcome these issues, I will be focussing on our planning for next year and looking to focus on taking forward our well-developed plan for securing new LED floodlights and other ground developments.