Visionary

The Big Interview: Gareth Collins quizzes man-of-the-moment Geoff Farrell

Tell us about your background…

'I’m 46 and originate from Deeside. I was educated at Hawarden Grammar School and Deeside High School, to A-level standard. I’m married and have four children: Laura (22) and Daniel (19) to my first wife; Chloe (6) and Brad (4) to Karen, my second wife. I live in Llanarmon-yn-Ial. I run my own business, an electronic security systems company called Crime Prevention Services, operating out of our HQ in Northop, near Mold. This company, which I originally started with a partner back in 1983, operates nationally and employs about 50 people in total, including my two eldest children.'

There was a rumour circulating last year that you were once a Chester season-ticket holder, is that true?

'Not strictly true. However, I have to confess that I started out as a Chester City fan. You can blame my father as I remember he took me to watch my first game at Sealand Road, against Millwall, the better part of 40 years ago. I can recall Chester lost and that I spent most of the game watching the grass grow! However, the seeds were sown and as a youngster Chester were my team. Indeed, my late father would not believe I have crossed to the “other side”, even though he was a supporter of both clubs in his youth. After Chester, I then progressed on to mainly watching Liverpool. I think I finished with Chester when they built their new stadium. I recall being disillusioned by its capacity and saw it at the time as a statement of their lack of ambition.'

How did you first get involved with Wrexham?

'I started watching them regularly about five years ago. It was the season before the quarter-final cup run. This was perhaps when I developed my passion and commitment towards the club. To begin with, I was invited to games and had the privilege of a seat in the Directors Box, courtesy of a friend. This led on to me meeting with Allan Thomas, the Commercial Manager of the time, and I enquired about sponsorship since I felt it was wrong to be watching games and enjoying the hospitality of the club without making some form of contribution. This was the start of things.'

How did it feel to be invited by the Club to become one of its directors?

'I felt very flattered that the Chairman should make such an approach and I was delighted. Over the years, the Chairman and I have come to know each other well and we have mutual respect. He explained that he felt the club now needed to bring in greater business acumen and some modern business ideas and he felt I could help achieve this. Praise indeed, but only time will tell if his judgement was well founded!'

As a director, how are you involved with the Club on a day-to-day basis?

'In theory, I should not be involved very much at all. However, the club needs considerable improvement in respect of some commercial and administrative aspects and there has been an unavoidable need to contribute. In the past few months my day-to-day involvement in club matters has at times been quite considerable. But this is only in the short term, as we work towards improving the affairs of the business and setting in place more efficient business practice. Ultimately, it has to run and regulate itself and the key to achieving this rests with having the right quality of staff in place, all committed to doing their jobs to the best of their ability.'

Does your position as a director of the club impinge time-wise on your commitments as Managing Director of Crime Prevention Services?

'I am very fortunate with my own business in that it is reasonably well established and I have some quality people in each of the key positions. This has meant that to a certain extent, I have been able to allocate time as needed to the football club, without it impacting on the running of my business. On other occasions, it has been known for me to burn the midnight oil a little, thanks to an understanding wife.'

What do you think your appointment to the club's Board of Directors brings to the club?

'I think the Chairman would be best to answer this one. What I would say is that I am conscious of not giving the wrong impression to the fans. It is nice that your magazine has noticed that we are trying to move forwards and that behind the scenes we are working on improving matters. But this is ultimately all about the team and their success. It is not about directors and certainly not about their egos. We need to largely be anonymous.'

According to last year's annual report, revenue from Wrexham's Commercial Department took a small 12% dip from £180,000 to £158,000 last year. Can you put your finger on any reasons for this?

'In a word - mismanagement. The department has under-achieved for years and I have been very disappointed by this part of the club’s affairs. Any business that operates without sales targets and without any guidance in respect of expectations and minimum selling prices is always likely to under-achieve. We seemed to operate largely on a “get what you can" basis and, consequently, the sales attainment was low and sometimes reflected bargain basement prices. In the future, this department will be responsible for a far more significant contribution to the income stream of the club.'

Do you subscribe to the view that the club sometimes under-sells itself in terms of the amount of money it charges for sponsorships and advertising etc?

