An update from CEO Liam Dooley

Chief executive Liam Dooley is committed to regularly communicating with our supporters.

In his latest update, he covers a range of off-the-field topics, reflects on the challenges of last season, and looks forward to the campaign ahead.

Dear supporters,

After a challenging season on the pitch, I wanted to speak to you as openly and as honestly as I can at the end of one campaign and looking forward to the next.

The disappointment of relegation from League One was felt by every single person connected to Shrewsbury Town - fans, players, staff, the board, and everyone who holds this club close to their heart. That pain is real, and it won’t be ignored.

Yet the heart of my message is this and will always remain the same: Shrewsbury Town is far more than 90 minutes on a Saturday. We remain unwavering in our strategy to be a football club for our community, for our town, and for everyone who wears blue and amber with pride.

Our objectives extend well beyond the first team’s fixture list, and that’s a commitment we make - no matter the division.

Before diving into our off‑pitch progress, let’s acknowledge some real positives from the season.

Our under-17s lifted the Professional Development League Cup, a wonderful testament to the strength of our academy.

Our women’s team triumphed in the League Cup - a fantastic achievement and reward for their hard work and dedication.

And finally, our STFC Foundation Elite Development Centre’s Under-16 girls' team were crowned National Champions, demonstrating the quality coming through our youth pathways in the women’s game.

These successes reaffirm that our foundations are strong, and that the future of the club is bright.

Away from on the pitch, the Shrewsbury Town Foundation continues to be a shining example of what it means to be a club rooted in its community.

From expanding its health and wellbeing programmes, increasing education outreach in local schools, to delivering impactful social inclusion and disability sport initiatives, the foundation’s reach has grown immensely.

The continued success of initiatives such as ‘Kicks’, mental health workshops, and the inclusive holiday provision has not only enriched the lives of many individuals but also reinforced our belief in football as a powerful tool for social good.

Summer developments & club communication

In terms of improvements to our infrastructure, I am pleased to inform you that improvement works are either completed or underway in many different areas.

Over the summer, we will be installing handrails in designated areas, to improve supporter experience, safety and accessibility. Thank you to all of you who are members of the Super Blues for making this possible.

Upgrades to both the training ground and the Croud Meadow pitches are progressing well, ensuring our teams hit the ground running when they return.

The Memorial Garden has also received a sensitive makeover - it now stands as a fitting tribute to those we honour, thanks to dedicated efforts from staff and supporters alike.

Smithy’s Bar has benefited from a refurbishment, with the support of Churchill’s Builders, allowing us to complete phase one of the refurbishment ahead of schedule.

Hopefully, some of you may already have seen the results in the final stage of the season.

In the coming weeks, we’ll move into phase two and continue enhancing your matchday experience and the facility for our academy scholars and our foundation participants that use the space throughout the week.

Following our recent Fan Engagement online call, lots of you will be aware that work is ongoing behind the scenes to improve the FanZone, including plans for a roof and enhanced facilities.

These changes aim to elevate the matchday atmosphere, increase dwell time, create new revenue streams, and, most importantly, improve the fan experience.

We’ll continue to involve you in shaping these plans, just as you helped inspire the impressive changes that have happened already.

Our thank you to the Official Supporters Club for their donation of £10,000 towards this. Plans for further supporter fundraising are underway.

Before the start of the season, we’ll also refurbish the Arthur Rowley Suite, following on from the Sovereign Suite upgrade last year - another demonstration of our commitment to hospitality and fan comfort.

And on that note to our Sovereign Members, please save the date for the Open Forum on June 24 - we encourage you to register and come along for what will be an open and transparent chat.

A full Supporters’ Parliament meeting will also be held ahead of the season to continue discussions on all off-field areas of the club. This will take place on July 14. Further details of which will be announced in the coming weeks.

We always try to involve and listen to our fans in key decisions that affect them. In the past 18 months this has included ticket prices, kit designs, supporter buses, open days and FanZone developments.

To that end I’m delighted to confirm, following wide-ranging conversations with supporter groups - including the online fan engagement panel and our Youth Voice group - we will continue to produce both a hard copy and launch our first ever digital matchday programme this season.

This hybrid solution addresses your feedback but offers better commerciality and partners with better-tracked digital data. It also preserves the tradition of the printed programme.

Next Season

Looking forward to next season, I’m thrilled to share that we are on track to match last season's total of over 3,000 season ticket holders.

This consistency in support, despite the setbacks, is testament to your loyalty and belief – and I want to say a massive thank you.

On to our new kits, I’m excited to share the home shirt will go on sale next week featuring our new front of shirt sponsor, Shropshire Homes, who I am delighted to say will now sponsor the home shirt – adding to their long-term support of our away and third strips.

This deal continues their long affinity with the club. And we are very grateful for their continued support.

Our away kit was designed by a young supporter, with over 30 local schools involved in the process.  The winner will be announced when the kit is launched in July.

In conjunction with our retail partners Elite Pro Sports, we've worked hard to ensure fans, especially our younger ones, can, once again, get their hands on shirts early.

Some dates for the diary, our ever-popular Open Day will take place on Sunday, July 20 - a fantastic opportunity to celebrate our club, meet players and staff, and witness the improvements at your own pace.

You can also enjoy a player's breakfast where you can meet our new recruits for the first time. And there will be Q&A with our head coach and director of football.

Our home friendlies begin on July 22, when we host Bolton Wanderers, followed by Burnley on July 26.

These games will offer a first glimpse at how the improvements - the scoreboard, the programme, the FanZone have come together. I hope to see as many of you there as possible.

In addition, we continue to be engaged with interested parties regarding potential acquisitions and investments in the football club.

We’re working closely with third‑party specialists – who are experienced in this area - to ensure any process is handled with professionalism – with the benefit of Shrewsbury Town front and centre.

From a financial standpoint, our accounting year ends on June 30. We expect to report continued improvements in our financial performance when the figures are published later this year. That optimism is rooted in solid operational and commercial discipline across the club.

Looking Ahead

Finally, let me extend my deep gratitude for your support during a season that tested us all. On behalf of the board and everyone involved - from the academy to the senior squad - I thank you for standing by Shrewsbury Town.

We now look forward with determination. We wish Michael Appleton, Micky Moore, and their team every success in the transfer window; their work now sets the stage for our resurgence.

Thank you for staying with us. And most of all, thank you for continuing to make Shrewsbury Town more than just a club.

Enjoy the summer, and we’ll see you in July. 
 
Liam Dooley 
Chief Executive Officer 
Shrewsbury Town Football Club