Words by John Edwards

Picture by Jonathan Moore

The Business Club launched by Altrincham two years ago has proved an outstanding success story, a mirror image of the football club's own fortunes on and off the pitch over the same period, in fact.

So who better to address a growing membership at their next meeting than a man whose recent arrival at The J.Davidson Stadium represented a significant landmark in the club's ongoing drive for Football League status?

John Williams created history a month ago when he left FC Halifax Town to become Alty's first-ever Chief Executive Officer, a bold statement of intent by the club that underlined their commitment to continued growth and one that brought John back across the Pennines to his South Manchester roots.

He made it clear from the outset that he welcomed the challenge of matching the board's ambitions, and he hit the ground running by working his way through a series of meetings and discussions with staff and volunteers, all conducted with the same aim of exploring ways of keeping the club moving forward and accelerating the rate of improvement.

There have been exciting developments aplenty at The J.Davidson Stadium in recent times, and John's appointment is right up there with the most forward-thinking, as the club continue redoubling their efforts to function as efficiently and effectively as possible and, in turn, enable manager Phil Parkinson to put the best team he can out on the pitch.

It's all happening at Alty, and Business Club members can look forward to what promises to be a fascinating insight into John's key contribution when he fills the role of guest speaker at the next meeting on Friday September 1st.

Breakfast will be served, in the Mornflake Sponsors' Lounge, from 8.30am before John takes centre stage from 9.00 until 10.00 to outline his hopes and aspirations for Alty and provide an insight into his experiences at Vodafone, where he managed their sponsorship of Manchester United, Huddersfield Town during their Premier League days and FC Halifax Town, where he was a key member of their leadership team.

It's exactly two years since the Business Club was launched with an appearance by FIFA referee and Alty fan Anthony Taylor, and guest speakers of the highest quality have been one of the main attractions at the monthly meetings ever since.

That theme will continue with an address by Alty's first-ever CEO on Friday, September 1st, but there are so many other benefits that make membership of the Business Club so appealing and such good value. There is Standard membership and Standard+, and details of both can be found by clicking on the following link:

https://altrinchamfc.com/products/alty-fc-business-club

As Phil Parkinson said, after Alty maintained their unbeaten start to the season at York City on Tuesday evening, there has never been a better time in the modern era to be a Robins fan.

Equally, there's never been a better time to be an AFC Business Club member, so join up now and come along for an hour of John Williams, followed by an opportunity to chat with him after 10.00 and network with fellow-members from the local business community.