Interim Update for members and fans
The two Trust-appointed representatives attended the June CAB meeting today (Monday, 23rd June) at the COA along with other appointed CAB representatives.
The full agenda is published at the bottom of this update for reference.
The official minutes will be released to CAB members for ratification at the next CAB meeting, and we will then post on the Trust website for members’ information. Meanwhile, we have compiled some notes from tonight to serve as a guide to what was discussed, and where possible, to indicate progress and movement on the items below.
Trust representatives are available to discuss concerns or observations arising from this update with any member; other contact details are included at the end of the update.
The meeting was chaired by Jamie Willoughby, club board director and member of the ownership group. Jamie is responsible for organising and setting up the CAB. He can be contacted via fanservices@rochdaleafc.co.uk
A financial retrospective from Adam Saul covering in great detail the financial manoeuvrings over the last season covered so many things, including a sizable loss, which turns out to be planned for and is manageable, as sensible budgeting built on prudent risk removal is now built into the fabric for future stability. In other words, we are in good hands. Although we had detailed information on all financial matters, it proved too extensive to report here. However, we have included Adams’ slide presentation, which we enclose with this update. Click AS CAB Financial Report to view.
Adam’s approach is probably the most detailed we have ever had. One question that was answered, posed to the Trust sometime ago and covered today, is whether it is worth installing solar panels. The answer today is that the recent monthly electric bill showed a saving of $ 8,000, so yes, they work.
Andy Duff covered topics related to matchday hospitality, both inside the stadium and at the 1907 venue. His focus was on exploring a more economical use of the hospitality boxes while investigating a cosmopolitan approach to catering for matchday guests. This strategy aims to provide the flexibility needed to meet ongoing demands and maximise income.
Other upcoming changes to note include a more versatile approach to purchasing matchday tickets, which will allow for flexibility over a five-day period. Additionally, expect to see new presentations within the commercial sector involving the club shop.
On the topic of season tickets, we are pleased to announce that sales have exceeded 1,500 to date, despite adjusting the sales timing slightly from last year. We remain on target for projected sales of 2,000.
George Delves has announced that the pre-season friendlies will consist of six games, including one behind closed doors against a higher-league team. The new season’s shirts will be released sometime during the week beginning June 30th, which is perfect for fans. This earlier release means you can get your first team shirt in time for the upcoming games and also have it ready to take with you on your summer jollies.
One game to note is the home match against Grimsby on July 19th, which will include a fun fan event before the game. We hope the weather will be pleasant, as several activities are planned for the day. This match will also allow fans to experience our new stewards, as the club has partnered with a new provider. We anticipate that this will bring a higher level of professionalism combined with a more empathetic approach to fan management.
One new aspect of the upcoming season, which will only affect a select few individuals, is the introduction of a Community Protection Order (CPO). The club will enforce this in collaboration with the police. As Andy referred to it, a CPO acts like a “yellow card” for those who may have transgressed but, in the opinion of the club and police, would benefit from a stern warning about their future conduct.
A CPO is not meant to be a soft option; instead, it serves as an early warning system. If the terms of the CPO are breached, more stringent disciplinary actions will be applied. This is an approved and recognised method to help ensure better behaviour moving forward.
Renewed sponsorship agreements for the upcoming season were discussed, with new sponsors entering the arena and established sponsors maintaining their presence. More information will be available on the official club website soon.
The Community Trust provided reports on new funding strategies after the club lost financial support due to its league status. Ryan Bradley outlined several initiatives aimed at increasing fan participation. More details will be available on the Trust’s website, as well as on the Club and Community Trust sites.
Jamie expressed a significant concern for all fans regarding the pitch. He explained that a complete rebuild would require digging much deeper than the 30 cm needed to address last season’s centre circle repair and to access the existing drainage system. It is estimated that the total cost would be around £1.2 million, which is not included in this year’s budget. Last season’s remedial work was expensive, but it revealed that while the drains functioned properly, the ground substrate above was inadequate. To manage water ingress, covers were used as a temporary solution during rainy weather. However, lessons learned from last season indicate that the use of these covers will need to increase whenever rain is forecast. This process will require considerable labour, and there are hopes to establish a group of trained volunteers to assist with this in the upcoming season.
Volunteers Week is approaching! Ruby, the club’s new fan liaison officer, has announced that a Volunteer Week is planned for the end of July. During the first part of the week, we hope volunteers will come forward to assist with minor ground works, all of which will be supervised by the grounds team. More detailed information will be published soon.
The full agenda below was covered, and questions from fans and members that have been sent in will receive a written answer from Andy and his team, either via the trust or directly via email.
CAB concluded a group session in which all members actively participated in discussions to prioritise a pre-prepared list of immediate remedial works needed on the ground. The list was not exhaustive, and members were encouraged to share their opinions on any other issues they believed should be addressed. The purpose of this exercise was to gather the group’s thoughts on what CAB considered to be the most urgent needs.
Many of the items have already been flagged up by the Trust in its routine meetings with the club; however, we hope that CAB members will reinforce these views.
Fans and members who have questions or queries following this report or want more information can email the trust at info@daletrust.co.uk.
Management team members Andy Duff and George Delves can be contacted directly via their club email or via fanservices@rochdaleafc.co.uk if members or fans have any questions regarding this briefing note, which we emphasise is not the official minutes.
CAB information is also available on the club’s official site HERE
The Trust updates its site with up-to-date CAB minutes and relevant information.
Items on the agenda that are not covered in this informal update, and for which members would like more information, can be emailed to the Trust or Andy or George at the email addresses above.
RAFC – Club Advisory Board Meeting Agenda
| Date: | Monday, 23rd June 2025 |
| Time: | 18:00 – 19:45 |
| Location: | 1907 Lounge |
Agenda:
- Attendees and Apologies – Register to be completed.
2) Members form to be completed for those who haven’t already.
Communication
- Season Recap from the Club.
- Summary of Financials (Adam Saul)
- Commercial Operations Review (Andy Duff)
- Stewarding.
- Hospitality.
- Matchday Catering.
- Update on the pitch and protection strategy
- Update on current activities
- Commercial/Sponsorship
- Retail – The Terrace
- New Boys 8-16 offering
- Questions raised by CAB members (please raise in advance if possible)
Engagement
- Volunteers Day Update.
- Date of the Day/Week.
- Work to be carried out.
- Teams and Businesses involved so far.
- Social Media Publication and awareness.
Growth within the Fanbase
- 25/26 Projects and Ideas.
- Budget Allocation Exercise (to be done in groups)
- Pre-season friendlies.
- 12th July – FC United (A).
- 19th July – Grimsby (H).
- Day of activities, Meet the Players etc.
- A potential shirt launch
AOB
- Advertising the Meeting Dates to Fans (raised by GB)
