‘We believe we can win’: Harrogate Town boss on Wembley cup final

Harrogate Town manager Simon Weaver said his squad aren’t taking Concord Rangers lightly, in what is being billed as a David vs Goliath cup final at Wembley on Monday.

Town are two divisions above the semi-professional National League South outfit who haven’t played a game since January 2, but the long-serving boss told the Stray Ferret his players aren’t expecting an easy game.

He said:

“We’ve seen hundreds of teams bitten by smaller clubs. People expect us to win but it’s not as easy as that. This group of players won’t take things lightly.

But we have a strong resolve and belief we can win.”

The rise of Harrogate Town towards the football league for the first time in their history captured the imagination of the football world last summer, which Weaver said clubs like Concord Rangers will take inspiration from.

Many of the Town players such as Lloyd Kerry, Mark Beck and James Belshaw played for the club when they were at the same level as Concord, which Weaver said means they will be hungry to win on Monday:

“Our group of players are from when we played in the National League. We have no illusions of grandeur or egos in our camp, or we’d get rid of them.”

For many professional footballers playing at Wembley is the pinnacle of their careers, especially those in the lower divisions, and Weaver said the game on Monday will be a special experience.

“I’m ecstatic to be having an opportunity to make the journey. It’s exactly the same feeling as last time.”

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With Town’s first season in the EFL drawing to a close, Weaver reflected on a positive season that has seen them stay in the division for another year.

He said the “light at the end of the tunnel” is fans returning next season.

“There have been many positives including the two wins against Bradford City and the fixture against West Bromwich Albion. But it’s been a steep learning curve. It’s been like entering a war zone with our pitch being cut up, but that will be a lot better next season.”

After Town won their historic play-off final in August, the sun shined on the streets of Harrogate for a memorable open-top bus parade. Weaver is hoping for similar scenes if they lift the trophy.

He added:

“That would be beautiful. It was totally amazing how many people in Harrogate turned out last time.”

The Stray Ferret social media accounts will not be posting any updates this weekend about the FA Trophy Final in solidarity with football clubs withdrawing from platforms in protest against online racial abuse.
Harrogate Town given go-ahead for new ticket office and turnstiles

Harrogate Town have been given the go-ahead for a new ticket office and turnstiles at the EnviroVent Stadium.

The proposals, which were submitted last December, will see the current ticket office demolished and replaced with a new two-storey facility.

New turnstiles would also be in place at the north and wes of Wetherby Road.

Now, Harrogate Borough Council has given the club permission for the development to go-ahead.

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It comes as Town have had a successful past year on the pitch with a historic promotion to the English Football League.

As a result, the club have had to put measures in place to abide by the EFL admission criteria. They include a new pitch and increased capacity at the ground.

Harrogate Town grounds

The current view of The Envirovent Stadium, Wetherby Road.

In documents submitted to the council, the club said the new planning application was necessary because of an increase in office staff and the need for a better flow of supporters on match days.

The club has also submitted plans for a new two-storey club house and corporate suite.

Meanwhile, Town are set for another Wembley appearance on Monday in the FA Trophy Final against Concord Rangers.

The club have announced a new all-black kit which the players will wear for the game. It will also be used as a third kit for the 2021/22 League Two season.

The Stray Ferret social media accounts will not be posting any updates this weekend about the FA Trophy Final in solidarity with football clubs withdrawing from platforms in protest against online racial abuse.

BT Sport to show Harrogate Town’s Wembley final for free

Harrogate Town’s FA Trophy final against Concord Rangers is to be broadcast live for free by BT Sport.

The match will be played behind closed doors at Wembley on Monday.

BT Sport usually charges to watch matches but has decided to show Harrogate’s game for free across all its platforms.

It will be available via BTSport.com, the BT Sport App, BT TV, the Sky Digital Satellite Platform and Virgin Media channel 100.

After the game, the channel will also show Proud To Be Town, its documentary on the rise of Harrogate Town that gives a unique insight into a football club during the first coronavirus lockdown.

The schedule for the day is as follows:

12.45pm – Live – FA Vase Final – Consett v Hebburn Town
3.30pm – The Grassroots Football Show
4.30pm – Live – FA Trophy Final – Harrogate Town v Concord Rangers
7.30pm – BT Sport Films – Proud To Be Town

Simon Green, head of BT Sport, said:

“Following a period when many lower league football fans have been unable to watch their sides, we hope our coverage will provide them with an opportunity to watch an exciting non-league finals day live from Wembley Stadium.”

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A fan campaign supported by Harrogate & Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones attempted to persuade the Football Association to let fans watch the match live.

But the FA confirmed this month it wouldn’t allow this, which means Town fans will be cruelly denied a trip to the home of English football for the second time in 12 months.

The Stray Ferret will be at the Cedar Court Hotel on Monday to watch the game with the fans and will be reporting throughout the day.

