New season brings a new regime for RMI

By Matt Lawton
July 31 2007

A new football season sees a new regime take their place in the set-up of Leigh RMI as the club prepare for their final season at Hilton Park and the subsequent move to the new Leigh Sports Village next summer, with the club looking to make a significant amount of progress, both on and off the field, during that period.

Against the odds, Leigh RMI managed to win their last game of the 2006/7 season and avoided relegation to the Unibond League. Against considerably higher odds, the Club finds itself just a few weeks away from the start of a new season which will see Leigh rise from it's current lowly status to that of an organisation well capable of winning its way into the Football League. That’s the vision of the remaining active members of Management Committee and club manager, Stuart Humphreys.

Chairman Bill Taylor said, "Early into 2007 a number of our long-serving committee members decided to withdraw their active participation in the management of the Club's financial and commercial affairs. It's also true to say that for a number of years, it was their financial contribution that sustained the Club's existence despite the year-on-year accumulating deficit and trading losses. Fortunately, crisis was averted by the remaining few and, of course, the sheer guts and bravery of last season's first team squad."

Very soon, the Committee will be announcing its plans to radically change the organisation and business management of the football club. Many of the changes will be implemented during the coming season, in preparation for the Club's relocation to the new stadium under construction at the Leigh Sports Village. High on the agenda says committee member Steven Rubel is the dissolution of the Management Committee and the Club's legal structure as an unincorporated association.

"We are in regular consultation with the Football Association about transferring the Club's current registration as a full member of the FA and the Blue Square Conference to a newly formed limited company. In addition, we have engaged the services of legal and financial professionals to advise the Club on a range of long outstanding matters that have prevented the Club from progressing positively," said Rubel.

Having resolved to establish a commercially viable new company and be fit for the purpose of taking up Wigan Borough Councils offer to occupy the new LSV Stadium, the current Management Committee is actively looking for fresh talent and expertise, particularly in the area of commercial fund raising activities and to manage the re-launch of the Leigh Football Supporters Club.” We are also looking for people keen to take up places on the Board of Directors of the new Company and, of course for people to become founding shareholders" said chairman Taylor.

The new 2007/8 season is sure to be a memorable one for all connected with Leigh RMI FC. A new management regime, some new and old faces in the first team squad and a fresh approach by the Management Committee to deliver diligent governance and financial stability - surely the key pre-requisites of footballing success.