Contracts and registrations are currently ongoing.
First Team, Under-23s, Under-18s and Under-17s are all affiliated for the upcoming season.
The start date for the Northern Premier League Premier Division is Saturday 9th August, with the final day being Saturday, 2nd May.
As usual, Northern Premier League fixtures will be announced in mid-July (exact date TBC).
The free Saturday in March is now to be used as a fixture date and any postponed matches need to be played within 35 days of cancellation, not 42 as was the case previously.
Our first Emirates FA cup tie will be on Saturday, 30th August in the First Qualifying Round.
The Isuzu FA Trophy campaign will begin on Saturday, 4th October in the Third Qualifying round.
The first FA Youth Cup tie will take place on the week commencing Monday, 1st September.
The first team will also compete in the North Riding Senior cup.
We recently welcomed Darren Fowler to the board. Darren already plays a big part in the day to day running of the club and with the help of other volunteers has made an excellent job of the pitch.
Scott Booth recently stepped down from the board. The Secretary thanked Scott for all the good work he done as a Board member. The tasks that Scott were dealing with have been picked up by other members of the board and we have Beverley Rutherford helping with Commercial and Marketing.
Claire Ryder & Sandra Fox are coming back to help with the club shop. Paul Connolly gave an update on the club shop later in the meeting.
Gala Day will be taking place on Sunday, 20th July. The Secretary thanked Brogan Shields and Paul Agar for all the work they are doing for this and he hopes it will be as successful as last year.
Thanks were given to all the Summer Draw prize sponsors and everyone who has taken books of tickets to sell. There are plenty available if anyone wants to take more. Click here to buy tickets.
Sunday, 3rd August will see a Leeds United Legends game taken place at the Towbar Express Stadium. There is a good crowd expected. The Secretary thanked all the sponsors that have made this possible, along with Graeme Hinchliffe, Beverley Rutherfield and Liam Ryder for all the work they have done so far to bringing it together. Click here to buy tickets.
The Secretary thanked everyone who made pledges to the 1926 Club last year. This really helped with the funding of loan players.
The club will shortly be posting on social media and whitbytownfc.com details on how to support the 1926 Club in the 2025/26 season.

Approved: Paul Connolly
Seconded: Dave Hellawell

FINANCE REPORT - CRAIG MOTH

The club has achieved a surplus of £22,815 for the year, a notable improvement compared to the £5,427 surplus reported in the previous financial year. This has helped strengthen our financial footing despite some challenges, particularly a drop in income.

Income
Total income for the year was £373,086, representing a 13.7% decrease from £432,192 in 2024. The main movements were:

Matchday Income - fell significantly to £78,451, down from £116,781, reflecting lower gate receipts due to fewer games, notably the FA Cup run of 2023.
Fundraising and Donations - dropped to £122,895 from £139,248. Despite a 39% increase in donations from the Ladies Section, no Easter Draw and a less successful Weekly Draw saw an overall decrease.
Trading Income - marginally increased to £152,082 from £148,973. A drop in advertising and sponsorship income was met by an increase in mobile phone mast revenue as a result of the annual rent amounts being reviewed and backdated.
Other Income - reduced from £27,190 to £19,658. Although there was an increase in player transfer fees received. This season saw very little competition prize money received.

Expenditure
Total expenditure was £350,271, down from £426,765, reflecting tighter financial management and cost controls:

Playing Staff & Management - decreased to £219,511 from £250,032 – the largest area of spend, this reduction was essential in balancing the books.
Overheads - significantly reduced to £80,019, from £125,732. Some key factors in this reduction were the reduction in Security costs due to the deregulation of the main stand together with the share of Bristol Rovers’ security costs inflating the prior year’s total. Less was spent on players’ training kit with this being the second year of a two-year kit supply. The final cost saving in this category was wages as the club no longer employed a Commercial Manager.
Trading Costs - slightly down to £39,647 from £40,175.
Depreciation - decreased to £11,094.

