Club Statement: Fans’ Forum

We would like to thank everybody that attended the forum yesterday evening it was great to see you all.

Many topics were covered and this statement is to ensure all of those who could not attend receive all of the information.

Due to recent rumours circulating, David Hilton confirmed during the first 40 minutes of the meeting that he had recently provided proof of funds to Simon Elliot who is a well-respected representative of supporters. He went on to also confirm that the club is not currently under a transfer embargo as falsely reported and have not been since he took the club out of the one he inherited in February. HMRC payments are continually paid on time along with all staff wages. However, he did confirm that after inheriting a pension debt, it has risen further since the takeover. This is not an oversight, it is a simple mandate issue which allows the new regime to access all of the relevant information required to understand fully the clubs current position. Payments will be made in due course and the account bought up to date.

Mr Hilton also confirmed that he plays no part in the recruitment process. He has provided a budget only and the instructions to build a top seven National League (Step 1) side. Acquisitions moving forward, along with the recent completed signings, are solely down to the hard work of Jimmy Dean and Lee Turnbull.

A new training facility has been secured, however its location at this stage cannot be disclosed. It was described as an excellent facility and a further £2m has been set aside to enhance the current facilities to provide everything required away from matchday. This is to include a gymnasium, players restaurant, medical facilities and, hopefully, temporary player accommodation. A state of the art 4G surface will also be installed along with several grass pitches and LED floodlighting. 

It has been confirmed that the club will move away from the current kit provide Macron. Mr Hilton felt that the relationship was at an irreparable stage, and we could not gain the required commitment in respect of delivery times despite the club being signed into a long term contract. It was said that he believed the breakdown was caused by the current league position of the football club, along with the absence of payments over the season despite the club receiving and selling the stock a year ago. Kelme will provide our kits for the forthcoming season.

The two recently acquired sites at Warren Road and Glebe Road were then discussed and Mr Hilton confirmed that, subject to the relevant planning consents, a new stadium will be erected and hopefully completed in time for the start of the 2025-26 season. Civil contractors, stadium construction experts, architects and various surveyors have all been instructed and a comprehensive ground testing survey has already been provided to the relevant parties. He confirmed that North Lincolnshire Council are extremely supportive of the potential development and are working closely with the club to ensure things happen quickly. Enabling development, potentially retail, will be key to the application to help fund the new stadium and it was explained that this was the reason for acquiring both sites. The government levelling up fund is also to be discussed and many more options that are not open to a Glanford Park modernisation. Mr Hilton has also confirmed that the amount of personally allocated funds will obviously rise significantly. Long term he feels the move is in the best interests of the club and supporters.

The purchase of Glanford Park from Peter Swann was next on the agenda. It was confirmed that the two parties were no longer on speaking terms and that the deal had stalled. Mr Hilton confirmed that this was due to various legal issues such as unregistered parcels of land (potential ransom strips), the inability for him to purchase the stadium in the clubs name due to Mr Swann not following the correct procedure for a sale of an asset of community value, previously undeclared access rights for a third party, expired planning consents, flood risk and a much lower valuation. Mr Hilton went on to reiterate that at no point did he want to withdraw from the process however was insistent that the legalities were carried out correctly in order to protect the club moving forward. An extension was requested in order to complete the processes professionally and a rent offered of £20,000 per month in order to show that there is no benefit to the club to create unnecessary delays. All of this was offered despite the fact the legal issues are the responsibility of Mr Swann to remedy, despite the insistence in January by Mr Swann that all of this work had recently been carried out during the extraction of the stadium from the club to his company. Mr Swann declined the offer and insists that the club, the Iron Foundation and Study United, all of which have been occupiers of Glanford Park for many years, will have to vacate on May 24^th unless £3m is paid without legal works being completed or him even acknowledging the serious issues.

Mr Hilton confirmed that he has instructed his own legal team and Barristers to act on behalf of the club moving forward and feels that after taking their advice and carrying out certain administration processes he has protected the club ensuring its stay for the foreseeable future at its rightful home.

This unfortunate scenario has left some uncertainty surrounding the Club 1899 membership. Mr Hilton confirmed that he would certainly implement measures in new facilities to ensure members have protection over the club. They will continue to receive all benefits apart from an 1899 lounge. This is due to the cost of creating such a facility with only five current members wanting tickets in this area. These five members will be offered executive lounge access and all members who do not request a refund will be entitled to a share in the football club which are not currently available.

Finally, Mr Hilton has decided that due to us all wanting to forget the past mistakes, he has taken the steps to remove all banning orders at the football club and hopes we can all unite and see this as a fresh start for all. He has requested that people remain respectful of players, staff and most importantly each other throughout the coming season and enjoy the ride.

During the meeting, first team manager Jimmy Dean stated he would be working hard to ensure that the club rediscovered its family feel. He stated there needs to be a strong presence of the football club within the community and he will be working with the relevant people to ensure that he, his players and his staff regularly undertake visits and appearances within this local area. He would also like to extend this to the players and staff returning upstairs to the Executive Lounge, and also the Iron Bar, after a home fixture where supporters will be able to meet and talk to, as well as gain autographs and pictures of the squad.

Meanwhile, Chief Operating Officer Lee Turnbull stated that the club’s academy will continue at Category Three status for the 2023-24 season, with substantial funding provided by Mr Hilton. The academy will strive towards a self sustainable model in the future. He said the the club will continue to aim to provide opportunities for local youngsters to play for Scunthorpe United with a player pathway from the academy to the first team. He also thanked the local community for their continued support on and off the pitch during turbulent times. 

Mr Turnbull reiterated that the club has a strong community footprint and will always endeavour to continue to engage and listen to our supporters. He stated that the successes of the marquee with the local bands performing and the pre-match guest speakers in the restaurant will hopefully continue next season.

Once again, we would like to thank those supporters who were able to attend the Fans’ Forum, and hope the above statement provides clarity for those who were unable to join us.

Stay safe, we shall see you all soon, and provide you with any further updates as and when we are able to.