The club and the hotel have got together to show the game on a big screen to 42 supporters and are offering food and drink as part of the package. Click here to purchase a ticket.

Kids’ football camps kick off half term at Harrogate Town

Harrogate Town FC will run football camps for children throughout the May half-term holiday at St John Fisher High School.

The club’s camps are designed to provide boys and girls with high-quality coaching through exciting activities in a fun and safe environment.

Children aged six to 14 can attend from Monday May 31 to Thursday June 3.

It costs £28 per day, or £24 per day for members of the club’s Player Development Centre.

Alternatively, all four days of one camp week can be purchased for £95, or £82 if a member of the PDC.

More information about the camps can be found here or you can email Josh Falkingham with any questions.

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Harrogate Town allowed capacity crowds once covid restrictions end

Harrogate Town has been awarded a general safety certificate to hold full capacity games next season once all coronavirus restrictions are lifted.

The club completed works to expand its 5,000-seater EnviroVent Stadium following promotion to League Two last year, but even without any Covid disruptions this many spectators could not have been allowed in until now.

This is because any Football League or Premier League ground in England with a capacity more than 5,000 must be granted permission by their local authority.

While coronavirus restrictions have kept Town’s gates closed since January, the club’s managing director Garry Plant was awarded a general safety certificate by North Yorkshire County Council on Tuesday.

It marks a major boost for fans as it means the club could hold full capacity games during the 2021/22 season if the Government’s roadmap out lockdown stays on schedule.

Mr Plant told the Local Democracy Reporting Service:

“The best day is match day and we haven’t had a single one with fans this year so we can’t wait to see the stands and terraces full once again.

“We have missed our supporters so much. It is the Bradford City game this weekend – can you imagine how much of a great atmosphere that would have been?

“The council have been extremely supportive of our plans – especially the safety advisory team – and we would like to give them a big thanks.”

Under the government’s roadmap, from May 17 larger outdoor sports venues will be allowed to operate at up to 25% capacity with a maximum of 10,000 spectators.

Restrictions will be eased further from June 21, but with all adults not expected to be offered at least their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine until the end of July, full venues at major sports events are understood to be unlikely until late summer at the earliest.

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With Harrogate Town’s season set to end just nine days before May 17, it means supporters will have to wait until August before they can return to the EnviroVent Stadium.

Restrictions mean players will be greeted by empty seats again when they walk out at Wembley to contest the 2019/20 FA Trophy final against Concord Rangers on May 3.

The club’s historic win over Notts County to secure promotion to league football was also played behind closed doors at the London stadium.

Elizabeth Fitzgerald, trading standards officer at the county council, said the club’s “massive success” in reaching League Two should be celebrated not just in Harrogate, but across North Yorkshire.

She said:

“They have done marvellously and we want to help them as much as we can with guidance and advice to get things back under way with people back through the doors once again.”

Harrogate Town launches football academy

Harrogate Town plans to launch an academy that enables 16 to 18-year-olds to train full-time with the club and progress into the first team.

Subject to approval from the English Football League, the academy will enable young players to develop under UEFA-licensed coaches.

Knaresborough Town manager Paul Stansfield, who used to play for Harrogate Town, will head the academy.

He will be supported by professional development phase coach Ross McKay. Phil Priestley will act as goalkeeper coach and Josh Walsh will be academy secretary.

Lee Barraclough has been appointed head of recruitment and a full-time physio and part-time doctor will be recruited.

The academy team will compete in the EFL Youth Alliance North East.

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First team manager Simon Weaver said:

“It’s vital that we launch our own academy, it’s a massive step in the right direction for the club in terms of fulfilling the vision of where we started and what we foresee being our future.

“The goal at this club has always been to produce youngsters from the first stage in our player development centre to the youth teams and see them move into the first team and beyond so this is hugely important for us.

“There’s a lot of local talent, but by having an academy we are able to spread the net farther and wider in the hope that we produce some really good talented youngsters.”

Harrogate Town’s under-19s, under-17s and under-19 alliance teams will continue to compete in their respective leagues, alongside the newly established academy.

 

Harrogate Town fans’ anger as FA confirms Wembley date can’t be moved

The Football Association has confirmed that it won’t move Harrogate Town’s FA Trophy final in May so fans can attend, despite a fan petition and the issue being raised in Parliament.

Last season’s postponed FA Trophy final between Harrogate and Concord Rangers will take place behind closed doors at Wembley on May 3, just two weeks before fans can return to stadiums.

It means Town fans will be cruelly denied a trip to the home of English football for the second time in 12 months.

Phil Holdsworth, the club’s fan liaison officer, set up a petition that called on the FA to move the date. It received over 1,000 signatures and support from all over the world.

He said fans were “disappointed and angry” with the decision but said due to a busy summer at Wembley, which will host several European Championship fixtures, it was always going to be a tough ask.

