Open letter to all Harriers supporters

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To all supporters of Kidderminster Harriers Football Club:

The events that unfolded over the past fourteen months can be described as nothing short of extraordinary. We doubt there is a single person or business which hasn’t been adversely affected by the global pandemic, be this personally, mentally or financially. Our football club is no exception.

We embarked on the 2020/21 season on the basis that grant funding would be available to our club to ensure we could see the season through to its usual conclusion. We were led to believe that the funding would be distributed in a fair manner, based on average home attendances. As has already be well documented in the press, these assurances by the National League never came to pass and our season was declared null and void following a majority held by the league.

Our decision to try and see out the season in another manner has faced some criticism. Based on the strong start that our club had in the fixtures that were played, we felt we owed it to our team and to our supporters to at least try and have something to show for the effort that had been put in by our team.

The frustrating impact of Covid-19 for us as a club, is that by the time life returns to some sort of normal, we will have had three seasons impacted by the pandemic. With the 2019/20 season being ended prematurely and the 2020/21 season only reaching around one third of the fixtures due to be played, the impact on the level of income has been severely restricted. We are also forecasting a downturn in income for the upcoming season, as we face financial pressures from our fanbase and our commercial sponsors to make good on monies paid for the 2020/21 season where, due to the combined impact of lockdown restrictions and the season being cut short, full value could not be realised.

As a board, we have taken all steps available to us to try and mitigate the negative impact of the global pandemic on our club. We have tried to reduce our costs as far as practical in a season where all our fixtures have been played behind closed doors. We have also sought to maximise as much support as we could from the Government initiatives for which we were eligible. Despite these measures, the club remains in a tough financial position.

One question we realise our supporters have long required a response on is our position on season tickets purchased for the 2020/21 season. We can only apologise to you for the delay in providing you with a formal response. We should have updated the supporters of our club sooner than we have and for this, we are sorry. The board have been thinking long and hard about the approach to take, however, there is no clear solution that both supports the club’s sustainability and also supports our fans rights to receive a service they have paid for. In an ideal world, all fans who purchased a season ticket should be refunded in full. The truth is that the amounts paid for season tickets has been utilised during the season to help meet the costs that arose up to the date that the season was declared null and void. Despite the board taking the measures mentioned above, the club will report a loss for the 2020/21 season. This loss will be doubled if, in the ideal world, all season ticket holders are refunded in full. If season tickets are rolled over to next season, then our ability to generate income to the level required to cover forecasted future deficits is severely restricted.

As a result of the conflict the board faces between what is the morally right action to take with season ticket monies and what is commercially the right action to take to support the longevity of our club, we feel it is vital to have supporters input into the decision the club takes. Located below is a real-time survey where we would like you to confirm whether you would prefer:
1. To receive a refund in full.
2. To have your season ticket rolled over to next season.
3. To donate the 50% value of your season ticket to the club.
4. To donate the full value of your season ticket to the club.

We appreciate that to choose option 4 is a big ask by the club and is not something we ask lightly. But we feel we must ask this as we attempt to survive the negative financial impact of the global pandemic.

The survey results will be used to inform the Board’s decision and will ensure that our supporters have had an opportunity to input into the outcome. We would be grateful if you could complete the survey by end of Wednesday 19th May 2021.

The board are committed to running a sustainable club where the minimum target is that of a break-even position. But now more than ever, the club needs the support of its loyal fanbase and the community at large to achieve this target for the forthcoming season.

The survey is now closed. A further update including the feedback from the survey is now available.

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