Who are the Steering Group and  what do any of you know about setting up and running a football club?

The Steering Group consists of a range of Boro fans, each with different knowledge, skills and experience that they bring to the table. Including those with experience of running their own businesses, volunteering and having roles at the Boro and other football clubs in the past. The Steering Group was formed following the Co-Op’s open meeting on 29th January and a number of subgroups were created to focus on particular areas, such as finance, fundraising, football, media with their own tasks and remit.

We are and will be learning as we go, and are open to working with others who can support the running of the club.

Why are people who were involved in running Boro Leisure still involved?

There are no people who had any power beyond being in advisory positions or holding small shareholdings without enough share-power to make enough meaningful and positive change.

Is this really going to be a Co-Op/fans run club?

Everyone involved in setting up the new club is a Boro fan. The new club will have elected fan representatives on the board through the Supporters Co-Operative alongside business representatives.

An interim board has been established so that the club can meet FA deadlines and get the club up and running. Also the Supporters Co-Operative need to hold some meetings, go through some voting processes to connect it to the new club and select fan representative positions to join the board so that this is a democratic process.

Are the existing JFC, Ladies and Academy joining with you?

We have had some initial discussions with the junior and ladies set up and working on building our relationship with them. They are very well run and we have to build trust to see where we can work together. The kit is the first step in this process.

We will also be arranging to meet with CP academy as soon as possible.

When will we know what step and what league we will be in?

We will not know this until the end of the current season has been completed and until League AGMs have been held in June 2024.

The FA and League are the only organisations who can determine the step we will start at next season.

How soon can we get back to playing in Nuneaton?

We know that this is essential and a top priority. However, there is no getting away from it, it is going to be a big undertaking. It will involve working with other institutions and partners in the town, and we have had exploratory discussions about this. 

There is not already a plan in place and this is something that needs to be progressed further. There are a number of funding mechanisms that we need to explore.  We are only 6 weeks (from 29.01.24) into this and need to take time to work on proper well thought-out plans. It is not possible to have all of the answers or plans in place at this stage.

Why did you choose to play in Bedworth?

We have developed a good working relationship with Bedworth and the arrangement means that we have the chance to enter the football pyramid at the highest level possible. It is closer to Nuneaton, more easily accessible than other potential options that are outside of the town. 

Who are going to be your community partners and how are you going to benefit the local community?

We are still in the process of setting up the club and need to show the people of Nuneaton and potential community partners that we are running things properly. We want the whole of the town to buy into the club, but firstly our community is the community of Boro fans, players and those connected to the club. 

The community word has been used for years by previous owners, it’s just a nice soundbite – what’s going to be different this time?

The establishment of the Community Interest Company limited by guarantee and meaningful fan involvement at board level demonstrates that this is more than a nice soundbite.