Balance Sheet
The club's balance sheet remains stable:

Fixed Assets - held steady at £321,693
Current Assets - increased to £44,889 from £37,754. The year-end saw higher debtor balances but a lower Pitch Fund balance. Click here for more information.
Current Liabilities - decreased to £85,480, down from £100,093. The bank overdraft was far less together with payments received in advance although supplier creditors were higher.
Long-Term Liabilities - slightly reduced to £95,385, due to part repayment of the brewery loan.

The accumulated fund stands at £185,717, reflecting a strengthened financial base for the club.

Approved: Paul Agar
Seconded: Robert Rowell

KIT UPDATE - PAUL CONNOLLY

Announcement of new deal with Hummel ahead of 2025/26 season. Supporters had first look at new home, away & third Whitby-centric kits ahead of the imminent official release. Supporters were given chance to pre-order on the night ahead of official reveal.
A deal has been reached to Hummel to kit out the club shop with complimentary stock. An order has been placed it is anticipate that the club shop will be full of Hummel stock for Gala Day on Sunday, 20th July.
Stephen Shields & Beverley Rutherford are also working with other suppliers to ensure the shop is always full throughout the season.
Paul Agar & Robert Rowell are also working on shop refurbishment which is set to be completed in time for the first home pre-season friendly against Hartlepool United on Saturday, 12th July.

MANAGER'S REPORT - GARY LIDDLE

The Manager reflected on his first months in charge after taking over at a precarious time with the club in relegation trouble and out of two major cup competitions. Liddle was very grateful to the Board of Directors for giving him the opportunity to take the club forwards on the pitch.
The Manager admitted away form was a key factor in league survival and is aware home form needs to improve for the 2025/26 season.
The Manager was pleased to keep hold of the vast majority of key squad members. Every player he intended to keep has re-signed ahead of the 2025/26 season.
The Manager acknowledged the positive environment created by the players and he believes this helped to bringing in new players James Harrison, Alex Nelson and Jarrett Rivers. Liddle believes all three players will compliment the squad in footballing terms and personalities.
Pre-season training started in the week leading up to the AGM and players started strongly.
The Manager is optimistic about the new season and feels the league will be more of an even playing field with the likes of Macclesfield and Worksop Town, both of whom had high budgets, now promoted.
The Manager stated he was happy with the playing budget provided by the club and there is scope to bring in further names before the new season and Liddle will have access to youth teams to pick players from to step up to the first team.
The Manager ended by saying he "wants Whitby Town to be the best they can be in the 2025/26 season."

Approved: Paul Connolly
Seconded: Peter Graham

CHAIRMAN'S REPORT - IVOR HOMER

The Chairman expressed how grateful to Gary Liddle he was for taking up the opportunity to step in and take over from Nathan Haslam at a difficult time, particularly for his first job in management.
The Chairman thanked all supporters for their continued efforts across the 2024/25 season.
The Chairman also expressed thanks to the Board of Directors for their commitment, largely in spare time due to having day jobs too.
The Chairman thanked Brogan Shields and Paul Agar for their efforts in organising Gala Day once again ahead of the event on Sunday, 20th July.
The Chairman set the club the challenge of raising even more funds ahead of club's 100th anniversary next year.

Approved: Robert Rowell
Seconded: Graeme Hinchliffe

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

Supporters queried the Ladies Section mentioned within the Finance Report - The Treasurer stated that this is largely formed from the two canteens at the Towbar Express Stadium, both operated by female club staff.

Supporters questioned the contribution of Turnbull's Bar to the club - Beverley Rutherford of Turnbull's Bar listed a number of key financial contributions including:

Monthly rent payments 12 months a year, regardless of income made within Turnbull's Bar.
Substantial one-off donations on event days such as Gala Day.
Including the Licence for the Seasiders' Lounge on the one for Turnbull's Bar which has resulted in no costs to the club.
Paying the subscription cost of whitbytownfc.com, again ensuring the club never have to cover this monthly expense.

A ‘Boost the Budget’ campaign was proposed. Plans are being drafted up for a 1926 Club revamp and details will be published on whitbytownfc.com imminently.

Following the departure of Scott Booth, questions were raised over the running of the Seasiders Lounge in the 2025/26 season. This will be operated by volunteers and it is hoped a new sponsor will be announced for the Seasiders' Lounge in the coming weeks.

MEETING ENDED - 8:02PM