TODAY we bring you Chairman Barry Norgrove's answers to your questions here on harriers.co.uk.
Understandably we received many duplicate and similar questions so if your question isn't directly addressed below, it's more than likely you'll find the answer you'll need among other answers.
We'd like to thank all of those who sent in questions!
Q: For the past few seasons the supporters have been told that the break even attendance figure for the club to stay in the black is 1400.
This season, at least according to official attendance figures published in the programme, the club has exceeded that figure by 22%. For the last four home matches, while the club was challenging for a play off spot, attendance was some 71% ahead of this target.
Add to this the FA Cup and FA Trophy runs (which we are always told is not included in the budget), Setanta TV money and the additional director (which, again according to reports, now has to be worth £50k per season to the club) and the overall situation concerning Harriers finances is far from clear.
Can these matters be clarified?
A: The club have never operated on a figure of 1,400 and I'm not too sure where that has come from - we have always said that we set things towards gates of 2,000 and above to break even really. Certainly higher than 1,400 - that's quite some way away. Since we've been in the Football League and to this day, the expenditure of the club is such that it's always had to be around the 2,00-500 mark.
Q: In my opinion last season's squad was one of the best I have seen at Aggborough for a few years. It has been stated that the club could not afford to renew certain players contracts, what I don't understand is it seems that you didn't even try to offer them contracts on lower wages did you? Granted the majority may not have been interested but surely it would have been worth a try?
A: Whilst we didn't formally offer those players contracts at the end of the season, we did speak to them and in most instances still are speaking to them - it's certainly not the case that they are gone now and are forgotten about. Some players feel that they can get a lot more money by looking elsewhere and if that's the case then we genuinely can't afford to compete. Should that big money not be so forthcoming then of course Mark is keeping in touch with them and there could always be something here for them. No one has really gone anywhere or signed for anyone just yet so it's still possible we could strike a deal with them but as it was we couldn't afford to keep them.
Q: I have heard from several sources that the club is planning to incorporate the youth system into the first team on a large scale (apparently at least eight players will make the step up). Please can you tell me if this is true?
A: No, that is completely untrue. That's not a direction we'd look to go in and we're going to re-build a squad to try and compete next season - Weymouth really were going through some very severe troubles at that time, we're looking to try and re-build by bringing in new players from outside the club.
Q: Why do you think there has been a drop in attendance every year in recent history apart from the slight increase last year?
A: Worcester Rugby Club has taken an awful lot away, both in terms of interest and business. They're obviously doing fantastically well and have a great set-up there. I'm not a fan myself but was invited to go a long to a game recently and was amazed by the amount of faces there that were familiar from around Kidderminster and indeed our club, and I know Worcester City FC have experienced the same thing. They have grown so much over the years to attract massive gates. But it's not only that - I think Kidderminster as a town is generally in a decline. There are fewer business around and with the likes of the big Midlands clubs being so successful over the last few years, we have lost quite a few. We had fantastic attendances for our last few home games when we were close to reaching the play-offs but overall it has been a fantastic year for us at Aggborough but the gates as a whole have still gone down - it is of course difficult for us to compete with so many factors.
Q: Can it be set-up so that season tickets can be paid for monthly by direct debit? The scheme could then work so fans will automatically renew their season ticket year on year unless they choose to cancel.
A: I do not think this would be viable for a club our size and I don't think I've seen it used at any other club, either. Potentially it could be very dangerous - you can cancel a direct debit at any time and should we not be doing to well one season then by Christmas we could find that many are no longer coming - it just wouldn't work. Season Tickets in the current form are vital for all clubs at this level as they are our only income during the summer and I honestly think the Early Bird prices and instalment plans for this year make it manageable for anyone who wants to join us next season.
Q: At the last Fan's Forum it was announced on the website that the board planned to increase communication with the fans. This did not happen. Why did it not happen?
