This from Hereford FC:
Hereford FC is pleased to announce that a deal has been agreed that will see James Smith – from the Stagecoach public house in Hereford – assist the club with the running of the bars and functions rooms at Edgar Street.
The deal will see Hereford FC work in partnership with James and means that the more trade that is generated by Radford’s, Addison’s and the Executive Club/Starlite Room, the more both parties will benefit.
While James will take responsibility for staffing and running the bars, the club will work with him on marketing the venues to ensure they are used as much as possible and become an important source of income for the future.
Speaking about this agreement – which will be finalised once contractual legalities are completed, Hereford FC Chairman, Jon Hale, said:
‘The bars have been a source of much debate for the Board of Directors, but we now believe we have agreed a deal which is a good one for the club.
‘We have reached this position as we have been unsuccessful in our search for the applicant we believe is the right one to run the bars here at Edgar Street, despite interviewing a number of people.
‘Therefore, we have agreed a deal with James Smith that will see the club benefit from every sale that happens in any of the bars, while also having a professional partner to work with who can help us get the bars up and running and ensure everything is then being run in a professional manner.
‘From the club’s point of view, working in partnership with James controls financial risk for us in the first two years as we look to build the club on solid foundations, while also bringing on board James’ expertise to help make this club a success.’
Giving his thoughts on the partnership he has agreed with Hereford FC, James Smith commented:
‘I’m delighted to have agreed this partnership and I am especially pleased that the deal we have struck means that the club will benefit from every sale made in the bars and every function booked.
‘This is a really exciting project to become part of and I’m looking forward to seeing how the club develops.
‘We are aiming to open Addison’s to the public for the first time the night before the FC United of Manchester game and we will then look at our regular opening hours once we have a full premises licence in place.
‘However, we are already taking booking for Radford’s and the Starlite Room, so anyone interested in hiring either of these venues is welcome to call me on 07967 709 017.
‘Moving forward, we will be setting up a specific booking hotline number with the club and we will advertise this number as soon as it is in use.’