A COUPLE of weeks have passed since the close of the season and while we are still trying to recruit a competitive team for next year, the board are very much in planning mode.

We are going to focus on every area of the club and put together an improvement strategy and plan. Every good business plans for success and it was one of the first things I asked for when I joined the board.

Alas, while every director was giving 100 per cent and putting in many unpaid hours, most of the efforts were directed to firefighting and emerging issues.

We’ll start with leadership and management, and we want to increase the numbers and expertise of board members. We want to put in place a clear planning, development and evaluation cycle, an annual operations calendar to aid in financial management and to further enhance the supporters’ role in the club’s development. We want to encourage and celebrate the maintenance of professional standards throughout the club, and the club’s public image.

On the field, we want to improve the club’s league position while being financially prudent within our salary cap. We want to retain the present coaching staff, and continue to recruit players with the capability to improve the team and club ethos while retaining a strong nucleus of our best players. We want to continue supporting Furness Raiders and aim to sign at least one player per season as a professional.

In terms of finance and fundraising, we want to have financial focus at every board meeting. We want to develop revenue from match days with an increased target audience.

We want to further develop non-match day income, making more use of our facilities and the creation of an annual fundraising calendar, including major events at Craven Park. We want to maximise potential sponsorship income by nurturing and celebrating existing sponsors and attracting new sponsors.

We also want to make stadium improvements, improve our communications - especially using digital media - and improve our presence in the community.

I fully appreciate the support from our magnificent fans and sponsors, and I hope we can carry out the plans to give them a club they deserve.

I might be an optimist, but I’ve got a great feeling our club is going somewhere special.