Harrogate Town: Project Big Picture should be ‘seriously considered’

Harrogate Town managing director Garry Plant has said proposals that could see the club potentially receive millions of pounds in funding from the Premier League should be “seriously considered”.

Details of Project Big Picture, which would radically overhaul the way finances are distributed down the football pyramid, were leaked to the media over the weekend.

Under the proposals, put forward by Liverpool and Manchester United, the top nine clubs in the Premier League would get more control in return for giving an immediate £350m rescue fund to the English Football League, plus 25% of revenue from future deals.

This would give EFL clubs, who have struggled financially since the lockdown, a much-needed cash windfall. Currently, each EFL club receives £430,000 a season from the Premier League as a “solidarity payment”.

Speaking to the Stray Ferret yesterday, Mr Plant said:

“Any assistance that the clubs can get has to be seriously considered otherwise there might not be some clubs in the EFL for much longer.

“The club is being guided by and trusts the EFL to arrive at the very best solution for the football family.”

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The proposals would also see the League Cup scrapped, which Mr Plant suggested would be a small price to pay if it guaranteed the survival of EFL clubs.

Mr Plant warned if communities lost their football clubs it would have a lasting impact that would run deeper than purely sport.

He added:

“The key important thing is the survival of football.

“Bury and Macclesfield have already closed and it would have a massive impact on local communities.”

It’s goodbye Doncaster for Harrogate Town

Harrogate Town have played their final ‘home’ fixture at Doncaster Rovers’ Keepmoat Stadium.

Following promotion from the National League, Town were forced by the English Football League to remove its artificial 3G surface at Wetherby Road and replace it with grass.

This meant the team has been playing its home fixtures at Doncaster, 46 miles from Harrogate.

Harrogate Town chairman Irving Weaver’s housing company, Strata Homes, is also based in the South Yorkshire town.

The team signed off from the Keepmoat with an impressive 3-1 win against Leicester City’s under-23 side on Tuesday in the EFL Trophy.

Work on Town’s new pitch at the club’s EnviroVent Stadium is now nearly complete.

Playing at the Keepmoat seemed to be popular with Town’s players, with veteran striker Jon Stead tweeting yesterday:

“What a venue, unreal hospitality, and fantastic ground staff. Thank you Donny.”

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Town’s next fixture will be a hotly anticipated local derby against Bradford City at Valley Parade on Monday night. The game will be shown live on Sky Sports.

Simon Weaver’s men will play at Wetherby Road for the first time since July on October 17 when they face last season’s National League champions Barrow.

Meanwhile, a petition has now been signed by over 180,000 people urging the government to allow fans to safely return to football stadiums, amid reports that several EFL clubs face a precarious financial situation.

Initially in the summer, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said fans would be able to return to grounds from October 1. But rising coronavirus infection rates put this plan on hold indefinitely.

Harrogate Town manager and player up for EFL awards

Harrogate Town’s impressive start to life in the English Football League has been recognised with manager Simon Weaver and striker Aaron Martin nominated for League Two manager and player of the month awards.

Town picked up five points from their first three games, beating Southend on the opening day 4-0 and drawing against early pacesetters Walsall and Port Vale.

They lost at the weekend 1-2 to Bolton Wanderers, which may dampen Weaver’s chances of winning the managerial award but the nomination shows that Town’s bright start to the season has not gone unnoticed.

The other managers nominated are John Askey (Port Vale), Mark Bonner (Cambridge United) and Mike Flynn (Newport County).

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Striker Aaron Martin, who has scored twice so far this season, is a contender for player of the month.

Martin was signed from Guiseley just before lockdown in March and made his debut for the club in the National League playoff semi-final against Boreham Wood in July.

Also nominated are Ian Henderson (Salford), Paul Mullin (Cambridge United) and Adam Phillips (Morecambe)

The winners will be announced on Friday morning.

Town’s next league fixture is a hotly anticipated local derby at Bradford City on Monday evening. The game will be shown live on Sky Sports.

Harrogate Town takes part in mental health campaign

Harrogate Town fans have been asked to nominate someone whose mental health has suffered during the coronavirus pandemic and is deserving of a special Zoom call from a first-team player.

The initiative is part of mental health charity Mind’s ‘Do One Thing’ campaign, which inspires people to make one small change or take one action to look after their mental health. All English Football League clubs are taking part.

Nominations should be emailed to community@harrogatetownafc.com by Friday October 9. A group of senior Town players will then judge the nominations.

Supporters can also get involved in the campaign by sharing on social media their one piece of advice or activity that can improve mental health.

Paul Farmer, chief executive of Mind, said:

“Coronavirus has undoubtedly affected the lives and routines of many fans. Whether that’s seeing familiar faces on the terraces on match day or celebrating/commiserating the result with fellow fans after, many fans will feel that the current climate has left them less able to do the things that support their mental health.

