After a hectic & unpredictable summer, I thought I would take this opportunity to bring everyone up to date on where we are just now.

Return to football
It’s the question that’s on everybody’s lips, so I thought I’d address it first – when will we get back playing football again?

We received some encouraging news from the Pyramid Restart Group (which is made up of the Lowland League, East of Scotland, South of Scotland and West of Scotland Football Leagues) recently. We are now expecting to restart full, group training at the start of August and embarking on our new league campaign on the last Saturday of September. These are only indicative dates for now, but they will hopefully be confirmed in line with Scottish Government advice. We will keep everyone updated accordingly on the website & our social media channels.

Playing Squad update
I don’t think any of us can be anything but enthused about our summer transfer business, conducted by the management team.

The signings of goalkeeper Ross Lundy, centre-back James McGowan, wingers Jordan Morton and Jack Paterson as well as forwards Ryan Stevenson, Ryan Nisbet and Christian Nade really whet the appetite.

Some of the best business this summer was in securing the players we wanted to keep from last season who really performed since Jimmy came back in. Signing Jack Sherrie & Mark Morrison, who I think are two of the best full-backs in the league, on new contracts was very important. Scott Chatham & Raymond Montgomerie give us real experience in the midfield. Ross McCrea still has a little work to do to recover from the injury he suffered at the start of last season, but he can be like a new signing when he comes back to fitness. Ross Barbour and Dean Keenan bring the class & experience to the back line, and everybody was delighted to see Jaime Gallagher and Dean Fulton sign up as well. Those two could be amongst the best players in the league this season.

The squad just oozes quality, and I just can’t wait for the season to begin.

You can view the updated squad here.

Youth Academy update
Despite the disappointing news from our Development Team this week, we remain wholly committed to our Youth Academy and have been working hard behind the scenes to recover our position in time for the start of the new Lowland Development League season.

Our other teams are in rude health, and we will report a Youth Academy update across all the teams shortly.

Portland Park upgrades
Some of our volunteers have been hard at work throughout the summer, with plenty of maintenance and repairs being carried out to the whole stadium and Portland Park is looking as good as it’s looked for a long time.

We have plenty more exciting news in the pipeline in this regard, which we look forward to revealing shortly.

Vote of thanks
As mentioned above, we have been knocked out with the efforts of our dedicated band of volunteers this summer, with the sheer hard work we have witnessed. Richard has put plenty of images on social media about it, but I just wanted to say a personal vote of thanks to all those who have contributed in whatever way you have been able to. A special mention has to go to Billy Inglis & Davy Haswell for their magnificent efforts, but it has been a real team effort. Well done all.

Donate a Ticket
We have been fortunate to raise a healthy amount through the Donate a Ticket platform this summer, which has proved invaluable to our efforts in maintaining Portland Park over the close season. It certainly hasn’t covered our costs, but given the enforced shutdown and the lack of income that followed, it has certainly softened the blow considerably & I would like to thank all those who donated.

Season Tickets
We are hoping to be in a position to start selling season tickets shortly. We know the WOSFL are planning a 20 team Premier League, but given the shortened season we are facing it looks surely impossible to plan a 38 game season, so as soon as the number of games are confirmed we will have these on sale at the earliest opportunity.

Commercial update
We would normally be speaking to our current commercial partners at this time of the year, but for obvious reasons that is very difficult & all of our sympathies are with our supporting businesses in a challenging marketplace. All advertising boards will remain in place at Portland Park meantime until we can speak to our partners in a better environment.

We have been delighted to confirm Mayfield Garage Services as our home shirt sponsors for another season & thank them for their continued support of the club, whilst Richard is in continued discussions with a new away shirt sponsor for next season which we hope to confirm shortly.

If other companies are interested in commercial opportunities with Troon Football Club, you can view our brand new Commercial Brochure or send us an email and we can discuss further.

Fundraising
We are working with Tommy Adams Promotions on plans to launch a Troon F.C. Club Lottery for next season to assist us with raising vital club funds. We are still in planning stages, but we will in due course be looking for volunteers to help us sell this throughout the town & beyond. All of the funds raised will go to improving our club & facilities.

Player sponsorship
With the squad now confirmed for the upcoming season, we are looking for player sponsors for the upcoming season.

Player sponsorship has been frozen for this season at £50 for the fifth season in a row, but we have now introduced “Home and Away” sponsors for the first time. Those wishing to sponsor any of our players please send us an email or contact Richard and we will provide further details on how to do so.

Fixtures
We believe plans are being drawn up by the West of Scotland Football League for a fixture list, and we hope to be able to see that soon.

New season kits & a Club Shop
Richard has been in discussions with Macron about a new kit for next season, which includes plans for a special 75th Anniversary strip to mark our birthday in 2021.

We will be launching an online club shop with the launch of this kit, along with a presence on match days where supporters can buy scarves and other club merchandise before the game.

Can’t wait to get started!
I’m sure, like me, you can’t wait to get the new season started with all the great work we have highlighted, but I’m sure it’ll be on us before we know it. In the meantime, stay safe and well and we look forward to welcoming you all back to Portland Park in due course.

Jim Kirkwood

Chairman, Troon Football Club