A: If I'm honest I would disagree that it hasn't. Whenever there has been a message we need to get across to our fans we've always done it, we use the match programme, website and have an excellent relationship with our local newspapers - when something needs to be said we always do our best, and I think this Q&A is also positive. There are some Chairman in many leagues that feel it necessary to always be talking, on any new signing or anything that's going on but really that's for Mark to do, and not really my place. There is no point coming out without having something to say, but we never hide away from anything and I've said ever since I became Chairman if there is anything anyone ever wants to ask us, they only need to get in touch. I don't think anyone would expect us to come out every week and deny this rumour and that rumour because it just doesn't happen - we try our best to be as open and honest as possible with supporters because at the end of the day we're all here for Kidderminster Harriers.
Q: Why don't we play some of our big games at home on a Friday night or Sunday so we don't clash with our big city neighbours like Tranmere did in the 80s?
A: It's not something that would really be possible for us on a regular basis anymore, even if we wished to the Conference wouldn't really allow it as anything from the Pools Panel - where games can't be changed - to Setanta has to be taken in to consideration. Also we find that Saturday still remains the best day - evening matches usually always get lower attendances and on a few times we've tried a Friday night, we've never seen too much difference - a lot of people have things on for a Friday and it doesn't really work out.
Q: Why don't we set up a club shop in one off the many empty properties in the town?
A: The rates and rent would stop this from working out. As it is, our Club Shop at Aggborough doesn't take a fantastic return so to be paying for a second store would only leave us worse off. Some years ago we had a small shop within a store in town and didn't find that this brought in too much. I think that if someone wants to buy some Harriers merchandise then their first point is always going to be the shop at the ground, where parking also isn't a problem.
Q: Why doesn't the club take more fringe players from our big clubs?
A: I assume you mean on-loan, and, generally we're finding that we're less and less able to do this because bigger clubs are reluctant to let their youngsters out on loan into the Conference. In the Football League this was never an issue - the likes of Clyde, Melligan, Dyer and Morgan, but its different now. We've been on to them but they feel that at this level they're more likely to sustain injuries with the way the game is sometimes played and from their point of view that's not good for development. Clubs in other areas can manage to achieve it but in the Midlands we're finding it's more difficult.
Q: How much does it hurt to see a player of Creighton's stature move to a club such as oxford, a club that is in many ways so closely matched to ours except they seem to developing in to such an attractive club?
A: I will say one thing that I have always said - we will never stand in any player's way if they feel they no longer want to play for Kidderminster Harriers. We will never keep an unhappy player. At the end of the day it's also down to the Manger - it's never been left to the board to say who can stay and who can go, and Mark [Creighton] made it very clear that he wanted to go to Oxford; we were never going to hold him back.
Q: If it important for Barry Norgrove to remain in the black, why, do we sell players for nominal fees, are we going to allow Penn and Bartlett to follow suit, and not obtain their true valuations?
A: Money isn't always available - we have to ask really what is a footballers' true value? Stuart Fleetwood when he moved on went for £175,000 whereas James Constable, who had scored a fantastic amount of goals, moved to Oxford United recently for much, much less than that. Whose to say those fees shouldn't have been equal? On one hand we sold Iyseden Christie a while ago for good money to Rochdale and yet were able to get him back for absolutely nothing a short time later. Also there is the case that players are contractually able to leave for clubs higher up the ladder for a certain amount, so it's not easy to always name your price.
Q: Where do you envisage KHFC to be (on and off the field), by the end of next season and in 5 years from now? What is the plan to get there?
A: At the moment we're in a re-building process and Mark already has ideas on what he wants to do. I would like to think we could be there or there abouts next season. Money doesn't always buy you success - Rushden were unable to achieve anything last season after throwing big money at it and past Champions the likes of Dagenham, Aldershot and Accrington have all been smaller-spenders.
Most importantly for me it's important that the club is still here in the future, continuing on an even keel and able to sustain itself - to operate any other way would only put us in danger. It's a big job to compete with a few of the clubs who can throw massive money about but I'd much rather we were sensible than end up in administration.
Q: I don't ask for private details of any individual but what is the percentage cut in the playing budget for the coming season? There are many rumours circulating and these should be nailed down immediately.