“Whether it’s going for a walk, learning a new skill or doing something creative, taking the first steps to getting support for yourself, or reaching out to someone else; Mind and the EFL are encouraging fans to do one thing for better mental health this World Mental Health Day.”

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On Friday night BT Sport aired “Proud To Be Town”, a 90-minute documentary filmed during and after lockdown.

It included contributions from manager Simon Weaver and first-team players who opened up about how the three-month shutdown of professional sport affected their mental wellbeing.

Match Preview: Harrogate Town vs Bolton Wanderers

Ten years ago this week, Harrogate Town and Bolton Wanderers were five divisions apart, with the Lancashire club plying their trade in the Premier League and Town in the National League North.

That year, 2010/11, was Simon Weaver’s first full season as player/manager of the club and Bolton’s side was littered with internationals including future England stars Daniel Sturridge and Gary Cahill.

But sport can be a great leveler and the two clubs will face each other for the first time in a competitive fixture at 3pm today. The game will be played at Town’s temporary home of the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster.

Simon Weaver’s men have been in buoyant form so far in League Two and are unbeaten after three games. They made an immediate statement, beating Southend 4-0 on the opening day of the season, and last Saturday they secured a battling point against the fancied Port Vale.

Bolton were relegated from League One last season and are one of the favourites for promotion – however, they have so far failed to pick up a win.

Simon Weaver said he hopes his team can build on their good form.

He said:

“The Bolton game is a huge one for us. They’re a massive club, with history, a big fan-base and a fantastic stadium, but they haven’t had the best of starts and they’ll be desperate to put that right this weekend.

“We can’t allow them to do that. We have to be on the front foot, making life difficult for them and all-energy with and without the ball. We’ve made a positive start to the season and we have to be relentless in trying to build on that.”

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Bolton manager Ian Evvet was full of praise for Town ahead of the game.

He said:

“They put you under pressure and they’ll put the ball into areas that force you to defend. They’re very good from set pieces as most League Two teams are, and we have to be at the races it’s as simple as that. We have to make sure we’re better with and without the ball than we were last Saturday.”

Town midfielder Jack Muldoon missed out on the trip to Port Vale with a minor muscle injury and he could come back into contention today.

Goalkeeper James Belshaw continues to progress in his recovery from a hand injury but he’ll most likely be unavailable, with Joe Cracknell continuing to deputise.

Bolton manager Ian Evatt said new signing Lloyd Isgrove will miss the game against Town because of an injury. Arthur Gnahoua is fit and available and could come into contention for a start.

Antoni Sarcevic and Shaun Miller returned to training this week and could be available for a place in the matchday squad.

Town fans can stream the game live through the club’s website for £10.

BT Sport to broadcast Harrogate Town documentary tonight

Harrogate Town’s fairytale ascent into the English Football League will be the subject of a major TV documentary tonight.

Proud To Be Town will be premiered on BT Sport at 10pm and will be available on the BT Sport app on Saturday.

BT Sport is billing the 90-minute programme as the first full-length documentary to highlight the “profound impact” of the Covid pandemic on football.

Filming for the documentary began in June when the club began preparing for the National League playoffs after the season had been curtailed in March due to the lockdown. Town went on to win a historic Wembley playoff final against Notts County 3-1 in August.

The behind-the-scenes film traces the club’s exploits on the pitch as well as exploring how coronavirus hit the club’s finances.

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Simon Green, head of BT Sport, said:

“This is not just the story of one club. It reflects aspects of almost every football club in the country amid the Covid pandemic.

“A large proportion of the film was self-shot by members of the team and club staff on phones and tablets, who enthusiastically recorded their experiences of lockdown, getting back into action and making their historic bid for promotion.

“We are grateful for the club’s collaboration.”

Harrogate Town prepare for another trip to Wembley

Harrogate Town are preparing for a second trip to Wembley after reaching the FA Trophy Final.

Town clinched a place in the final after beating Notts County 1-0 at Meadow Lane last night.

Will Smith got the only goal of the game to defeat County as both sides met again just over a month since the National League Play-Off Final, which Harrogate also won.

Town will now play Concord Rangers at Wembley in the final, though a date is yet to be confirmed.

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The victory followed an announcement from Prime Minister Boris Johnson that a phased return of fans in October would be paused.

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The FA had planned to hold both the FA Trophy and FA Vase Finals with up to 1,000 fans in attendance on September 27, but postponed the games earlier this month amid a rise in coronavirus cases.

Town boss, Simon Weaver, said he hoped to see supporters back in stadiums when they play in the final.

“We have had some difficult games along the way, but it was so important tonight that we did it for the supporters.

“Hopefully when it is Wembley time they will be allowed back in the stadiums.

“We said in the team talk ‘do it for the supporters tonight’.”

