An update from Chairman, Jamie Vermiglio, ahead of the 2026/27 season!

AS we head into the 2026/27 season, I wanted to take a little time to reflect on what has been an incredibly busy summer at Chorley FC and look ahead to another National League North campaign.

It seems like only yesterday that last season finished, but an enormous amount of work has taken place across every area of the club since then.

Looking Ahead to the New Season

As always, our ambition is to be competitive and to give ourselves every opportunity of challenging towards the top end of the table. We are under no illusions about just how difficult that will be.

National League North seems to become stronger every year. There are more full-time and hybrid clubs, increasing levels of investment and a number of teams with significant ambitions of gaining promotion.

We also welcome some strong clubs into the division this season. Morecambe are an obvious example following their relegation, while Hednesford arrive with ambitions and backing that have already been well documented.

There will undoubtedly be clubs starting the season with bigger budgets and greater resources than ourselves, but that is nothing new for Chorley FC. We have built our reputation over many years by working hard, being organised, sticking together and continually finding ways of competing against the odds.

Our ambition remains to challenge for those play-off places. It won't be easy, but nobody at this club is frightened of hard work and we will continue to roll our sleeves up and give everything we possibly can.

Recruitment and the First Team

Behind the scenes, this has been one of our busiest summers for some time.

Andy Preece, Chris Anderson and the management team have worked tirelessly to rebuild and strengthen the squad following a number of departures, loan players returning to their parent clubs and, of course, the loss of Matty Urwin after his outstanding service to Chorley FC.

Recruitment at this level is never as simple as it might sometimes appear from the outside. There can be months of conversations, scouting, negotiations and discussions before a player eventually signs – and many of those conversations never ultimately result in a deal.

We also remain committed to operating responsibly and within a budget that protects the long-term future of Chorley Football Club.

One of our key priorities this summer was strengthening the goalkeeping department and we were delighted to bring Lia-Bau Stowell to the club on loan from Preston North End. Lia-Bau is a goalkeeper with a very bright future and we are extremely grateful to everyone at Preston North End who helped make the move possible.

Alongside Lia-Bau, we have welcomed Max Hunt, Lewis Salmon, Billy Whitehouse, Jack Hazlehurst, Sam Fielding, Callum Rowe, Elliot Taylor and Steven Bala, as well as welcoming Anj Popoola back into the Magpies family.

We still have a small number of players with injuries but It has also been great to see the return of some players including George Horbury, who continues to work his way back towards full fitness.

I would also like to say a huge thank you to Drenchy, who moves on after being a stalwart of our coaching team over the last few years.

He has made a significant contribution to Chorley FC and it was fantastic to see him reach the milestone of his 500th competitive game in football during his time with us.

We wish him every success for the future.

Our Young Magpies

One area of the club that continues to develop enormously is our youth structure.

Gary Donoghue continues to lead the programme and we are now approaching 200 young players representing Chorley FC across 14 teams, from Under-10s through to Under-18s, alongside our Women’s Team. We have also recently welcomed a new Girls’ Under-10 team into the Magpies family, something we are delighted about.

This is in addition to the students who have enrolled onto our BTEC programme. The club remains a two-star FA Accredited football club and we are increasingly seeing genuine pathways developing from our younger age groups into the senior environment.

One of the most encouraging aspects of pre-season has been seeing a number of young players train and play alongside the first-team squad.

Players including Fin Denning, Jake Dennett, Jayden Kay, Joseph Redmayne and Jacob Cummins have been involved, joining the likes of Noel Brindle and Kier Barry, who have already begun establishing themselves around the first-team group.

Jacob Cummins was certainly one of the standout performers during pre-season, scoring five goals, including a brilliant overhead kick against Manchester City.

Of course, young players develop at different rates and there will be opportunities through loans, BTEC football, our age-group teams and, hopefully, the first team.

The quality of young players coming through our system continues to improve and enormous credit must go to our lead coaches, the BTEC programme, our volunteers and everyone involved in our youth teams.

Victory Park

There has also been the usual close-season work taking place around Victory Park.

I would particularly like to thank Stuart and the team of volunteers who have spent countless hours giving the ground a summer clean-up and plenty of fresh paint.