'Yes. In respect of match sponsorship, not so much by under-charging but by not increasing the content of packages to give more value for the money. Much of the sponsorship would be more attractive at higher prices by building the corporate package up to a quality rather than down to a price. This way, everyone benefits. In respect of ground advertising, we definitely should charge more, particularly since there is now so much television exposure and the value to advertisers is so great. I have only to look at the increased name awareness my own firm has benefited from with our pitchside boards. The price I was charged for this season - agreed before I was asked to become a director - was ridiculously cheap. I also find it disappointing that the club appears to have little commercial association with some of the larger companies in the town. We’ve many long-standing and valued sponsors and we now want to add to them by giving sponsorship opportunities to some of the larger businesses/employers in the region.'

With the recent departure of two people from the club's Commercial Department, can you tell us about your plans for the Department and also any of the new marketing initiatives that you plan to bring in?

'Christian Smith has, as you will already know, joined us to head this department. Only time will tell whether he proves to be the right appointment but I sincerely hope so. Certainly, his ideas and enthusiasm suggest he is right for us and he comes with an excellent career path and football pedigree. We will shortly be holding a meeting when the likes of Red Passion, representatives of the various supporters clubs, and the Press will be invited to attend. At this, we intend to announce some of our ideas, partly to inform and partly to seek reaction to our future planning. We want you all to then go out to our fans and be our messengers as we strive to re-awaken interest and try to get fans to return and support us in greater numbers. As a clue to our ideas, though, we intend to break with certain traditions and re-invent ourselves somewhat. We want to trade more on our Welsh identity. Also, the Pryce Griffiths Stand needs to move away from being a largely unused monument. The facilities here are excellent and I want the European Lounge filled with diners pre-match, all there enjoying a hospitality day where the match is only part of the reason to be there. The boxes need to all be in use, again as part of an upmarket matchday experience, as we work towards raising the corporate profile of the club.'

You were quoted in the Evening Leader recently as saying: 'We intend to realise the full potential of the Commercial Department'. What do you think the potential for Wrexham Football Club is, in terms of the revenue generated by the Commercial Department and also the number of fans that you can attract through the turnstiles?

'A successful Commercial Department means so much in respect of the viability of the business plan. It has so much influence upon the cash position and this in turn has a link with the quality of the team and therefore the public interest and number of fans who come to watch. Results are ultimately what count most in the eyes of the fans but being perceived as all holding the same objectives and ambitions will perhaps change people’ s mental attitude. Losing or not playing well hurts the team, the management and everyone behind the scenes just as much as it hurts the fans. You will hopefully have noticed that in recent times we have been working hard at massaging the club’s profile in an effort to show fans that we are worthy of their interest and support. I recently had an email from someone who applauded some of the things he saw us doing. He said that he felt "the word AMBITION has returned to the vocabulary of Wrexham Football Club". This was music to our ears and the kind of encouragement we are after. The more people who start to develop this perception the better, since it must surely have a direct link to attendance numbers. So I appeal to all of our hardcore fans to get out there and “tell your mates”! Appeal to people and encourage them to come to the Racecourse and form (or re-form) the habit of supporting our local team. Higher attendances would make a huge difference, not only in income terms but also to the team. Clearly they are likely to play better when more people are present and when there is a better atmosphere in the stadium.'

Where would you realistically like to see Wrexham in terms of league position?

'The stage is set in so many ways for us to progress. I see enormous potential in the club and truly believe that we can do things to stimulate more people to start coming to the Racecourse and help finance the progression. I look at clubs like Bradford, Wimbledon, Crewe, Stockport, Gillingham, Grimsby, Tranmere (bad example?) etc and think we’re of at least similar potential. This makes me believe we could and should aspire to at least their level. Once in the next division, everything becomes much more sustainable. The clubs we play, the revenue stream from sponsorship and TV income distribution, the number of visiting fans, all lead to greater levels of prosperity. This, I believe, should be our target.'

According to last year's annual report the debt owed by the club rose from £1.94 million to £2.85 million. How close to the edge are the club sailing, and how does this affect your new plans and marketing initiatives as traditional forms of marketing usually cost money?