Meanwhile, Irving Weaver, chairman of Harrogate Town, said yesterday that clubs would reach a “cliff edge scenario” if a return of fans is delayed further.

He said:

“From mid-March through a normal close season we were helped by furloughing our employees. Now back into full swing anticipating fans returning, the black hole is upon us. Around thirty percent of a club’s total income is derived through the turnstiles. Without a subsidy the pain will be severe.

“I know that the government are well aware of the situation. Let us hope that there is help on the way, not just for football but for spectator sport in general.”

Harrogate Town faces ‘cliff edge’, warns chairman

Harrogate Town and other football clubs face a “cliff edge scenario” if fans are not allowed back into stadiums for six months, Town’s chairman has warned.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson put plans for fans to return at the start of October on hold today when he announced further restrictions to tackle rising coronavirus infections.

Supporters were due to return to grounds in small numbers, with some Football League clubs trialling 1,000 fans at games last weekend.

Irving Weaver, Town chairman, has said his club and others could experience “severe pain” if their loss of income is not subsidised.

He said:

“Today’s statement by the Prime Minister was not unexpected but if there is a further six months delay before we can allow fans into our stadiums then we are running into a cliff edge scenario.

“From mid-March through a normal close season we were helped by furloughing our employees. Now back into full swing anticipating fans returning, the black hole is upon us. Around thirty percent of a club’s total income is derived through the turnstiles. Without a subsidy the pain will be severe.

“I know that the government are well aware of the situation. Let us hope that there is help on the way, not just for football but for spectator sport in general.”

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Mr Johnson told MPs it would not be possible for fans to return to stadiums from 1 October. He added:

“I recognise the implications for our sports clubs, which are the life and soul of our communities.

“The Chancellor and the Culture Secretary are working urgently on what we can do now to support them.”

The Prime Minister added the restrictions could remain in place for six months.

Shrewsbury Town were among those to take part in a pilot last weekend with 1,000 supporters present for the first time since March.

Harrogate Town kids coaching centre closes after covid case

Harrogate Town Football Club has closes its player development centre for two weeks following a positive case of coronavirus.

The player development centre works with children aged between four and 15 to offer football coaching and support. The club was told yesterday one of its members had tested positive.

The club has confirmed only the development centre has been affected and its first team’s game against Notts County tonight is unaffected.

In a statement, Harrogate Town, said:

“Yesterday we received formal confirmation that one member of our Player Development Centre has tested positive for Covid-19.

“All players and staff in attendance who may have come into contact with the player have been informed, and appropriate government guidance followed. As a precautionary measure we have decided to close the PDC for 14 days. There have been no other confirmed cases within the PDC or any area of the club.”

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Yesterday, a further seven cases of coronavirus were reported in the district.

In the past week, the Stray Ferret has reported five schools in Harrogate have confirmed cases of coronavirus.

Today the Prime Minister announced that indoor team sport would be banned in an attempt to avoid a full lockdown.

Match preview: West Bromwich Albion vs Harrogate Town

Harrogate Town continue to break new ground this evening when they travel to Premier League West Bromwich Albion in the second round of the Carabao Cup.

The game at the Hawthorns will be the first time Harrogate have played a club from the top tier of English football in a competitive fixture.

It will also be the first time they’ve played live in front of the Sky Sports cameras. The match kicks off at 6pm.

Harrogate sealed their place in the second round when they beat Tranmere Rovers on penalties this month and they’ve continued to look impressive in the early stages of the new season.

The team made a dream start to life as an English Football League club on Saturday when they thrashed Southend United 4-0 away from home, with two goals from Jack Muldoon and a goal apiece from Lloyd Kerry and Aaron Martin.

However, West Brom will be a different proposition entirely as their squad is littered with internationals. The Baggies finished second to Leeds in last season’s Championship, earning promotion to the Premier League.

West Brom manager Slaven Bilic is expected to make changes from the side that lost 0-3 to Leicester City at the weekend. Experienced striker Charlie Austin is pushing for a start and winger Matt Phillips could also return to the side after an injury.

Harrogate manager Simon Weaver will be tempted to name the same team that beat Southend at the weekend, which saw four new signings on the substitutes bench.

Where to watch the match on TV

Pubs confirmed to be showing the game live in Harrogate tonight include The Empress, The Harrogate Arms, and The Alexandra. Fans are encouraged to book a table ahead of the game.

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Harrogate return to football league action on Saturday with a home tie against Walsall, which will be played at Doncaster Rovers’ Keepmoat Stadium due to Town laying grass at the newly renamed EnviroVent stadium.

The EFL invited clubs to apply to pilot the return of fans to this weekend’s fixtures, with 1,000 supporters permitted at matches.

But Harrogate told the Stray Ferret they didn’t apply because Doncaster’s stadium operations manager is currently absent from work on sick leave.