Big Plans For Bath City

There are big plans for Bath City football club after a promise of a £6M cash injection from new investors.

The investors are led by  Andrew Stalbow, co-founder and CEO of a mobile entertainment company. He says he has raised the money from 50 investors.

He has written to shareholders setting out his plans.

The club is losing money and has survived thanks to donors who choose to be anonymous. The football budget in the National League South last season was a fraction of many competitors. Even in the Southern League Premier South, as currently stands, the playing budget is lean.

And our surveyor described the stadium as being ‘end of life’ – the management just haven’t had the resources to make the changes they would dearly love. The potential we all know the club has, can only be realized with a big injection of cash, some good decision making, a positive cultural energy and some serious hard work.

And while the £6M+ of initial funding we are bringing will power Scott Bartlett with a competitive budget for what should be a cracking season, it’s only a part of it:

• We want to communicate with you openly and regularly about our priorities and prove that we can be great custodians and operators of the club.
• We want to show that we’re smart financially, setting the club up for the long term.
• We want to build a clearly depicted football philosophy based on attacking football to attract the best talent on and off the pitch.
• We want to build Football League ready infrastructure, to eliminate all excuses as we work to achieve our goals.
• We want to keep costs for fans seriously low, and we can’t wait to share our first season ticket offer.
• We want the stadium to be a hub for everyone, beer should be cheap, food should be good, and the fun should be plentiful.
• We want to create an experience that attracts many thousands of fans to prove that Bath is a rugby and a football city.
• We are incredibly excited about women’s football and want to invest and make a difference there, having made such a strong start since launching in 2022.
• We want to build a club you are proud of that people round the world know and follow.

And if we can stay humble and together. If we can stay focused on doing the right thing. If we can work brilliantly with people in Twerton. If through our work ethic and our good decisions we can be a shining light. And if we can deliver well on our vision and ambition over the next few years, then this round of funding will be just the start, and we’ll attract many more people to join the journey with us, as we work to build top tier men’s and women’s teams, a modern stadium that Twerton deserves, and a much-needed training facility. To attract the best, we must earn the right one season at a time.

If we focus on the inputs and give the players a platform to shine, maybe we’ll be together at Wembley for a play-off final to the Football League over the coming five years or so; proud of each other for all having done our bit to get there and determined to reach new heights.

If you vote to approve this deal, we know we’re standing on the shoulders of giants.