Temporary bar to open at Harrogate Town in fortnight

A temporary bar is due to open at Harrogate Town‘s stadium in about two weeks.

Club chief executive Sarah Barry revealed the news at a fans’ forum last night — and added she hoped the Wetherby Road ground would have a second bar for home supporters by Christmas.

Not being able to get a drink on match days has been frustrating fans for some time.

Ms Barry told the forum she had been working on a solution since she arrived as chief executive just over a year ago, adding:

“We got planning permission on 6 September – that’s how long it has been. By the time we got planning permission unfortunately for us we can’t get the building slot we hoped.

“I’m absolutely delighted to say we have just had permission to put up a temporary bar which we hope will be put up as soon as possible. We will also be turning another part of the ground into a home supporters bar too.

“We will certainly have a temporary bar coming imminently and we will have a second bar, I’d like to say by Christmas, but don’t hold me to that as we still have to go through some hoops.”

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About 100 fans attended last night’s event at the Cedar Court Hotel and although many questions focused on Town’s poor form there were no direct calls for manager Simon Weaver to go.

Irving Weaver said it was a “fair question” when someone asked about the direction of the club but added it was “a bit early” for a change.

Last night’s fan forum also revealed…

Simon Weaver has turned down two job offers at other clubs

Chairman Irving Weaver revealed his manager and son Simon Weaver had rejected two job offers from professional clubs. He said:

“I’ve never disclosed this and he doesn’t know I’m going to say this: Simon has had a couple of offers because of the success of the club.

“One was from a Championship club and six weeks ago a League Two club went direct to him without any protocol of going to the chairman.”

The Weavers are “scrappers” who plan to battle their way out of trouble

Simon Weaver has been under pressure lately following a poor run of form that has left Harrogate just above the relegation zone.

Irving Weaver said he and Simon had no plans to quit and would work together. Talking about their relationship, he said:

“I’ve always said it was a linkage that was strong and if it failed it failed together. We are scrappers. We are going to graft this.”

Luke Armstrong has the manager’s backing – but is not “undroppable”

Asked about the struggling striker, Simon Weaver said:

“Nobody is undroppable. I have a really good relationship with Luke. He’s my Harry Kane. He has droughts, takes a battering, but I know there’s goals in there and there’s a real player there. I’m backing him but don’t be kidded – no player signs a contract where they are guaranteed a spot but the lad needs backing.”

Attendances are “not as bad as reported”

Sarah Barry was asked at the forum why ticket prices had been ‘hiked up’. She replied:

“I’d challenge that by saying prices have not been hiked up — we’ve aligned them. We were way, way, way behind average and had a price freeze for three or four years.”

She said there had only been a few home matches so far this season and there were mitigating circumstances behind some low attendances. She said “overall it’s not as bad as reported”.

Irving Weaver gave a more despondent answer when asked what the season’s highlights had been for him so far.

“There have not been too many highlights on the pitch. We’ve been down on crowds so that’s not an easy one to answer. It’s been a tough time all round. We need to be racking up the points.”

Harrogate Town to spend £3.5m improving ground

Harrogate Town‘s EnviroVent Stadium is to undergo a £3.5m upgrade, which will include a new seated stand, match day bar and improved ticketing facilities.

Chairman Irving Weaver is footing the bill, which the club said in a statement will help the board’s ambition of creating a “sustainable and thriving club, for future generations to enjoy”.

The new stand will increase the ground’s capacity above the current limit of 5,000 fans. It will replace the Myrings Terrace and will be able to hold 2,000 fans.

A new bar will please fans, who have been unable to get a drink at games since they were promoted to the English Football League in 2020. This is because away fans are now segregated in the Myrings Terrace, which includes the 1919 bar.

Also planned is an extension of the corporate hospitality area, with more space for diners.

Home since 1920

The ground on Wetherby Road has been home to the Sulphurites since 1920, but in recent years it has struggled to keep pace with the club’s rapid rise up the divisions into the English Football League.

Fans were banned from a pre-season friendly against Sunderland last summer after North Yorkshire County Council found 17 “unacceptable risks” at the ground, which were related to fan safety.

Problems with the ticketing system also left some fans unable to attend a home match against Stevenage in September.

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Chief executive Sarah Barry said the club had listened to feedback from fans, which has helped to shape how the money will be spent.

She added that she hopes the investment, which will include an improved ticketing system, will improve the matchday experience.

Ms Barry said:

“This is a really exciting time for our club.  It’s now two years since we were promoted to the EFL for the first time in our history. As we come out of the pandemic and get back to regular fixtures and crowds, the time is right for us to invest in our future.

“Our proposals stem from listening to feedback from fans in a number of areas.  Easier ticketing, better flow through turnstiles and an improved refreshments offering are some of the suggestions that have been made and have been taken on board.

“We want to enhance the match day experience for our loyal and dedicated supporters who make this club.  We’ve seen bigger crowds, welcomed more young families and teenagers to the EnviroVent Stadium lately and we want to sustain and grow this, retaining and attracting our committed supporters of the future.”

Harrogate Town made £1m loss in first Football League season

Harrogate Town posted a loss of £1 million during its first season in the English Football League.

