It is an exciting time for York City FC as they move closer to a move to their new stadium. Football Focus Magazine recently caught up with their Sporting Director Dave Penney to find out more. Dave joined the club alongside first team manager Martin Gray on October 2, 2017. He was promoted to the club’s board of directors in March 2018 and is now in charge of the day-to-day running of the club.
Atmosphere
He told us, “Everyone is optimistic about the coming season. There is a feel-good factor around the club. The players came back on June 27. We have a lot to look forward to this season as it will be the last at Bootham Crescent ahead of our move to a new stadium at Monks Cross.”
Pre-Season
“Season ticket sales are going well and we can’t wait to get going again. The manager is happy with the players he has signed and got all his business done early doors. We have signed seven new players so far and many of those have played at a higher level.”
The Season
“We want to be successful and we are trying to get promoted going into the new stadium. Like every club, you need good planning and good luck with injuries to do that. We have an exit strategy as we leave Bootham Crescent this year and we also have lots of planning to do as we move closer to the move across town. It is going to be a really busy year for the club.”
Youth
“Youth football is massive for this club. The chairman (Jason McGill) is a big believer in the club’s youth system and we have seen many players leave at a young age who have gone on to clubs at a higher level – Ryan Edmondson (Leeds), Ben Godfrey (Norwich), and Gabby McGill (Middlesbrough).
We have lost funding – after being out of the Football League for two years – so now we are going to have to self-fund it with the chairman topping it up. But we are going to carry on with the same number of youth teams pre-16 and carry on our Under-19s in the Junior Premier League.
It is going to take a slightly different shape but we want to be in a position so – when we do get back into the Football League – we are not going to have to start from scratch. The foundations will be in place to bring the youth team back up to the Football League’s EPPP standard if we want to.”
Integration
“On a weekly basis, the better players in our youth team get to come over and train with the first team. That gives them experience of training with the seniors and working under the first-team manager. It helps us to see if they can handle the pressure and standards. We try to build them up rather than chucking anybody in at the deep end. They will dip-in and dip-out.
Last season, we had a reserve team in the Central League and played senior pros alongside kids. We won’t have a reserve team this season but, instead, we will be playing ‘behind closed doors’ friendlies where the youngsters can play with the pros that are not in the first team. It’s a gradual progress of integration.”
Community
“We are very much a community club. There is a massive footballing community in our city. We have a Foundation that delivers programmes to age groups ranging from two-year-old to 87-year-old. We are always in-and-around the community. We have just staged a football tournament at the club’s training ground that attracted 107 teams. The chairman is a big believer in the importance of being a community club.”
The New Stadium
“The new stadium is coming along nicely and everything is on time. The steel is shooting up out of the ground and the structure is starting to take shape. Once the shell is done, there will be a lot of work to be done fitting it out.
It is a brand new facility. When something gets worn out – whether that be an old car or a football stadium – you need to change it. The supporters will have far more comfortable surroundings, there will be no posts obstructing their views, and no leaks from the roof. The catering and corporate facilities will be a lot better and the matchday experience will be vastly improved.
Hopefully, we can have a promotion this season so, when we start life in the new stadium (summer 2019), we are in the National League. It also creates a lot more commercial opportunities so there are big benefits there too.”
Challenges/Ambitions
“The biggest challenge facing this club is getting back in the Football League. That is the club’s ambition. We want to be back in the Football League. With a new stadium and the quality of our training ground, everything will be in place to do that. We want to grow at a steady pace and try to become sustainable.
Hopefully, we will be able to break even and not rely on the chairman as much as we have to do at the moment. That’s the ideal scenario – self-sufficiency in three years’ time with a new stadium and all the revenues we will get from that.”