Chairman reveals Yeltz vision
Chairman Nigel Pitt has revealed his vision for the future of the Yeltz - starting with his departure next summer.
Chairman Nigel Pitt has revealed his vision for the future of the Yeltz - starting with his departure next summer.
Pitt wants to see the Yeltz in the Blue Square North and in a new purpose-built community stadium.
But if his dream becomes reality it will happen under a new board of directors after he announced plans to quit the club at the end of the season after 15 years.
"I think it is the right time but who really knows," said the Halesowen businessman, who plans to spend more time with his wife at their Cyprus holiday home.
"I might find that when I start spending more time out there I don't like it as much as I think I will
"But until you try you never know, and at the moment it feels like the right time," he added.
Pitt plans to leave The Grove at the end of this season, which is his 15th campaign involved with the club either as commercial manager or chairman.
His fellow directors, Mark Serrell and Roger Lucas, will also depart but the trio all already have a firm idea about the kind of person to whom they would like to hand over the reigns.
The current directors want to see the club relocate to a new community stadium, but any such move would require the agreement of The Grove Trust.
The land on which the ground sits was left in trust by a former owner of the nearby Grove's button factory, to be used only for sports and recreation, but a new ground would need funding from the sale of the club's current home.
Pitt said: "I meet regularly with the council and the nearby residents and with the trust and we will continue to hold those meetings.
"Hopefully we can come to some agreement and get everybody moving in the same direction.
"I think a lot of clubs have shown that the way forward now is to have a new stadium, not just for football, but getting other sports involved and having facilities available for the public.
"At the moment we have a good infrastructure in place but there are restrictions from the current ground.
"One of the biggest problems is parking and I know that causes a lot of problems for the residents.
"We know from experience there are a lot of places football clubs can go to get funding, with grants from councils and the Football Foundation."
Pitt's dream, however, is one that will need to be seen through by someone else.
He is determined to call time on his period at the helm next summer, and he will leave a proud man at his achievements.
He said: "I'm pleased with how things have gone.
"I would have liked to have got the club up to Conference North level, but I still think we can be proud of what we have done in the last few years."
