Good afternoon and a very warm welcome to the Toughsheet Community Stadium for our opening fixture of the new Sky Bet League One campaign.
I hope that you and your families have had a wonderful summer and are raring to go for what we hope will be yet another progressive and positive season for Bolton Wanderers Football Club, on and off the pitch.
Here at the Club, it’s been an incredibly busy time for us since the 2022/23 campaign ended.
With eight new signings now through the door, the Board continues to back Ian Evatt and his team as we look to make the squad even more competitive and push for promotion this season. Although it was disappointing not to make the Play Off Final last season, it was a very successful campaign. Winning a trophy at a packed out Wembley in front of our friends and families was priceless and it has all given us a taste of what can be achieved when we stick together – and we can continue to build on that momentum.
Off the pitch, we have had an incredibly busy few months behind the scenes. Back in June, we experienced two fabulous nights as P!NK kicked off her tour at our stadium. What a sight to see 70,000 people across the two nights enjoying her music, and what a special moment for us to host her opening two concerts!
We also launched the Wanderers Bond, eventually raising an incredible £4.5million that will be invested into capital projects and sporting enhancements. I cannot thank the 981 individuals enough who chose to invest in this wonderful Club via the Bond – and also all those who have contributed in other ways, such as the through the Bolton Wanderers Supporters’ Trust fundraising initiative, which will see funds invested directly into supporter stadium concourse areas.
And as you take your seat this afternoon, you may notice some of the improvements that are already underway in and around the stadium. Please bear with us – these works are ongoing and will continue into the start of the new season.
These will also include a dynamic new LED and big screen system which we know will enhance matchdays here. We want to ensure that your experience as a fan is the greatest it can be and we will continue to listen to you all so that you can support Wanderers in the best way possible.
Over the summer, we have also undergone a digital transformation of our website, we have a new Club app on the way, and we have also launched Wanderers TV – our new in-house live streaming and on-demand video service. In each instance, we hope to elevate your experience as a fan and bring you even closer to your club.
With all this said, it would be remiss of me not to mention that all this incredible work has been undertaken by the senior management team, led by Neil Hart, and the staff across the entire business who are aligned and working together to help us achieve our aims.
Our relationships with local businesses, commercial partners both existing and new, the local community and stakeholders on and off the pitch have never been as strong. This will continue in that upwards trajectory because it is vital that we are all aligned in our common goals.
Here at Bolton Wanderers, we are much more than a football club. Yes, the brilliant football we play is what binds us together, but we are a family and a community who look after each other when times are challenging.
Therefore, I was delighted that our beautiful third kit, which was released last week, features Bolton Wanderers in the Community as the front of shirt partner. And with £5 from every adult shirt sold going to the charity, we will all play a part in supporting their vital work within our town – which is as important now as it always has been. Thank you to our new principal partner Victorian Plumbing who have gifted this space on the third kit to our official charity. Full praise must go to Phil Mason and his colleagues for continuing to reach out to those in our community who need support.
For so many reasons, I am immensely proud of our Club, our Community and our town and how we work together to support each other through the good and the difficult. Being Chairman is a privilege, but everybody plays in an important role to keep our family strong.
From the terraces to the boardroom, we will get even stronger as we work harder together.
Enjoy the game,
Sharon