General Manager Update
As we come to the end of May 2024, General Manager, Dale Pryde-MacDonald has provided an update on specific areas of the club.
SEASON TICKETS
Currently we are just over the 50% mark from the number of season tickets we ended up with last season, so at this point we are sitting with around 650 season tickets sold. This does put us slightly further ahead of where we were this time last year in season tickets sold to 31st May. As I am sure everybody is aware, as a community-owned club, season tickets provide a vital revenue stream to the club and each and every season ticket matters, especially when we are trying to recruit players to the football club in this window.
It has been great to see the response to our early bird offering, in freezing last season’s prices which expires on Monday so we hope more people will take advantage of this incentive over the weekend before it closes.
When we look at other clubs, their season ticket uptake has been remarkable, and we hope that we can add to our own ahead of what is going to be one of the most competitive Championship seasons in history. I also want to personally thank everybody who has purchased a season ticket to date and look forward to seeing you next season.
We have also had an exceptional uptake on our new ‘Team Ton’ membership for Under 12s. This is a pilot project for the club, and we have been amazed by the response and it is currently very much surpassing expectations. We look forward to getting all the Team Ton members in at the start of July to sign their Team Ton memberships in the boardroom with the players and management. Again, I thank all of those who have signed up.
FOOTBALL DEPARTMENT
The Chairman, Manager and I are working very hard to continue building the squad for 2024/25. It’s fair to say that Dougie has done a stellar job of identifying his targets which we believe will strengthen the club and we are involved in some very good negotiations with potential signings at present.
There is no sugar-coating that recruitment for every club is tough, and sometimes our patience is our biggest asset. The manager has been working exceptionally hard in making sure that the players identified will fit into the culture and the standards of Greenock Morton and we look forward to providing more updates as and when they are available.
We have also added a new member of staff to the team. George Barnes will join as our new Club Physiotherapist in June. George has valuable and extensive experience in football as a physiotherapist and will allow us to develop and grow that side of the club for the betterment of the first team, women’s team and academy.
David Scott has departed the club as goalkeeping coach following the expiry of his contract. We would like to place on record our thanks to David for his valuable contributions to the club over his time here and wish him every success moving forward.
We are also looking forward to announcing additional friendlies to our schedule in pre-season.
COMMERCIAL DEPARTMENT
I extend huge thanks to our kit partners- Dalrada Technology, Hungry Squirrel, Cardwell Garden Centre, Fisherman’s Dock and AGM Group for their commitment in sponsoring our kits again this season. We are proud to be associated and partnered with such reputable, committed and passionate businesses who are very invested in the development of the club.
We are also working on a number of new partnerships at present which we hope to announce in the coming weeks. These are exciting, new and positive partnerships that allow the club’s profile to grow and will make a positive influence on our progress.
There has been an absolutely outstanding response to our 2024/25 kits. I was lucky enough to be down at Smith’s on the afternoon of the launch day and met some of the supporters in to buy their new home kit. There was a great feeling and response and again thank you to our supporters.
There has been a very strong response to our Cappielow Kick Off event which will take place for the Germany v Scotland match on 14th June here in the Douglas Rae lounge. The final tickets still remain available for purchase and as we aim to grow the use of the stadium outside of matchday, it’s a fabulous way to get the Euro’s kicked off in Inverclyde.
The catering kiosks at Cappielow will return to the club this summer. For the last number of years, the kiosks had been sub-contracted and from June 2024, they will come back under the management and running of the club. We as a club would like to place on record our thanks to Jean Ferrier and her team for the great work they have done and the positive experience they give customers on matchday over a number of years. We are currently in discussion with Jean and her team around opportunities for them to remain as part of the team.
We will also be working with a range of local suppliers across Inverclyde to develop the offering from our kiosks on matchday.
Our annual Golf Day will take place at Gourock Golf Club on Friday 5th July. There are still some spaces left for teams should you want to take part. The day includes breakfast, 2 course meal, lots of prizes and a shotgun start as well as each team being added to by a club representative – player, management, staff, Director.
We are currently working on the hospitality offering for season 2024/25 at present and we hope to announce a further update in due course.
SUMMARY
With such a busy summer here at Cappielow it is testament to the staff and supporters that we continue to see progress in all areas of the club. Some of the key progress can only be done with the invaluable support of fans who continue to go over and above to help the club become stronger with each day.
From our first summer signing, to signing 6 new apprentices, to hosting new events at the stadium, to bringing new partners to the commercial department, this is an exciting time to be a Greenock Morton fan and we hope more people can join ‘The Heartbeat of Inverclyde’.
