Matlock Town confirm appointment of new chairman

We are delighted to confirm that Martin Harrison is the new chairman of Matlock Town FC.

Martin has been acting chairman since Jay Beaumont stepped down back in April, but has now been confirmed as continuing in the role on a permanent basis.

And having been around the club for the last few years, Martin says he's looking forward to continuing the fine work put in by those before him.

He said: "I've spent the last five years supporting Matlock Town, getting involved as a volunteer right from the start.

"My role initially involved looking at developing the options for the ground, increasing capacity and revenues, one result of which involved getting the first meetings with the Derby County CEO and the great relationship that has expanded to their U21s playing at Causeway Lane and the new Academy."

As for his history in football and business, there has often been a crossover of the two.

He added: "I was forced into supporting Manchester United by my grandfather, taking the bus to watch games at Old Trafford with him from an early age.

"That went well until aged seven I decided to walk the three miles home as we’d become separated. I dodged the various police that got called out too, so did wonder why they had their cars outside the house when I returned home.

"On the more recent history, I've been involved with various football clubs over the last 15 years, mainly in the Premier League, engaging first with Liverpool and then Arsenal. From that work, I've dealt with the commercial and digital teams across most of the top six clubs, as well as with Celtic in Scotland, where you saw the differences in TV and sponsorship revenues, but not the size of the fan base.

"Today, I’m a business owner in the digital and technology space, but I've also engaged in fundraising, which may well be a route we look to explore over this season.

"I'll look to use all of these experiences as Matlock's chairman, ensuring the club has a clear focus on our purpose to build a successful team, capable of winning us promotion."

Martin added that the role so far hasn't been without its challenges, but that he feels things are now moving in the right direction as the new season nears.

He said: "The first challenge while discussing my potential role as chairman with the executive was selecting a new manager. From that process, I first have to express my thanks to Adam Yates and Mark Atkins for their great work toward the end of last season and it really was a tough decision.

"However, the experience and success that Nicky Law could reference, along with his contacts across the football world, just made the difference.

"As we entered the off-season, the key for the club was building a new team that would compete and for Nicky that meant building from back, creating a midfield and being ready for the season.

"We still have many discussions ongoing for new players, but the Chesterfield game was a great start and I've seen a great spirit as the team has been building. You can expect more additions into the team too, but as ever, we are looking to invest wisely, with some interesting players now becoming available.

"My target for the club this year is all about building solid foundations and creating a team that can deliver a promotion for Matlock in the next couple of years.

"I’ll continue to recognise the volunteers that do so much to make the club work and am looking forward to get to know many more the supporters over the coming season."

Another addition the board is Kristen Duffy, who has been made a club director having initially joined the management committee last year.

Kristen, who is also now the chair of Matlock Town Ladies, said: "I've thoroughly enjoyed being involved at Matlock and look forward to helping make the key decisions to help drive us forward further on the pitch as well as in the community."