Gladiators chairman to step down

Jay Beaumont is to step down from his role as Matlock Town chairman at the end of the season.

Mr Beaumont chaired the Gladiators' Annual General Meeting on Monday night and at the end of proceedings, he informed the audience of his intentions in an emotional speech.

Increased work commitments and the need to spend more time with his family are the reasons behind his decision, but he still intends to maintain his involvement with the club.

He said: “Unfortunately changes in my work commitments mean that I can no longer commit the time that this role both demands and deserves on a day to day basis. It was an incredibly tough decision to make but one that I think is right at this moment in time.

"I informed the club’s Executive of my decision back in December, I will step down at the end of the season.”

Jay took over the chairman’s role from Bryn Apperley back in April 2022 and he says he is proud to have been given the opportunity to lead the Gladiators and what has been achieved in this period.

He said: "It has been an incredible honour and privilege to serve as chairman of this great club for the past two seasons and I’m hugely proud of what we’ve all achieved during this time.

"As I mentioned at the AGM, we have driven growth in turnover of 46.4% in year one followed by a further growth in year two which has seen the club sustainable once again. This provides a great platform for future progress.

"I will remain as a director of the club for the longer term, maintaining and developing partnerships which can enable us to continue our growth journey.

"I’d like to thank everyone who has given support during my time as chair and look forward to handing over and supporting the incoming chair in due course.”