Your club needs you! Support Fisher’s 12th Man Fund
Fisher is owned and run by its fans, and it’s the fans that make the club what it is. We need your support to keep the club going and continue our winning ways.
The 12th Man Fund is one way of contributing to keeping Fisher afloat. Read below:
The Club are delighted to announce the launch of the new Fisher FC 12th Man Fund initiative. The 12th Man Fund represents the start of a new membership setup overhaul as the Club begins preparations for the 2017/18 season with a target of promotion from the SCEFL First Division at the first time of asking, following on from yesterday’s announcement of our pre-season fixtures.
Newly installed Membership Secretary Joe Arif tells the story; ‘Relegation has had a sobering effect and it’s hit home that for the Club to remain competitive the current model needs some tweaking. We’re keen to remain democratic and supporters owned, continually safeguarding the future of the club we all love, but for this to remain viable we must increase the revenue streams and see the profit & loss sheet back in the black. We want to cheer on a competitive team led by Dean Harrison as we attempt to bounce back into the SCEFL Premier Division at the first time of asking. In order to do this a playing budget is paramount. Placing the club in a sea of debt is not an option so we see a crowd funding exercise (if you choose to term it that way!) as the best way forward. If twenty people commit to £20 a week we would accumulate a £20,000 playing budget. It would represent a massive step forward for Fisher.’
Interim Co-Chairman Simon Shipperlee is also Fisher’s Financial Director, and know better than most the impact the 12th Man Fund could have. “As fans, and indeed part-owners of Fisher, we are all aware of the difficulties of competing without a playing budget have caused. The work that Dean and his coaching staff put in after re-joining the Club was nothing short of transformative, but unfortunately we fell just short of safety. The Board has had many discussions around the importance of the financial stability of the Club, especially given where we have come from in the past, which left some very difficult decisions when it came to a playing budget. The 12th Man Fund offers a great solution to the problem with the Owners of Fisher FC, each one of us as supporters, taking the initiative to raise funds to ensure that Dean can keep together the fantastic squad who gave their everything for the badge and for the fans.”
Joe continues; ‘We were all delighted to see the Fish return home last summer and St Paul’s Community Sports Ground is a fantastic venue. Everyone is desperate to see Fisher crack on and get back to former glories but no one has a magic wand to make that happen. Hard work, drive and commitment is what’s needed. Members, who are effectively the club owners, must share in that responsibility and we cannot leave it to the next person. It’s up to us and only the committed and loyal fan base to see this project through. We already have five people committed to the scheme which is fantastic news and a great start. I realise not every budget will stretch to £20 per week so the initiative will start at £5 per week and everyone who joins the scheme will automatically have their Membership renewed, alongside a Season Ticket for 2017/18 thrown in for good measure. I’ve received assurances from the Board that every penny raised from the 12th Man Fund will be available to Dean Harrison. The boys did us proud and who will forget the amazing 10-1 victory on the last day of the season. Let’s get behind the lads and repay some of that faith so we can crack on!’
For more details on how to get involved in the 12th Man Fund please contact Joe directly via Joe.arif@hotmail.com or 07921149001.
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