Are we winning yet?

If you've been following my blog, then you'll know a lot of my time has been taken up recently running Wick FC. At the time of writing, we're 4 games into a new season and have things calmed down? Not really!

Whilst you clear one thing off the 'to do list', another 3 creep into the mind all in the aim of improving things off the pitch to provide on the pitch to succeed. So, where are we now?

Well, we've taken 6 points from 9 and sit in the top four in the early table. An early FA Cup exit didn't generate the financial help it could have provided, but gaining money from losing the game will help to clear another bill or two and in just over a week's time it's a crack at the FA Vase. The prize money on offer isn't as great, but we are due some success in this competition and our cup performances over the past 2-3 years haven't set the world alight.

The bank account is looking better than it has done for a long few months and with sponsorship income due to follow over the coming weeks we may actually find ourselves in the black, historic bills cleared and looking forward as the season progresses.

Does it stop there? Of course not! Whilst great strides have been made we're always looking to do more. Sometimes the simple things will provide us with extra income. We're sorting out extra signage to promote where the club is, no good being here if people can't find where you exactly are located.

We've appointed a new Commercial and Marketing manager to increase our presence within the local community and in the eyes of local business and houses, many of which are being built in reasonably close proximity of the club.

We're looking at a card machine for the bar to increase our sales, we're looking for a new fryer for the kitchen to increase the tea bar sales, we're looking at having BT Sport back in the clubhouse to enable us to open the club more often looking for more income. Next month we look to re-launch our 100 club in partnership with The Unicorn public house, again another income stream for the club, but so vital to keep things ticking along.

The ground improvements keep going, painting is underway on the new posts and barriers, and there are some smaller plans being made to replace and repair other sections of the ground.

Whilst you can say it's never a job with nothing to do, it can be rewarding but also time consuming. If you're not thinking of a new income stream, then emails need answering or stock needs to be ordered for the bars to keep existing streams running soundly.

But we can't afford to stand still, we keep things moving and improving and trying to find new ways to make the club self-sufficient, something our committee embrace and all play their part in helping achieve it.

I hope you've enjoyed reading this blog over the past 5-6 weeks, and learnt what it's really like at a grassroots non-league club, full of volunteers all with a part to play but always room for more, there's always a job for you!