EXCLUSIVE: A self-sustainable club built from one man's vision
Rob Stevens • Published 6 Feb 2012 12:19
0 Comments
Share this
See also:
MARKETEER Kevin Stott is driven by a sense of community and a notion of creating legacy by forging a better place for future generations.
And it is these staples in the Norfolkian's philosophical approach to business that persuaded the former Windsor resident to turn a vision of a self-sustaining community football club into a very real reality.
Exactly 12-months ago Windsor & Eton, a football club steeped in more than 100-years of history, surrendered in its battle against an unpaid debt.
Stott fought hard to save the former Stag Meadow tenants but a joint decision with a small contingent of supporters in January 2011 sealed the fate of the historic club, paving the way for a new beginning.
Steered by Stott's visionary concept of self-sustainability Windsor FC has blossomed in its brief existence, attracting crowds more than 800 to witness a star-studded squad compete for the Combined Counties Premier Division less than six-months after beating rivals Slough Town during the grand opening.
"I have always had a sense of community, it's important to me," Stott exclusively told the Observer.
"I think sport generally plays a key role in communities to create a pathway through to excellence. That has always been a key driver for me and the notion of legacy that wherever you are, you leave it in a better place."
Stott invested around £70,000 and dedicated hours of his time in the battle to save Windsor & Eton and insists lessons have been learnt.
"It is almost like I've started so I'll finish and it's not over until its over," he continued. "It's not in my nature to quit half-way through but equally I'm not one to go fighting fights I can't win.
"Running any kind of sports club is a bit of a roller coaster and by definition you don't win all of the time.
"I think I've been labouring under some misapprehension but it was my understanding that it wouldn't be possible to develop the ground in a way that allowed us to generate an income stream.
"I just felt the only way was to get three or four directors who will contribute £20,000-£25,000 a year and that's how you sustain a club. It was only after Windsor & Eton went into administration that I thought, 'am I up for doing exactly the same thing again?'
"So we had to come up with a different model. You can't solve a problem with the same thinking that created it."
However, building a brand new football club is no one-man job and Stott has had the support of a committee of loyal friends and supporters for the journey.
He added: "We're fortunate to have some quality people because it was always a challenge at the old club to get enough people to help run it.
"The committee has been fantastic, that's probably been the biggest fortune. I didn't recruit them, they came to me and I consider myself very fortunate that it happened. Circumstances conspired that we got eight or 10 people who have ability and energy and are prepared to buy into the vision and give in the way that they do."
Stott could have given up the fight to save Windsor & Eton but felt an obligation to re-establish football within the royal community.
"Often people assume that you can sprinkle a little bit of marketing dust and something that is difficult to sell suddenly becomes miraculously easy and all sorts of money comes in," Stott went on.
"I realised that if I didn't step up the town could lose its club and what I define now as a community stadium, and I didn't want that.
"I could've walked away and I don't suppose many people will have blamed me for that but I felt a moral responsibility because I knew I could do something about it.
"I don't think I would've forgiven myself had I taken the easy option and said 'well thanks very much but I don't even live here any more'."
However, Stott was insistent on his fledgling club moving away from relying on benefactors and toward a modernised self-sustained existence. The Windsor's founding director continued: "The bottom line is I'm not interested in the benefactor model, not because I'm not prepared to give, but history suggests that things happen that prevent benefactors from remaining.
"Therefore, what we want is to create a model where the club ultimately becomes self-sustaining.
"Our landlords The Crown Estate are now being very supportive in our bigger ambitions but they didn't have to be.
"When a company goes into administration the assets are up for grabs and we had to navigate discussions with the administrators very carefully in order to maintain the physical integrity of the ground.
"Curiously there was quite a swell of support that had started to manifest itself toward the demise of the old club.
"It's almost like the king is dead, long live the king.
"There was certainly a collective desire to do something so we just got on with it quite frankly."
Stott maintains that despite its immediate success Windsor FC remains infantile and requires careful nurturing.
"I never had any perception that we were a big club," the supremo went on.
"When you visit the ground the perception is that we are a big club and I'm thinking I don't know where you get that from.
"The reality is that we are a start-up club.
"We're a year old and everything we've generated we've generated from scratch."
Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our Sport archives.