The club secured professional league status for the first time in its history in 2020 after winning the National League play-offs.

Town then played its entire 2020/21 season in League Two behind closed doors due to the covid pandemic.

According to accounts filed with Companies House, the club published a loss of £1.019 million for the 12 months to June 2021.

The club said it was not alone in struggling through the pandemic and added that growing its fanbase now that spectators are allowed into stadiums was “a priority”.

The accounts added that the club’s cash flow forecast for the next 12 months was dependent on Irving Weaver, chairman and majority shareholder, not requesting £3.7 million he has currently put into the club in order for it to meet its liabilities.

The accounts said Mr Weaver “does not intend to seek repayment of the amounts due for the period covered by the forecast”.

A spokesperson for Harrogate Town said:

“As with all sporting venues, entertainment and hospitality organisations, the club has had a challenging time during the pandemic with not being able to operate fully so we are obviously still playing catch up.

“As you would expect, as a relatively new league status club, and with fans allowed in for the first time this season since being promoted into the league, we are still growing our fan base and that will remain our priority.

“We have lots going on behind the scenes and will be announcing details of all new developments as soon as we are in a position to do so ahead of the new season but we are still in the planning and negotiations stages on various projects.”

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The club is currently in the process of improving facilities at the EnviroVent Stadium on Wetherby Road following promotion to the English Football League.

Last month Town officials applied to Harrogate Borough Council to build a new clubhouse at the stadium to meet demand from increased fans on match days.

Meanwhile, a new ticket office and turnstiles at the EnviroVent Stadium were approved by the council in April 2021.

Harrogate Town appoints Sarah Barry as chief executive

Harrogate Town has appointed Sarah Barry to the newly created position of chief executive.

The club, which has won its first three matches in League Two this season, announced the appointment today.

Chairman Irving Weaver said Ms Barry, who was managing director of former local radio station Stray FM, had a “wealth of experience and business acumen in leading a team”.

He added:

“It is an exciting time as fans return to football and with Harrogate Town’s first full season with fans in League Two and I am delighted that Sarah is going to join us in a new role as chief executive officer.”

Harrogate-born Ms Barry began her career in advertising sales after leaving university and joined Stray FM in 1994.

She said:

“I have always known there was something very special about this club, its people and spirit. From the start, I felt aligned with what it represents so this move feels very natural for me.

“I’m passionate about my hometown and nothing can bring people together like football can, which I also love, so I am incredibly excited to be joining.

Ms Barry will take up her role on September 13.

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BBC in Harrogate tonight for FA Cup draw coverage

BBC cameras will be in Harrogate tonight as part of its coverage of the FA Cup second round draw.

Presenter Mark Chapman will speak to Harrogate Town manager Simon Weaver and chairman Irving Weaver live from the EnviroVent Stadium to get their reaction to the draw as well as discussing their meteoric rise into the English Football League.

Harrogate’s story has captured the imagination of the football world in what has been a bleak year for the sport.

Town beat semi-professional Skelmersdale United 4-1 on Friday night to book their place in the second round and earn £25,500 in prize money.

Harrogate are ball number 21 and another victory would put them into the third round for the first time in their history.

The draw itself will take place in a studio in London from 7pm on BBC2.

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The third round would potentially pit them against Premier League opposition, such as Manchester City, Liverpool or even local favourites Leeds United.

For a more straightforward route to the third round, Town could hope to draw one of the non-league sides that are left in the competition, such as Canvey Island, Marine and Boreham Wood.

But tough fixtures against former Premier League clubs Hull City, Bradford City and Portsmouth could also await.

Town have reached the second round once before. In 2012/13, they agonisingly lost to Hastings on penalties in a second round replay.

Harrogate Town to play outside of Harrogate if they win promotion

Harrogate Town will play the first few home games of next season outside of Harrogate if they gain promotion to the English Football League.

This is because to meet EFL regulations the club must replace its existing artificial 3G pitch at the CNG Stadium with grass.

Town play Notts County at Wembley on Sunday with the winner gaining promotion to the League Two in the EFL. The club said they will begin work on replacing the pitch with grass “immediately” should they win the historic tie.

The work is expected to take 10 weeks, which would take them into next season, with the first matches set for September 12. The club have not revealed who they could potentially ground share with.

Town installed the current 3G pitch in 2016 after struggling for years with drainage issues on the previous grass pitch. It forced them to play several home matches 45 miles away at Doncaster Rovers.

Town fan Rob Nixon told The Stray Ferret that he hopes it would be somewhere closer to home.

He said:

“The more local the better. When we shared with Doncaster we only had 50 people attending. Having to do that again would be tough.”

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The club have been busy this summer making preparations in case they are promoted.

Work has almost been completed on a new Family Stand at the CNG so they can meet EFL’s requirement of every stadium being able to hold 5,000 people with 1,000 seats.

Cardboard cut-out versions of Town supporters sat in the stand when the team beat Boreham Wood 1-0 on Saturday to book their place in the final.

Writing in Saturday’s programme, club chairman Irving Weaver said he hopes the new all-seater stand will attract more fans to the club.