A: I know of no club who would ever release money figures concerning their playing budget and we're no different but all I can honestly say to you is that right now, as we speak, the budget we have is the same as it was last season. We have admitted that the budget on which we finished last season would have to be reduced, but we're as we were last May. I'm not saying that it didn't go up before the season started and I wouldn't be surprised at all if we get further increases this year as the summer goes on.
Q: Will we, the fans know who we will be watching next season before the discounted season ticket offer finishes? It is unfair that we are expected to buy 'a pig in a poke'.
A: We can put out offers to as many players as we'd like at the moment but so many are throwing their options open because there are so many out there. We have no control over when they come back to us, but those we've offered contracts to are waiting to see if they can get a better deal, as you would expect. We rely on those Season Ticket sales to get us through the summer as there is no other money coming in at all.
Q: I am reluctant to renew my season ticket as if the club calls in the receivers I shall be left as an unsecured creditor. The actions of the club in the past week are those of a business about to close with all the chief assets being disposed of or sold to major competitors.
Can I receive an assurance that there will be a club to support next season?
A: Well firstly I'd say that if supporters chose to not buy Season Tickets then we'd have no money coming in with which to make new signings and bring players in. We're trying to re-build a good side in the same way we did last season. Many of the players who did so well last season were signed very late on and yet fans still purchased their Season Tickets prior to that to help supporters and I'd ask them to do so again. I can give you as much of a guarantee as is humanly possible that there will be a Kidderminster Harriers next season and this year is no different to too many others. At the moment it is a waiting game and we have to be strong and we're confident that a few deals we're thinking of will come off - those who are prepared to wait will pick up good players because there are too many out there for them all to get fixed up.
Q: Everyone fully understands the problems that all business face so how many £1 shares would the club have to sell to get the playing budget back to the level of the season we have just finished and would the money raised from a share issue go directly into the playing budget.
A: As I've explained in previous questions, we aren't even sure that the budget will end up being short, yet. We're back at the same starting point we were in back in last May, we're just quite some way down on what we finished the season with because we build it up throughout the season. It has to be that way - you can't start in a higher budget because Cup income and the like are not things you can guarantee.
As for a £1 share issue or any other - if supporters wished to take that out then yes we could guarantee it would go towards the budget.
Q: Are the current playing budget cuts being made due to any current financial problems we are suffering OR to safeguard the future of the club over the forthcoming season?
A: There is nothing else at all… there is no income coming into the club at the moment and yet players will always want more money and that's the stumbling block. We 'released' nine players but as we said at the time, it wasn't the case that we were looking to keep all nine in any instance - a few wouldn't have been kept on, Mark wasn't going to offer deals to them. The big headlines are that Harriers have lost ten players - we haven't as such, some would have been let go as we look to re-build. Four or five of them we would've like to have kept and we're still in dialogue with them now.
Q: I feel you would rather be playing two or three leagues down, perhaps with local derbies against the likes of Bromsgrove, Redditch, Worcester, etc. Can you say anything that will make those of us who have paid a lot of money to watch the club through good and bad times to make us think differently?
A: Absolutely. With my hand on my heart, as Chairman of the Football Club I wanted nothing more than to get up into the Football League and I was massively disappointed when it didn't happen, as was everyone, from the Boardroom down to the Manager. I want to get us there - it would be fantastic for the club and the town and financially with the derbies, attendances and money you get from the likes of the Football League and Sky, we'd be so much better off. We all wanted it, and still do - there is no question of that.
Q: Bearing in mind the current financial situation do you think it was a wise decision to appoint a two man non-playing management team? Surely a better utilisation of scarce resources would have been to appoint a player coach and perhaps an experienced older head to manage. The club would then have the benefit of one of them on the pitch.
A: At the end of the day, Mark and Neil have done ever so well for us and I honestly believe that the two of them - together - needed and deserved to stay on for this season. That was only fair. They come as a pair and rightly so. For what they've done for us I don't think many would disagree.
Q: I am very disappointed at the way the the old team has been ravaged particularly in view of the achievements this season (the best for many years). Would this have happened in the same way had we achieved promotion?
A: No, definitely not. The money we would've received is substantial and we believed that team was good enough to play in League Two.
