An Action Plan for Hallam FC: The Why, What, Who, When and How

This plan sets out why change is needed at Hallam FC, what that change looks like, who is willing to help lead it, and when members can vote on it.

We love this club. That’s exactly why we can’t stay quiet about what’s happening to it.

Why Change is Needed

Taken together, the picture is one of a club drifting without a plan:

The manager, coaching staff, and most of the squad left at the end of the 25/26 season
Players took pay cuts last season amid ongoing financial difficulties and the wages budget has been reduced this season
Committee members and volunteers are stepping away
The club has lost £130k over five years. Figures were presented only in minimal form at the 2025 AGM, with no real opportunity for scrutiny
The club constitution is out of date and doesn’t comply with FA model rules, leaving the club being governed in breach of it
The Gino Maccio takeover saga was handled poorly and should never have got as far as it did
Legitimate questions about finances and decision-making have gone unanswered
There’s no clear vision or strategy for where the club goes next
Supporters haven’t been properly engaged on the issues that affect them most

None of this is about pointing fingers. It’s about being honest that the current path isn’t working, and that the longer we wait, the harder it gets to fix.

What Change Looks Like

Four principles should sit at the heart of how Hallam FC is run:

Shared ownership — the club belongs to its fans and its community. That should show up in how decisions are made, not just in the words on the website.

Collaborative leadership — decisions made collectively at Committee level, with real structures for fans and volunteers to have a say.

Partnership working — actively building relationships with the community, local businesses, academic institutions and partners like Sheffield Home of Football, and treating challenge and feedback as something to welcome, not deflect.

Sound management — a clear vision for the club, on and off the pitch, backed by a proper strategy and delivery plan. Good governance in practice, not just on paper: the club following its own rules and constitution, with real transparency and accountability.

The Actions We’re Proposing

Complete the move to a Community Benefit Society as soon as it can correctly be done. This is the top priority — the clearest, most durable way to protect the club for the fans and the community.
Rewrite the constitution so it complies with FA model rules, and put in place the policies the club needs — including a Committee membership and conduct policy.
Refresh the Committee through an active recruitment drive for new members, removing any barriers (such as the lack of liability protection while the club remains an unincorporated association) that put people off standing.
Set up fan and volunteer forums immediately, giving supporters and volunteers a real say in decisions, running at least until the CBS is in place.
Urgently review the 26/27 budget to deliver a balanced budget — maximising sponsorship, marketing and promotional income, and cutting costs where it makes sense to do so.
Report back regularly: updating members, fans and the community on progress against points 1–5, plus a quarterly open Q&A forum.

The goal is simple: a club that is run in a more professional, engaged and open way — and one that supporters and volunteers can trust with their money and their time.

Who Will Lead the Change

Delivering this requires new leadership willing to commit to it.

At the 2026 AGM, members will have the chance to elect officers and a Committee signed up to making these changes happen as quickly as possible.

The following have indicated they’re willing to stand: Andy (Ted) Emsley, Mike Jolly, Andy Taylor, Connor Glover, Paul Michalowski, Graham Jones, Wayne Thompson and Steve Walmsley. The nominations have been submitted to the Club Secretary.

This list isn’t fixed, and it doesn’t yet reflect the full breadth and diversity of the Hallam fanbase. All offers to get involved are genuinely welcome — the more people putting themselves forward, the stronger the mandate for change. Any vacancies after the AGM can be filled by the Committee or via an EGM.

When the CBS is established the CBS members will vote on who they want to lead the club. Those wiling to stand now recognise that CBS members may want to change the club leadership.

Everyone named above is a supporter of this club — familiar faces from the committee, the touchline, or the terraces at Sandygate, home and away. We are putting ourselves forward because we want the best for Hallam FC.

When and How

Members will vote on this plan at the 2026 AGM on 14^th October at 7pm. If approved, implementation begins immediately.

This is bigger than any one person or committee. It’s about every supporter, volunteer and member who cares about this club having a genuine say in its future.

If you’ve got an opinion, an idea, or a concern — about this plan or about Hallam FC more widely — now is the time to raise it.

Come to the AGM. Ask the questions. Put yourself forward if you want to play a part.

Nobody has all the answers, and we don’t claim to either — but a club run in the open, shaped by the people who turn up for it week in, week out, will always beat one run behind closed doors.

Hallam FC belongs to its supporters. This is your chance to say what kind of club you want it to be.

Further Information

If you would like further information or want us to keep in contact with you regarding the Hallam FC AGM please email hallamblog1860@gmail.com to let us know

If you are interested in standing for election to one of the officer or committee positions and would like to discuss this, please do contact us on hallamblog1860@gmail.com