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As Port Talbot Town progress on the field, the club has also made progress off the field also with the appointment of a full time commercial manager in Tony Bowen. Tony is the brother of Mark Bowen, the current assistant manager of Blackburn Rovers, while his son Oliver plays for the Port Talbot Town Under-14 Academy side. We caught up with Tony for a quick chat on the club’s commercial developments and we thank him for taking time out of his extremely busy schedule to allow us this interview.
Q: How did pre-season go from a Commercial aspect?
A: Well it went very well, we had a very successful Sponsors Dinner which raised the most money yet since we introduced the event 3 years ago. This was followed by our annual golf day, which again was a success, and not only because I won 'nearest the pin' on the seventeenth! In addition all last seasons advertising boards have been replaced and we now have over 40 new boards on the ground, which also means we have more than doubled the income from boards compared to last season.
Q: So what is happening now with commercial activities?
A: Obviously the work is on-going, we decided to try and expanded the 50-50 draw this season by guaranteeing a bigger prize, which has now risen to £200 per game. This can only be achieved by selling 50-50 tickets before match-day.Which is starting to grow nicely now as more of the teams in the club come on-board, which includes the 1st team. The 200 club has been dropped but people can still pay their £20 and get a ticket automatically entered in the draw for every game, so they don't miss out! The aim is to make the 50-50 our mini lottery, so I would not rule out a name change in the future.
Q: Is your role just about raising funds for 1st Team?
A: No, it is the main part, but I am also trying to help the Academy raise funds from the Welsh Sports Council , Sportsmatch project. I will also help Carolyne Ley, who is the Academy Business Development Manger, when ever she needs help from me. We are trying to bring all teams together as much as we can so that we can show to potential sponsors that we are 'ONE' club, which I think is important.
Q: Commercial activities seem to be progressing , are there any other issues you would like to highlight?
A: Now that is a good question, we will always welcome more help on match days. We have our committee members and other volunteers who help out, but if anybody else has some spare time and would like to get involved please see myself or Andrew Edwards. We would only be to pleased to have your help!
Q: What next?
A: Short question , but it could well be a long answer! There is plenty to do, but I think we have made a good start. The main aim is obviously to attract more companies within the town to sponsor us, and to attract more people to watch the first team. I have only been doing this role for about 6 months and it did not start too well as the first event took place on the same day we played Lido in the cup! Things have got better since then!
Cheers Tony, keep up the good work!
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