Q: When I first started to support harriers (in 1994), it was common that few players left and joined, and therefore you became attached to certain players and many became stalwarts if you will, and were 'Harriers through and through' e.g Mark Yates, Paul Webb, Chris Brindley. My question is that in this day and age is it unlikely we will ever have a team that stays together and evolves over time or is the more likely scenario that players are desperate for contracts and subsequently only playing for their future? Will this club only ever be a shop window for these players, therefore how do we grow?
A: Speaking on football as a whole - at all levels - I think it has sadly gone to that stage where it is unlikely you'll see players maintain long-lasting relationships with clubs. Some players are grossly overpaid these days and even in the Premiership you see massive money moves for players who are again moved on within a year or two. You can bring in good, hungry, young players but as soon as you mould them into something really promising you too often see bigger clubs coming in and waving more money around and smaller clubs can't compete. So many Blue Square Premier clubs have lost players to the Football League and I think that's how it is now - that's football everywhere.
Q: You say that finances in the club are tight but I ask on behalf of many disgruntled harriers fans whatever happened to the money from Wembley two years ago?
A: Running a football club is an unbelievable expensive thing and I'm sure anyone would be surprised to know just how much is involved. Money like we got from Wembley are the reason why we're still here. After the Trophy Final season, we gave Mark a much bigger budget and we went and had a right go and trying to get promotion. We spent a lot of money that season and didn't do half as well as we have done in the season just gone, where Mark did tremendously well on a budget that's quite reasonable.
Q: Why does every transfer fee involved with the club have to be "undisclosed"? Why cant the supporters know how much Creighton was sold for or any other player?
A: The honest truth is that on many occasions it isn't down to us. The last few, for instance, have been cases of other clubs wanting to keep figures under wraps. They owe money to various people and having figures publicly disclosed wouldn't have helped them and we understand that. In one instance we've found that supporters and businessmen have privately funded the purchasing of a player and so as such it hasn't been that club in question who has been spending the money - there have been a number of examples like that.
Q: Has the club considered reverting to part-time status?
A: That's not something that would really help us. As I've said in other questions, we're much in the same boat as we were this time last year and we're very much hopeful of helping Mark to build a squad that can help us challenge for promotion. We've come too far forward from our part-time days now, some ten years, and there's little sense in going back.
Q: Have the board considered selling the naming rights to the stadium? i.e. Emirates stadium - maybe targeting the local carpet trade for this?!?
A: Businesses of that size just aren't interested in Kidderminster Harriers, and trust me when I say that we have hounded them. We value more than anything the business and custom that local, smaller businesses have given us over the last few years but larger companies just don't want to know. We've been trying to sell the naming rights for the East Stand again for a couple of years and haven't been able to do so. But definitely, it is something we'd be interested in doing and we have tried to make it happen.
Q: What does the board do to try and get new investors?
A: We're meeting a lot with businessmen just lately with a view to getting them on board because we want as many heads around the table as we can to bring in more money for Kidderminster Harriers, and having more people involved helps us. I've met with four or five people over the last few weeks and we're really, really positive that we can bring them in, raise more money and help increase the playing budget for Mark and I'm fighting like mad to make that happen.
Q: I imagine Russ Penn is likely to be sold as he would appear to be the only major asset that we have left who is likely to attract interest from other clubs…
A: Russ is going nowhere at the moment as we hold his contract. We will never say to clubs 'come and buy such and such' but I stand by what I said earlier in that we will also never stand in a players' way should they make it clear they want to leave.
If an offer comes in and we think that we can bring in someone who can replace a player of his quality then we would perhaps talk business but it will need to be in the best interests of us and the player.
Q: Although I fully appreciate the cautious approach you are taking in order to safeguard the long term future of Kidderminster Harriers Football Club (and am grateful to have a chairman who displays sense and foresight), do you believe that we can still mount a realistic promotion challenge now that so many of our good players have left the club?
A: Definitely - without a shadow of a doubt. There are many things going on now to try and make that happen and Mark and Neil are already working extremely hard to re-build the side.