'A football club like ours cannot survive on the current levels of income it self-generates. It has to depend for its survival on other income and that received through sponsorship from the likes of the Nationwide Building Society, Sky Sports, BBC Wales, Carlsberg Tetley and NTL is vital. What we have to do now is work hard on increasing the revenue we self-generate so that we get closer to being self-funding. The huge advantage we have over many other clubs operating at our current level is the scale and quality of our facilities. If we take the example of Old Trafford, they have restaurants and corporate hospitality suites that on matchdays are used extensively with people visiting for a “day out” at someone else’s expense. It comprises a nice meal, pre-match entertainment, gifts, a meeting with players etc as well as the match itself. More significantly, because it is made special, it costs more with a premium payable for the privilege. At the Racecourse, in relative terms, we can offer something similar in concept. OK, the numbers will be much smaller but then so are our needs. The equation is the same in relative terms. Answering your question relating to the club’ s financial position, it is true that we are currently in a pressured situation in cash-flow terms. This is why initiatives such as the ones described above are being implemented as we work to improve our trading position. However, the long-term debt as defined within the latest audited accounts largely relates to grant funding of the ground redevelopment and is therefore, in cash terms, not as ominous as it might appear on face value. The balance sheet reflects a deterioration in our position but, I believe, the long-term perspective has many positives for us to now build upon. But we need the help of you, our fans, most of all.'

With NTL signing a five-year Internet rights deal with the Football League last year, do you see the club keeping control of its own website for the foreseeable future?

'Most definitely. There are various changes we continue to be working on as we continue its development and NTL have been very helpful as we complete the new design. The NTL deal is very important and potentially lucrative to the 72 Nationwide clubs and the more traffic our site receives, the more income we will get. The sponsorship money is split into three pots of £3m per season, to be divided proportionally between the participants based upon traffic to a site, level of use to the Quiz section and use of the WrexhamBet online betting facility. So spread the word and remember - the more that people use our site, the Quiz League and the online betting facility, the more revenue they are generating for our club. We will always control the design and detail on our site. It simply has certain mandatory fields and features built into it to satisfy the criteria and therefore qualify for inclusion in the NTL deal. Shortly you will see many changes to its design, which we hope will meet with the approval of all.'

Has the website's new online club shop brought in much additional revenue since it was launched?

'No, but currently it is terrible. This is one of the key areas needing considerable improvement. We hope to be introducing a shop online for merchandise and for ticket sales. We need to make it easier for customers to spend money with us and the website is vital to helping us achieve this. One of the features we will need if we are to maximise this facility will be to set up an automated Internet banking arrangement for secure credit card payments.'

Do you think that the 'Wrexham 2000 Initiative' has been a success?

'In direct terms clearly it wasn’t, but it was doomed to failure in many ways when the then Commercial Manager disassociated himself on the eve of the new season on the basis that if it's not his idea it’s a bad one. However, good has come from it in teaching us much for the next season in how to prepare for any new ideas and their launch. There is no shame in trying something new and failing. This failure has made us wiser for next time.'

How do you view the club's current PR?

'I’m tempted to ask “What PR?” In the past three months we have very much started to work on this area. You will hopefully have noticed we have started to get a far more positive inflection from the press and that we have been getting feature articles in some of the nationals. This has not been accidental and is a sign of how we must continue to court public awareness. Indeed, I recall the recent match against Reading when we had an up-wing in the proportion of home fans of around 50% against the previous games. Yes, of course we had won four successive games and, yes, people wanted to see Mr Trundle, but I also have no doubt that the way in which Dave Lovett of the Evening Leader reported the club during that week also helped get more fans to the game. This same reporter some three months earlier would probably have been different. There is much still to do. The way telephones are answered, the availability and ease of advance ticket sales, the appearance and layout of the Club Shop…all leave room for improvement in a way which would have fans feeling more appreciated. At the end of the day, we’re no different to any business in that we need customers and those we have are more likely to come back again if they feel we appreciate them.'

Do you think that the club needs a full-time PR person, or is that a position that is intrinsically part of the Commercial Department's remit?

'I don’t know for sure if such a post will be needed. In any case, we have to prioritise things as we can’t achieve correction to all things immediately. The difficult thing with running any business is recruiting the right calibre people for key positions. Right now, we need to focus mostly on commercial matters but continuing the profile- building is important and, come next season, if a full-time PR person is justifiable (and affordable) it has to be seriously considered. Meanwhile, it will be a task performed by the Commercial Manager and people like myself.'

How do you get on with Club Chairman Pryce Griffiths and the other directors such as David Rhodes?

