New era off the pitch for Dolly Blues as new board of directors take control of the club

The Dolly Blues have a new-look Board this season after former chairman Stuart Houghton stepped down in the summer.

The club is now being run by five directors who are working as one in an attempt to galvanise the club’s fortunes behind the scenes and boost its financial position.

They are looking to entice more sponsorship deals with local businesses as well as boosting the club’s links with the community .

The five directors are lifelong fan Andy Baker work works at Lancaster University, entrepreneur James Cummiskey, businessman Dave Evans, accountant Amy Evans, who will act as treasurer and lastly Stuart Jackson.

Jackson is the director of communications at Amazon and has followed Lancaster’s fortunes since he was a student in the city in the mid-1990s.

Jackson said: “We are just trying to give the club a bit of structure behind the scenes and see where we can take it.

“One of the first things we are trying to do is to reinforce those links between the football club and the community.

"Getting more paying people through the gate is really key for the club to survive and be a sustainable part of the city for the future.

"We want to get more down to the ground and get them supporting the club.

"The average last season was around 300 and there were a few games which hit 500 towards the end of the season.

"We are really keen to try to grow that over the course of this season and get closer to that 500-mark on a more regular basis, which if you think about that, it would be huge for the club to try to keep things ticking over and be self-sustainable.

"It will help us get the right players into helping Mark Fell and his squad be successful on the pitch.

"I think what’s interesting is although our gates were around the 300-mark last season, when we looked at our sort of online presence, there’s 30,000 people who follow Lancaster City across all our social channels.

"We are looking at all sorts of different ways of boosting our attendances and trying to build that support from an early age.

"One of the ways of doing that is to make sure our ticket prices are affordable.

"We have got a scheme called “pay your age” for kids who are aged 14 to 17. So for example if a kid is 14-years-old, they will pay £14 for a season ticket.

"When you think that for Under-18s, it’s £5 per match then it worth getting the season ticket for a birthday present or spending some of pocket money.”

Children who are Under-14 can attend for free with a paying adult and there is also the chance to become a matchday mascot for free.

The club – which begins its NPL Premier Division league campaign at home to Nantwich Town on Saturday – also plans to hold coaching sessions for youngsters at Giant Axe ahead of matches.

Other initiatives include donating 2,000 free tickets for essential workers, volunteers, schools and others groups, as well as holding walking football sessions for older fans.

Fellow director Dave Evans added: “We want to create a proud link between Lancaster City and the community it serves.

"Football is more than just a sport – it can unite, inspire and provide essential skills and support that helps people in their daily lives.”