“All of us are disappointed and there’s a lot of anger at the FA’s treatment. But it was always going to be difficult to rearrange it with everything that is going on at Wembley over the summer.”

Harrogate & Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones backed his petition and asked Prime Minister Boris Johnson at PMQs earlier this month if he would ask the FA to move the date.

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An FA spokesperson said it was unable to move the date due fixture congestion at Wembley.

They said:

“Despite our best efforts to accommodate limited spectators at these Buildbase FA Trophy and FA Vase Finals, a suitable date was sadly not available and both fixtures will be played behind closed doors. Fans are the lifeblood of our game, so we held detailed discussions with relevant stakeholders and explored all the potential options available to us.

“Unfortunately, due to the pandemic creating a large amount of fixture congestion, EURO fixtures being held at Wembley Stadium and other events after the tournament, the window to accommodate our showpiece events is particularly small this season. We want to make sure that as many fans as possible can enjoy these fixtures, so we believe it is very important that they are broadcast live, and are pleased that it has been possible to ensure they will be available to watch on BT Sport.

“Any other possible dates ahead of the autumn are mid-week but they would potentially create issues for the participating clubs and their fans as many would need to take time off work. A final option would have been to move these fixtures to the autumn, but this would mean playing them after the 20/21 competitions have been completed, create fixture challenges for the 21/22 season and was not preferable for all relevant stakeholders.”

Harrogate Town to open pop-up shop next week

Harrogate Town football club will open a pop-up shop on Commercial Street for a week from Monday.

The club’s Community Foundation will open the shop at number 32 Commercial Street on April 12 at 9am in a unit previously occupied by Scandinavian lighting company Nordium.

Town supporters will be able to buy club merchandise in person for the first time since before the latest lockdown came into effect.

Fans can also have their picture taken with the National League promotion trophy that the team won last summer.

Information will be available on community initiatives, including Louie Swain’s boot camp, walking football, a running club, sporting memories, man vs fat, and NCS summer programmes.

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On Wednesday, in association with the English Football League’s Day of Action, when clubs showcase their community work, club mascot Harry Gator and former player Jack Emmett will be available for pictures and a chat from 2-3pm.

Then at the weekend, visitors will have the chance to show their skills as Harrogate Town on FIFA 21.

The first customer through the doors each day will receive a prize.

The shop will open Monday to Saturday from 9.30am to 5.30pm and on Sunday from 10am to 4pm.

Harrogate set to make football history on Monday

The first female referee to take charge of an English Football League match will officiate at Harrogate Town on Easter Monday.

Rebecca Welch, from Warrington, has been appointed to referee Town’s game against Port Vale.

She has so far refereed in the Women’s Super League and men’s games in the National League.

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But the game at the EnviroVent Stadium on Wetherby Road will be a landmark occasion, which Welch hopes will encourage other women to take up the whistle.

She said:

“Initially I wasn’t really aware of being appointed as the first female referee.

“I was just given the appointment and I was over the moon but when you kind of reflect on it you think you’re the first woman ever to do this, so I’m extremely proud and my family’s extremely proud as well.

“I do think it’s important to show that women who are in the top 1% of their category can proceed to the next level so it definitely makes others down the pyramid look up and know that they can achieve the same.

“It shows that there is a real opportunity to young girls who are wondering if they are able take the whistle, or are if they are already a referee they can aspire to be an EFL referee or like Sian Massey-Ellis, who is currently operating in the Premier League.”

In February 2010, Amy Fearn took charge of the last 20 minutes of Coventry City’s match against Nottingham Forest as an injury replacement.

However, Welch will become the first female referee to be officially appointed to an EFL fixture.

Young Harrogate Town footballer to take up exciting USA scholarship

A young footballer at Harrogate Town will spend a “once in a lifetime” summer in Iowa, USA after being offered a business scholarship.

Promising 18-year-old striker Harry Wheat will spend the summer studying at Southeastern Community College studying Business Administration after being offered the opportunity thanks to the help of First Point USA, a scholarship agency.

Harry first joined the club via the Player Development Centre aged 15 and went to school at Rossett high school. He is currently completing his final year of a Level 3 Extended Diploma (Performance and Excellence) in Sport, equivalent to three A-Levels.

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Harry said:

“Moving to the United States is a great opportunity for me, not only to play football everyday but to get a degree in an area I want, which will open doors to a whole alternative career path.” explained Harry.

“Harrogate Town has been a massive help in getting me to where I am today. After leaving Guiseley at 15 I wanted to experience a high standard of coaching so got in touch with Dave Riley about the Player Development Centre.

“I was with the Player Development Centre for a year and felt I really developed as a player, learning from some top coaches, before progressing up to the Shadow Squad.

“After leaving school I joined the education programme at Harrogate Town and have been here for the last three years.

“The programme means I get to play football and study at the same time and has played a big part in my journey towards my scholarship in the US as I have developed massively on the pitch and in the classroom.”