'The Chairman is a true gentleman and I have enormous respect for him and his family. I believe we have an excellent working relationship. I have been constructively critical of several things relating to aspects of how the club has been run in the past but we must all remember that many things have clearly been done well, as driven forward by the original members of the Board. Fans only need to look around them at our stadium or go down to Colliers Park to see the quality of what the club has there for proof of the many good things that have been achieved so far during the Pryce Griffiths era. Regarding David Rhodes, you will by now be aware that he has recently given notice of his intention to leave the club and further his career elsewhere. He has done his best for the club over many years but many of his working practices left room for improvement. He had the chance to be part of the future and was offered the chance to develop and learn greater job skills since we ideally wanted to harness all he had to offer with new business management methods that were now to be essential. He chose to not be part of our future and so be it. The remainder of the Board are unified in both ambition and approach. A new structure within the Boardroom is currently being implemented and will be very positive for the future. We will not replace David as “MD”. Instead, an Executive Board will jointly form a committee of influence and run the club. None of this executive will be salaried and it will probably comprise four people. The existing main board will continue, but in a largely non-executive capacity.'

How do you rate Brian Flynn as a manager?

'Very highly. I have the utmost respect for Brian, Kevin and Joey and believe we have an excellent working relationship. I applaud the infrastructure that Brian has built over the years at Colliers and there is great substance to the playing side of the club. I also applaud the Chairman for having been so supportive to the management team and I believe the greatest legacy he leaves the club is the strength in depth on the playing side that he has allowed to develop. It has long been a source of great surprise to me that so often, football clubs, often owned by very successful businessmen, consistently fail to give managers time to build success and substance. I am sure that the same rules should apply to management of a football club as do in business generally, where hiring and firing of key and competent personnel would never be seen as best policy. Proof of my support for the current management team is reflected in my role of driving forward the recent new contract talks, designed at cementing the current staff to the club for the foreseeable future.'

For those fans who haven't visited the club's official website, can you explain the club's decision to possibly do away with the traditional signature tune of Men of Harlech?

'The extract from the recent news item posted onto our website reads as follows: "Breaking with tradition? Your views invited. The club has received considerable response from fans following its controversial decision in the recent match against Reading to break with tradition and have the team come out to a different tune. Traditionally the team has emerged from the tunnel to its Men of Harlech theme tune. At the recent game against Reading, local DJ and matchday announcer Steve Marriott was asked to change the mood and the tempo by playing the Robbie Williams hit single Let Me Entertain You. This was an idea copied from the recent Worthington Cup final between Liverpool and Birmingham City, where this was the tune that was played to greet the arrival of the two teams as they entered the Millennium Stadium for their match. We feel that the new initiative achieved a new up-tempo mood around the Racecourse as the teams warmed up and the players felt very positive about it. There was negative reaction from a handful of fans who emailed the club after the game, though this was cancelled out by the many (including players and management) who preferred the new alternative. We reverted to Men of Harlech for the subsequent Bury match, only to get complaints that the old tune had returned! We can’t please all the people all of the time! What do you think? Let us know and if the vote is split, as our Chairman has said, 'we think that whatever the players prefer should get the vote.' Your comments will be much appreciated."'

Finally, have you ever read Red Passion, and if so, what do you think of it?

'No, I haven’t been a regular reader of your mag, other than the odd item as it has been passed around the coach on awayday trips. On a general note, I believe that fanzines play a vital part for fans in creating a spirit of involvement with their club. Red Passion and its website are therefore a valuable aid to promoting the profile and our efforts to try and raise awareness. This is why I was happy to be given this opportunity and to co-operate with your approach.'

Any other issues?

'We are wondering about changing our schedule in two respects and would like reaction from fans to assist with our ultimate decision: Playing certain games on a Friday evening rather than a Saturday afternoon. This would give fans an opportunity to also then take in a Premiership game the following day and enable those who work at the weekend the chance to see us more often. The sort of games we have in mind are those that, by playing on a Friday, would not seriously affect away support since their contribution to cash flow is important. We would also have to obtain agreement from the police and Football League before any such change could be implemented. Also, what is the general reaction to the prospect of changing our evening kick off time to 7.45pm, in line with the majority? Our reasoning relates to a suspicion that the extra 15 minutes might help more people to make it to a game. Finally, on a personal note, may I say that I have been very encouraged by the reaction of fans in recent weeks and some of the correspondence received has been extremely positive. Many fans clearly recognise the potential of what we are trying to now achieve, although there are no “Jack Walkers” involved here and anything we do has to be self financing. One thing, which I hope will help, is establishing a greater ability for fans to communicate and air their views, providing they are intended to be helpful and constructive. The recent reaction to the Men of Harlech debate saw an instant swing in reaction once the club’s perspective was explained, endorsing the need for communication to be part of our work ethic. My personal email address for any direct contact is: geofffarrell@preventcrime.co.uk. I hope the above has been of value and that it is seen as an informative insight into matters.'

Geoff - thanks very much for your time