Walsall town Swifts
Atmosphere
“As a management team we always have a good
atmosphere and balance between hard work and
enjoyment, and currently due to it being a new venture
with a new home for us as a group, the atmosphere is
really exciting, we just hope that translates on the pitch
once the season kicks off.”
Present
“Last season was an up and down season for us. We
finished in the top 4 of our division which I feel was an
underachievement with the squad we have, but we also
got to the League Cup Final which, unfortunately for us,
we lost on the day. So the season personally was one of
“should do better”.
Our aim is to get promotion from our division at
the first time of asking, and if we can pick up some
silverware along the way that would be fantastic, but
putting a promotion worthy squad on the pitch is our
first goal.”
Youth
“Our senior section will be working closely with the
Chairman, Wayne Thomas, who also runs a thriving
junior club called Ace Academy that currently has 19
teams. The medium to long-term aim is to develop those
players with a progression to first team football for our
club.
We are putting an emphasis on youth, and good
young players will get the chance with us, which we
have proven bringing through some quality young
players the last couple of seasons. We hope this can help
us attract some quality younger lads to see our club as
a place where they can play and develop, and if they’re
good enough to progress higher up the ladder, we will
be in a position to help them do that and not stand in
their way.”
Integration
“In my opinion the hardest part for a younger player
is stepping into a dressing room full of senior players,
which by and large will be full of character, and can be a
daunting place for the younger element.
Our job as a management team is to make that
transition as smooth as possible by involving those
players fully within training and dressing room
behaviour. Once they feel part of the fixtures and fittings
that is a massive step to seeing the benefits on the pitch
which helps all parties.”
Community
“We are very much a community club. Our home
ground is at Walsall Wood FC, which has an excellent
footfall for fans and a thriving social section of the club.
As well as this, with what we do for the junior section
our aim is to build a club that welcomes all.”
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Challenges/Ambitions
“As said previously, the biggest challenge for clubs
at this level is financing. As long as we can keep the
financing and commercial deals where we need them to
be, which is a task in itself, then I am certain we will
deliver on the pitch.
Over the next five years, if I ask the chairman, such
is his ambition, he will say in the National League and
turning over millions of pounds a year, but realistically,
from the position we are, our landlords Walsall Wood
FC are in the Midland Premier Division which is three
promotions away from us to be level pegging with them
at the same standard. If we could achieve those three
promotions in five seasons then I think we’ve done a
great job.”
“The biggest challenge for clubs at this
level is financing. As long as we can keep
the financing and commercial deals
where we need them to be, which is a
task in itself, then I am certain we will
deliver on the pitch.”
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