Another year has passed, and it has been a tough one for me with health issues, which hopefully will be improved in 2025. However, it does point out the vulnerability of the club when it is relying on just one benefactor and those old enough will remember that this situation arose before at BPA. We don’t want that to happen again so this year we will be looking for individuals to join our board and provide some substantial financial support, as needed. I am sure there are community-minded people in the Bradford area that would like to help us to continue our work, and I invite them to get in touch.
Although it has been difficult in many ways, it is still a good time to thank all of those that have put in a great effort to keep our wonderful club going. Unfortunately, I have not been able to travel to witness everything that individuals have done for us and so I apologize up front for not being there to say thank you in person. I appreciate all you are doing and for your continued devotion to the cause of promoting the Avenue. Thank you.
At board level David, Gerry and Paul have provided sage advice when needed and we made the decision to name Paul as the Co-Chairman of the board so that we can conduct business even if I am unavailable.
The day-to-day running of the club, the stadium and the junior section has fallen to Thomas and all his staff who have been doing such an excellent job. This is where most of our work, new ideas and organization stems from, and I am grateful to him for the long hours he devotes to the cause of making the club successful in so many ways. It’s often a tough and thankless task!
We now also have some stability at the first team level, and we thank Craig, his staff and the players for this progress and hope that they can push on in the New Year and bring us some much-needed success.
Our Academy continues to improve its football and educational standards thanks to John, Owen, Brad and many volunteers. My hope is that our youngsters and their parents will provide the foundation and growth for the club in future years. So too with the junior section, which has blossomed with the work of Gary, Tina and another army of volunteers. They have also made the Community Café the liveliest spot in Bradford and they all work extra hard when we put on very successful events like the recent Christmas tournament days. These greatly enhance the club’s reputation and help to spread the word about the excellent community work being done.
Behind the scenes we are indebted to the efforts of Keith to keep our finances straight, and to all those who volunteer their time to look after our supporters as they all have the club’s best interests and success at heart as do all those who continue to raise significant funds that are helpfully fed back into the club. Too many to list by name, but all fully invested for years in BPA.
We are delighted to have obtained the services of Peter Kenyon who has agreed to volunteer his services and experience as Commercial Director to help with improving our hospitality, getting new sponsorships and new deals to help the finances, using all his business contacts.
And finally, a big thank you to all our supporters without whom we would not exist. Let’s hope that the New Year brings us a string of great results and something to cheer about on the field.
I wish you all a great 2025.
Gareth
