ACCRINGTON Stanley players and fans mingled at a ‘Meet the Player’ evening and one midfielder admitted the new facilities ‘took his breath away’.
Club owner, Andy Holt, has financed the new state-of-the-art hospitality suite at the Wham Stadium, costing around £2.5million, consisting of the 1968 Lounge, Coley’s and a ‘snug’ or champagne bar.
The ‘Meet the Players’ event was held in the 1968 Lounge, which will be used for matchday hospitality, and it can be hired for functions during the week and at weekends.
This was named after the date the club re-formed, following their resignation from the football league in 1962.
Coley's, named after manager John Coleman - who has taken Stanley from the UniBond First Division into League One - will be used on match days for food and drink and it will also be used as a separate venue for events during the week and at weekends.
Midfielder Harry Pell said: “When we walked into the bar, it was ‘wow.’
“It’s really special, it’s unbelievable and somewhere that will be used a lot.”
Striker Colby Bishop said: “We have been looking through the windows while it was being built but it’s even better than expected.
“You would expect to see a bar like this in Liverpool or Manchester and it’s great we have it here in Accrington.”
Long-serving winger Sean McConville said: “I think of people like our previous chairman Eric Whalley, I was the last player he paid money for.
- Accrington Stanley's £2.5m hospitality venue hosts business and council networking event
“He will be looking down and smiling at this. He won’t believe we have a bar like this at Accrington.
“It was great for players and fans to mingle here, and everyone got the chance to have a look around the new facilities.”
It was said to be an entertaining night, with a one-course meal hosted by Jeff Brown.
Bishop added: “This is a club which is close to its fans and that’s how it should be.
“It was great to have a chance to sit and chat to the supporters. I really enjoyed it.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here