The referee's room, corridors and rooms beneath the stand have all received attention and there has been work across many other areas of the stadium – lots of it out of sight.

These are sometimes the jobs supporters don't immediately see, but they make an enormous difference.

Our pitch has also undergone renovation work through NW Pitch Maintenance and the groundcare team. Around 80 tonnes of sand top dressing has been applied to help improve drainage, alongside overseeding, goalmouth levelling, verti-draining, scarifying, fertilising and continued regular maintenance.

A football ground the age of Victory Park will always need plenty of looking after and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who gives up their time to help.

Our Community Foundation

Another area of which we should be incredibly proud is the continued development of Chorley FC Community Foundation.

The Foundation continues to make a genuine difference throughout Chorley, supporting thousands of children, young people and adults through sport, education, wellbeing and social activities. Its work reaches far beyond simply football coaching.

School programmes, holiday clubs, junior football, veterans' sessions, walking football, social inclusion projects, activities for older people, mental health initiatives, disability sport, community events and matchday experiences are all part of what the Foundation delivers.

During the last year alone, more than 3,500 young people and almost 200 adults engaged with Foundation programmes.

That is a significant impact and demonstrates why we increasingly see Victory Park not simply as somewhere football is played every other Saturday, but as a community facility that can make a difference seven days a week.

The Foundation has also been visible throughout the summer, supporting events including our World Record attempt, Chorley Flower Show and Buckshaw Festival.

The culmination of the podcasting project has also been something we can be incredibly proud of, preserving the stories, history and characters of this football club for future generations. Look out for the QR codes to scan when you visit Victory Park!

The Foundation is currently recruiting teams from schools and local grassroots clubs to take part in the Chorley FC Matchday Experience, so if your school or team would be interested, please make contact.

Looking ahead, one area we are particularly excited about is the introduction of a Youth Media Team, creating even more opportunities for young people to become involved with Chorley FC.

The Magpies Trust

The Magpies Trust continues to be an important part of our football club and provides a valuable link between Chorley FC and our supporters.

We are extremely grateful for the support the Trust has provided over the summer and for the time and commitment given by those involved. There are a number of projects continuing to move forward and I know there is a real desire within the Trust to keep developing the ways in which supporters can become involved with the club.

All Magpies Trust members are warmly invited to attend the monthly meetings, held on the first Thursday of each month from 7pm–8pm at Chorley FC. They are a great opportunity to stay up to date with Trust business, have your say on key decisions, suggest ideas for discussion and vote for the Fans’ Player of the Month.

The most recent meeting was held yesterday evening, but if you would like to become more actively involved, please visit the Trust HQ at Victory Park and find out more.

You may also have seen the launch of the Fan Wall project, which we expect to gather even more momentum now the season is getting underway. It is another excellent initiative which gives supporters the opportunity to leave their own lasting mark on Victory Park.

I would encourage supporters who want to play a more active role in their football club to get involved with the Trust and support the work they are doing.

A Summer to Remember

One of the proudest moments of the summer undoubtedly came on 19 July.

More than 220 participants came together at Victory Park as Chorley Football Club attempted to create a new Guinness World Record. The result was an incredible 5,956 successful sock kicks into washing machines – and Chorley FC officially became Guinness World Record holders.

But the day was about far more than setting a record.

It celebrated inclusion, raised awareness of Down syndrome and brought together players, supporters, volunteers, children, families, community organisations and businesses.

Most importantly, more than £5,000 was raised for High Five Lancashire.

It was one of those occasions that demonstrated exactly what a football club can achieve when its community comes together. From a fun half time challenge to a World Record!

Thank you again to every single person who played a part.

Mighty Magpie Beer Festival

It was fantastic to see the Mighty Magpie Beer Festival return to Victory Park this summer after a short break since the last one! Across four days, the festival welcomed large numbers of local people through the gates to enjoy a great selection of beers and ciders, live entertainment, food and a brilliant community atmosphere. The Beer Festival is something we intend to continue as an annual event and following the success of this year, we are already looking forward to building on it and making next summer’s festival even bigger and better.

