WOOD FINALLY MAKE A STAND AND MAKE THEIR THANK YOU’S

After more than five years from conception to planning application, from its approval, to the imminent build stage – Boreham Wood Football club can thankfully tell its supporters and the community at large, that it will finally begin building its new North Stand at the Broughinge Road end on Monday… Thus, giving our supporters a covered home end for the very first time in our 71 year history…

Wood Chairman Danny Hunter has painstakingly found a way to put together a million-pound funding package – that will leave the club with no ongoing debt, while paying in full for a new home North Stand, a disabled stadium toilet block, a new concourse, new club shop and an improved burger bar…

On top of that – for our players there will be a Premier League standard home first team dressing room refurbed completely, alongside a new physio room, new toilet and shower area, a new kit room and three new executive offices… 

Whilst, he has also secured closer ties and a long-term agreement with his friends and partners at Arsenal Football Club…

Wood Chairman Danny Hunter was in truth ecstatic with how things have gone recently and especially over the last six weeks. As, it had looked like the complete build project may have been abandoned in February. He reveals how the whole funding and building conundrum finally came together after five years of planning, saying: “In all honesty, five or six years ago, we had an idea that I shared with the borough council hierarchy, on how we could perhaps try to improve things locally in regards to the club’s community footprint. It always hinged in all honesty on if I could find a budget, that could somehow put us into the National League, and if I managed that, would it perhaps increase third party spend through increased home support and increased away supporters visiting our town for Boreham Wood, Arsenal Development and Arsenal women’s games…

“So, winning the play offs, getting into the National League four years ago and subsequently going to Wembley last season, has obviously helped enormously – as it has helped me raise our profile locally and raise people’s awareness within our wider community of what we do…

“It’s now a fact that our town’s car parks, pubs, cafes, restaurants, newsagents, petrol stations and most of our shop keepers in Shenley Road, have all benefitted enormously from all the increased spend from both the increased home and away fans. It’s great that we are now consistently attracting visitors from afar who would not otherwise come to the area, who are spending hundreds of thousands of pounds with us annually in our town centre and in our car parks and retail parks on match days.”

The chairman went on: “Over the last five or six years our long-term partnership with Arsenal has also blossomed further and has genuinely gone to another level. Hence why I agreed to and we signed a 10-year contract extension just 18 months ago…

“That contract has I feel given me the confidence to push on with this million-pound facility project, and I’m now confident that our football club, our town, our community and our charitable trust programme will benefit everyone enormously going forward. And that is also shown by my continued commitment towards all things local, that includes increased local employment. 

“For transparency though, I now want to clarify just how our whole spring and summer builds here at Meadow Park are being funded and why it will come in at close to a million pounds.

“Over the last two and a half years or so I have secured the necessary grants and created considerable inward investment within my companies. Plus, I’ve secured contra deals and the outside funding needed to proceed with the new North Stand and I will make up any short fall required personally…

“That includes the Football Foundation, who have already agreed to fund the new North Stand and our associated stadium groundworks to the tune of £319k. Arsenal have agreed to contribute £50k toward the stand and £50k toward the changing room project. Whilst, Elstree and Borehamwood Town Council have been an absolute rock by incredibly coming up with £150k for the stand project.

“On top of that, I have after months and months of negotiations agreed a new rent with Hertsmere Borough Council based on a formula that takes into consideration our work within the community, whilst also agreeing the wording on a new 30-year lease…

“On top of that, myself and my companies have now guaranteed the additional £430k and any overages needed to complete the project and that’s guaranteed whether the unimaginable happens and we get ourselves relegated this season. In truth, I still want to progress our club sensibly year on year, as part of my ongoing commitment to our supporters, our town, our community, our football club, the borough and wider community but also ensuring that the club remains debt free…

“I believe the general public’s interest in their local club is growing, our higher profile will help with that and the money that my investment and our club now brings into our town, and the employment it now offers local people will benefit everyone. While, our new school’s programme and our newly created charitable trust will in regards to our community programmes and local initiatives prove to be a big plus for everyone local, but especially the kids…

“So, I cannot thank enough our incredibly generous contributors in; GBE Installations, BW PASE Ltd, Barnet and Southgate College, the Football Foundation, Elstree and Borehamwood Town Council, Hertsmere Borough Council, Arsenal Women, Arsenal Football Club and of course every one of my very loyal sponsors – and I humbly say to them all – we got there in the end.”