Crawley Town are 'making the most of opportunity' on and off the field with international break, says CEO
Crawley Town CEO Tom Allman says the club are making the most on the longer international break, both on and off the field.
Reds will go two full weeks without a game due to their scheduled League Two matches with Barnet and Walsall being postponed because of international call-ups.
Their next match is Tuesday, October 6 in the Jersey Mike’s Trophy when they host Bromley at the Broadfield Stadium.
With Colin Kazim-Richards’ side bottom of the table and the squad nursing a few injuries, the break could not have come at a better time, but Allman said, as well as the benefits to the team, it has allowed him and his staff to do things off the pitch.
On the longer break, the Reds chief said: “By the time we are back in action at Chesterfield it’s hoped that we should be close to a clean bill of health in the squad.
"We are missing some key players at the moment that whilst isn’t an excuse, would impact any team having arguably three of four starters not available for selection. I think breaks like this are now part and parcel of modern football and whilst I see arguments from both sides, I think the reality is that these are the cards we have been dealt so need to adapt.
"I’m sure that if we didn't have this break of fixtures we would be bemoaning our luck at not getting the opportunities that come with postponed games, so its all about making the most of the time, which we will be doing on the training ground and with behind closed door games.”
And without the hindrance of games, it has allowed Allman and his team to work on the ground. "From an off field perspective this break allows us to commit to some of the bigger off field projects that would otherwise have to wait until the off season,” he said: “We have plans to upgrade the floodlighting of which will now take place in these coming weeks, as well as a few other remedial jobs that will mean the scaffold towers can stay up and the cherry pickers remain on site than having to juggle things around games! Similar to the on field, its about making the most of the opportunity.”
Allman said fans should see a difference with the floodlights. He said: “We have plans to upgrade the floodlights across the coming weeks, this should have a noticeable difference on a match-days in terms of LUX levels, whilst also being more eco friendly than our current set up.
"We are in the final stages of upgrading our hospitality area with a planned re-launch for the Chesterfield game and remain in contact with the Premier League regarding the utilisation of their stadium fund and exploring opportunities that will come as a result of those discussions.”