Notts County Football Club

In conjunction with the news that Chris Kiwomya has been appointed as the long-term manager at Notts County, the Board of Directors have moved to outline their future vision for the club.

It has always been the intention of the current Board of Directors to see progression, both on and off the pitch, year on year under their tenure.

We have enjoyed some sustainable progress and success during the short time since Chairman Ray Trew arrived at Meadow Lane and have seen an improvement in our final league position in each of the three seasons.

The club are aware that the achievements to date have come at a great financial cost, in terms of investment from The Board, our sponsors and of course our fans through their continued support and attendance at matches throughout the season. We would like to take this opportunity to thank them all for their continued backing.

We constantly review all aspects of the club and have developed a more long-term strategy aimed at not only taking us on to the next level, but bringing through more homegrown talent and developing youth, ensuring the best possible value for money and developing an environment conducive to growth and energy, both on and off the field of play.

There are no shadow directors at Notts County, everyone involved at Board level is a supporter who attends matches, feels the passion of the fans and ultimately wants to see entertaining, winning football both here at Meadow Lane and on the road, that is the ideal for every football club.

We have seen this year that the youth structure in place at the club is bearing fruit, with Fabian Spiess, Liam Mitchell, Haydn Hollis, Jake Wholey, Curtis Thompson and Greg Tempest all coming through the ranks to earn professional contracts and make the breakthrough into the first team.

Recent matches have shown the exciting talent that this group possesses, which can only bode well for the future and with our current youth team preparing for a Midland Youth Cup Final against Walsall next month, it is clear that a new batch of bright young talent is already hot on their heels.

There are few things more satisfying as a Director of a football club than seeing a young player progress through the ranks and earn a place in the first team squad, then pushing on to become an integral part of the team and we know that this is a feeling shared by our supporters.

This played a large part in our thinking when appointing Chris Kiwomya, first as caretaker manager, and then on a permanent basis. Our developing players have shown their desire to play for him and to succeed as individuals, but more importantly as a team.

They have bought in to the Notts County philosophy and this is something that we want to promote through every level of the club. 

One long-term aim for the club is to build a centralised training base for players at all levels to use as their headquarters, whilst also continuing to develop Meadow Lane to improve the matchday facilities.

We appreciate that the matchday experience is more than just the stadium infrastructure though and are working on plans for improving every element of the day, from arrival to final whistle, work that has already begun with the introduction of a new concourse TV system in the Kop and Derek Pavis stands.

A host of new matchday initiatives, primarily aimed at pre-match and half-time entertainment, are being discussed, while a thorough review of matchday operations is almost complete.

Success on the pitch, whilst the biggest selling point of any football club, is also the hardest thing to guarantee, so whilst we will continue to do all that we can to bring entertaining, successful football on the pitch, we are also working incredibly hard to improve the all round experience in the stands at every game.

It will take time, it will take a lot of effort and it will take everyone getting behind the club and giving their all, on and off the pitch, if we are to realise these ambitions, but one thing that we are sure of, if we all work together……The Future’s Black & White