As promised, I would like to update supporters on some of the developments at the football club since the season came to a close at the end of April.
There is still a lot going on behind the scenes which may not be clearly evident to supporters but is vital to put the club back on a sound financial and footballing footing for the future. We still have a lot of work to do, but we will update you on these changes over the next few weeks and increase our communications across the new campaign.
This summer provides me with the first opportunity to implement many important changes at the club following the takeover at the end of January.
We can’t do everything we want straight away as most things take time, especially when you are working withing sound financial controls. But I am confident supporters will see positive changes over the course of the forthcoming season.
Recruitment is obviously a key factor at every football club, and it is vitally important, critical in fact, that the balance of players within the squad is right if we are to be successful moving forward.
It’s crucial that the decisions we make fit within the club’s medium-term ambitions where age, experience, talent and ambition are considered carefully before any player comes in or goes out of the club.
We need to be brave and bring the age of the squad down significantly. We need to take a chance on younger players who may not have a wealth of experience but are hungry to take their chance and carve out a successful career in the professional game - starting with Newport.
We already have a number of signings agreed, but obviously we can’t confirm most things until the window opens on June 14. So, please be patient for a little longer.
I would like to think that the experience I’ve gained working across various roles within football puts me in a good position to take the lead not only in setting up and running the club’s football recruitment, but also overseeing other aspects of the club’s operations off the field.
The aim is to ensure that every decision we make is with the club’s best interests at heart - 100 per cent of the time.
There are big challenges ahead for the club and significant changes will be made over the summer. While it’s been a quiet few weeks in terms of news, I would again urge supporters to be patient while we gradually implement these changes.
I want to change the whole atmosphere and culture within the club. We need to be more positive, show far more belief and refuse to settle for mediocrity.
And one thing I can guarantee is that over time there will be total alinement from top to the bottom at the club. We must all buy in to the project.
My aim is to create a football club that has a strong identity, ambition, and a renewed expectation to succeed. We want the footballing fraternity to start talking about Newport County on a regular basis – and for all the right reasons.
In brief
We have had an encouraging take-up of season tickets so far and have already surpassed last season’s total (2,200) with two months to go before the big kick-off. So, thank you all for your belief and support.
We are also continuing our discussions with the Dragons, our landlords and partners at Rodney Parade, over a new 10-year lease which must be in place under EFL rules by season 25-26.
We both need each other if professional sport is to be successful in Newport, a must for the City, and we hope to give you some more news soon as it will be a major milestone for the club to secure its long-term future.
Finally, thank you for your continued support, patience and understanding.
Huw
* A further update from Huw on the club's academy will be issued tomorrow.