Barrow
“A challenge
in the next five
years is to get
more of the
town interested
in investing in
the club.”
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Will his summer search have
unearthed some more hidden gems?
Fans hope that is the case as promotion
has to be the target.
Cox also insists the club must get its
infrastructure right and the Bluebirds
see developing local youngsters as a key
to the club’s future as well as raising
an individual’s confidence and
skill levels and interest in being
involved in sport.
Coaches from the club’s
Community Sports set-up
regularly conduct coaching
sessions at the area’s primary
schools.
The boys start with the
Mini Bluebirds (aged 3 to
5) and the Junior Bluebirds
(6 to 11 years) before they go
through a selection trial to join
the Performance Centre’s teams
from 11 year olds to those aged
18.
The Only Girls Allowed sessions
paved the way for the girls U-11, U-12,
U-13 and U-14 teams with more and
more girls becoming interested.
Club owner Paul Casson stresses:
“The primary mission of Barrow AFC is
to be an important pillar of the greater
Furness community.
“The team, both on and off the field,
should embody all that is excellent in the
area. The club should provide value in
all its operations, be transparent in its
dealings and be a source of inspiration
to all - but especially the community’s
youth.
• Accounts preparation
• VAT
• Payroll
• Taxation
• Company formation
• Business start ups
“It should be such a source of local
pride, all should aspire to Bleed Blue.”
The success of his telecommunications
business in Dallas means his visits to
Holker Street might not be as frequent
as in the past so his son Andrew is the
family’s permanent resident in Furness.
He now has the title of managing director
which he says means “managing the
cash.”
He says: “Barrow has a very
proud community but because of
the businesses in the area, it is a
diverse community in terms of
location with pockets of fans in
Asia, America and throughout
Europe. On the social media side
we are working to find how we
can get commercial sponsorship
out of that.”
A challenge in the next five
years is to get more of the town
interested in investing in the club.
There is believed to still be some
scepticism because of regimes of a good
few years ago.
“I suspect some still ask ‘What
are these Cassons up to?’ so we must
continue to build a trust so attendances
go up from a 1,300 average to
1,800-2,000. It is all about bringing a
change to people’s minds,” says Andrew.
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