Double appointment boosts Blues board

Evo-Stik Northern Premier League Frickley Athletic have welcomed two new directors on board at Westfield Lane.

The Blues announced the appointment of Allan Howcroft and Mark Ainge at Westfield Lane on Tuesday. Both have followed the club for a number of years and say they are “honoured” to join the club's board of directors and hope their commercial backgrounds ben.

Howcroft, born and raised in South Elmsall, followed Sheffield Wednesday and Frickley as a child and went into engineering after leaving school.

In 1999 he set up his own bearing and transmission company, Howcroft Industrial Supplies, which is based near Rotherham and has a multi-million pound turnover. Howcroft’s company also owns local printing and embroidery business JJ Leisure.

Howcroft said: "It’s a privilege and an honour to become a Director at Frickley Athletic. I have known the Chairman Gareth Dando since school and feel that with his leadership and the knowledge and passion of the other directors, coupled with the redevelopment, the club is on the up.”

"I was originally asked to set up a Junior Academy and am pleased that the club believed in my idea that an Academy is the future of the club which will help raise the standard of junior football in the area and should produce local talent good enough to play at least semi-professional football.

"With having a major role to play in the Frickley Academy I felt it was right to invest in the club as a whole to help see the club progress in the right way."

Ainge has also followed the club from a young age in the 1970s. He had a spell away due to work commitments but still followed Frickley's fortunes before returning to the area nearly a decade ago to join the club’s working committee. More recently, he was heavily involved with reforming the Frickley Athletic Supporters Club.

Ainge, who works in Sheffield as the UK supply chain manager for a US owned multinational company, said: "Being a lifelong fan of the club I am looking to couple my passion for the club with the many years business management experience I have gained and to further develop relations with numerous commercial contacts that I have previously introduced to Frickley."

Frickley Athletic’s Chairman Gareth Dando welcomed the appointment of the club's two new directors.

He said: "I’m delighted that Allan and Mark have decided to come on board. Allan is exactly the sort of person the club needs, having a proven track record of success in business and local football and Mark brings his passion, ideas and business experience. I’m sure both will be excellent additions to the team."