MID-SEASON UPDATE – ROCHDALE HORNETS

Chairman’s Update 13^th July 2023

As we are in the second half of the season and set to return to the Crown Oil on the 23^rd of the month for our first home game in nine weeks, I thought it an opportune time to give you all an update on behalf of the board both on and off the field.

On the field, our professional team clearly have work to do to cement a place in the play off’s, in what is probably the most competitive Betfred League One competition in many years. Whilst currently being outside the top six is not where we would ideally like to be, we do fully appreciate the patience of our supporters in what everyone always understood would be a transitional year.

Gary Thornton is a proven and highly respected coach who has put in place a vastly improved culture and environment at this club in 2023. He is steadily rebuilding, and we now have the basis of a largely young team that’s been put together on far less resource and finance than the previous coach had and therefore with different expectations and goals. It's always important to put these things into perspective and remember that in 2021 and 2022 we disappointingly finished 7^th and 5^th despite investing in a much higher player budget than this years with what we believed was a realistic ambition of promotion.

Regardless of how this transitional year plays out, we will not deviate from our long term strategy and objectives. Our supporters should be encouraged by the news that we are already on the front foot for 2024. Some exciting news on player retention’s and the recruitment of some experienced and quality signings to add to the mix for 2024 will come in the weeks and months ahead.

Our Women’s team are making solid progress after a difficult start to the year and are seeing numbers starting to increase which is a positive. Under the stewardship of Head Coach Peter Hird, our Wheelchair team continue to develop which is pleasing to see and another positive. Our community club are competing in the RFL’s NWML competition this year for the first time, and are always  looking to recruit at open age level. It was pleasing to welcome them to the North Wales fixture back in May as a group along with representatives from our ladies and wheelchair teams, demonstrating that we are most definitely forging that one team, one dream ethos we so often talk about.

I am sure you will agree with me when I say how proud we all should be, that we can boast men’s (professional), men’s (community), ladies and wheelchair teams all playing rugby league under a united Rochdale Hornets brand. We are undoubtably a leading club in the sport at embracing inclusivity and diversity by providing rugby for all. A huge thank you to all who are involved in making this vision happen and with Craig Fisher at the helm and really driving our Foundation on a day to day basis, new and exciting initiatives including LDRL and PDRL as well as the ongoing development and growth of our schools programmes, walking rugby program and the England Talent Pathway (ETP) sessions for both boys and girls, it really is a great time to come and get involved at Rochdale Hornets.

Off the field – Our new General Manager Matt Rigby has been bringing himself up to speed and getting to grips with the day-to-day operation of the club since his recent arrival in May. He has made an encouraging start and is already proving a popular figure in and around the stadium and town. I know he intends to be able to get round and meet all of our stakeholders and partners in due course so if he hasn’t already been in touch, you can expect a call and or a visit soon.

We now have a run of home games to look forward to and I won’t steel Matt’s thunder, but what I can say is that we have some fantastic match day events, themes and game day promotions planned for our remaining fixtures. Keep your eyes on the website and social media platforms in the days ahead.

The support of our sponsors and partners headlined by Premier Kia as our principal sponsor has been invaluable and as always is very much appreciated by all the Board – especially in these very challenging economic times. On behalf of myself and the Board, a huge thank you to all.

Regarding finances we continue to stabilise the club despite the legacy of a challenging few recent years. I and other shareholders are committed to taking the club forward so long as we retain the support of the council, our sponsors and partners and we see some growth however incremental that may be. Without all our combined and collective efforts, the reality is, we may well not have had a club after the last few years. The Board really do hope you all will continue to support the club as you have done thus far, as only TOGETHER can we achieve, and success is always a sum of the parts.

Commercially Director Carl Halstead has been a great addition to the board and thanks to his enthusiastic efforts we have added  new commercial partners to our portfolio in recent months. We are currently reviewing our 2024 commercial packages and as we are doing with the on field, we hope to be on the front foot in the coming months commercially. I've said it many times all who care about the club can be salespeople for it. With this in mind Matt, Carl, Jason, Tony or I would be delighted to speak to any businesses or individuals at any time who may be interested in getting involved with the club to help us take it forward.

Our magnificent All Hornets Supporters Association continue to support the club and do great work in raising funds. Contributions to Squad builder, lottery and merchandise purchases do likewise so please try and do that little bit more if you can. Please also take note of All Hornets active social platforms with three fantastic events planned from now until the season end, including the end of season awards night in September.

Our work continues developing our club strategies and our IMG grading response plan. We spoke from day one about the boxes this club can tick which are valuable in terms of IMG grading and we remain focused on building for the long term here at Rochdale Hornets so we need to continue doing the great things we do, on and off the field-as mentioned above and need more people to support us and get onboard.

If anybody wants to speak to myself, Matt or any indeed any of the Board, please don’t hesitate to contact us or speak to us on a match day. We are all happy to answer any questions and we all share your passion for this great club.

Onward Hornets!

Yours in Sport 

Andy Mazey