3 May 2022
For immediate release

ALTRINCHAM FOOTBALL CLUB ANNOUNCES A NEW ERA

Altrincham Football Club has today announced the move to a full-time professional Club, in preparation for the 2022-23 campaign and beyond. To enable this progression the Management Team will be strengthened, with the creation of a new Chief Executive Officer position.

Bill Waterson, Co-Chairman of Altrincham Football Club said: “In what hails to be a new era for Altrincham Football Club, and on behalf of the Board of Directors, I am delighted to announce that for the first time in our 130 year history, we will move from being a part-time semi-professional Club, to full-time professional status."

“As the most successful part-time club ever, we are always striving for success both on and off the pitch. We have bold and ambitious plans to grow and shoot for success – Alty leads the way, you win the day!"

“In Phil Parkinson and Neil Sorvel, we already have great leadership on the pitch. However, what we’re asking our players to achieve on a part-time basis is becoming more and more challenging. With access to a high-level training facility from next season, we feel that now is the time for full-time and this is a massive step in the right direction, not just for the Club but also for our community as a whole."

Lawrence Looney, Co-Chairman of Altrincham Football Club added: “Off the pitch, we are strengthening our operations through the appointment of a Chief Executive Officer to ensure we have the right infrastructure and leadership in place now, to enable our future growth. We’ve done an incredible job over the past few seasons and things will continue to be challenging as we strive for success. We’ve brought in new investments and developed relationships with businesses across our community to ensure we were in the best possible position financially to make the decision to go full-time, at the right time."

“Thanks to the continued loyalty and dedication of our fans, players, sponsors and incredible team of volunteers, we remain a robust and financially stable Club. Our destiny is in our own hands, and we owe it to our fans to take it to the next level if we are to push boundaries and reach our ambition of being promoted to the English Football League. We look forward to welcoming supporters from near and far as we continue to grow.”

“The move to a full-time model means that some players will be unable to make the transition due to other commitments and as a result, our playing squad will evolve. The management team has a plan in place to strengthen the squad ahead of the new season and the Club looks forward to keeping supporters updated as this process continues.”

About Altrincham Football Club
Founded in 1891 and nicknamed "the Robins", they are currently members of the Vanarama National League, the fifth tier of English football, and play at the J Davidson Stadium, Moss Lane, Altrincham. The first-team manager is Phil Parkinson, who joined the club from Nantwich Town with his assistant Neil Sorvel in May 2017.

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