The New Scarf Wall

A special thank you must also go to Ian and his wife Alison, who alongside other volunteers have worked incredibly hard to create our new Scarf Wall in the Fanzone.

What started as an idea has turned into something that already looks fantastic and is attracting plenty of attention. It has taken countless hours to put together and is another example of volunteers taking pride in their football club and improving the matchday environment.

We want the wall to continue growing.

If you have an old football scarf – whether it is Chorley FC, another non-league club, a Football League side or even one from further afield – and would be willing to donate it, please get in touch.

It would be great to see the wall continue to develop throughout the season.

Website and Ticketing

Another important development over the summer has been our continued work with Kayana, who have supported the launch of our new club website and have now also taken over our ticketing platform. The new website provides a much cleaner, easier-to-use home for Chorley FC online and has been a very welcome addition to the club. If you haven't had the opportunity to take a look yet, please do. We have also been really impressed with what the new Kayana ticketing system has to offer and believe it will make buying and managing tickets much easier for supporters moving forward. As is sometimes the case when introducing new technology, we have experienced a few minor teething issues, particularly around some season tickets, and we appreciate the patience of those supporters affected. The vast majority of these issues have now been resolved and we are confident that both the website and ticketing platform will provide a much-improved experience as we move through the new season.

Sponsors, Partners and Hospitality

None of what we do would be possible without the businesses and organisations that support Chorley Football Club.

We are delighted that NCS – NoCopyrightSounds – have strengthened their relationship with the club by becoming our new front-of-shirt sponsor and we are extremely grateful for their continued backing.

Our thanks also go to Walsh and Evans as sleeve sponsor, Phantom Motor Company on the rear of the shirt and TIC Health for sponsoring the shorts.

Alongside those major partnerships are many local businesses supporting the club through advertising boards, player sponsorship, match sponsorship, hospitality and event sponsorship (thanks to those who supported the beer festival this year!).

That support really does matter.

At our level, commercial income isn't simply additional revenue. It allows us to operate, improve our facilities, support the football budget and remain competitive on the pitch.

Thank you to every business, large or small, that continues to back Chorley FC.

There are still a number of sponsorship opportunities available for the coming season and we would love to welcome more businesses into the Chorley FC family. Whether it is player sponsorship, match sponsorship, advertising or hospitality, there are lots of ways to become involved with the club.

Our matchday hospitality is also proving increasingly popular and we have opportunities available for upcoming fixtures, with our matchday meal and experience starting from £35 per person. This includes your match ticket, a two-course meal, entertainment and a pre-match Q&A with the manager.

If you would like to find out more about sponsorship or hospitality, please contact commercial@chorleyfc.com.

Chorley Fanzone Away Days

Our Chorley Fanzone Away Day project will also continue this season following its success during the last campaign.

We have now created a dedicated Facebook page to help grow the project and provide information for travelling supporters.

We have already booked in Preston North End supporters for their trip to Bolton and Middlesbrough supporters ahead of their visit to Blackburn.

We saw last season how well the project can work and hopefully it will grow even further during 2026/27.

Bringing visiting supporters into Chorley, creating a positive experience and generating additional activity around Victory Park benefits not only the football club but the wider town.

Finally – It's Time for Football

After all of that work, tomorrow the football finally starts.

And what an opening fixture we have.

Chester arrive at Victory Park and there probably couldn't be a much tougher way to begin the National League North season.

But these are the games we should look forward to.

There will be a big crowd, a strong away following and hopefully a fantastic atmosphere inside Victory Park.

For Andy, Chris and the players, months of preparation now turn into competitive football.

This is where all of us as supporters can play our part.

We know there will be difficult moments this season. There will be games when things don't go our way, injuries will happen, players will lose form and there will inevitably be setbacks.

That is football.

But what has always made Chorley FC special is the togetherness between the people on the pitch and those standing behind them.

When Victory Park is loud, positive and fully behind the team, it is a difficult place for anyone to come.

So my message as we start another season is simple:

Back the players.

Back Preecy.

Be proud of your club.

And let's see where this season takes us!

Come on you Magpies!

Jamie Vermiglio
Chairman