The Fans’ Forum event that took place at the SMH Group Stadium on Wednesday saw a good number of Spireites fans attend the Chatsworth Suite to hear from Paul Cook, Sharon Kirk, Ashley Kirk and John Croot.
As well as discussing a range of topics and answering questions from supporters, it was announced that the Motan Colortronic South Stand will be renamed after the club’s late owner, Phil Kirk.
The announcement was made by chief executive John Croot, who said: “We’ve wanted to do something for Phil Kirk for everything he did for us, for the club along with the team and everybody else, and I personally have also had that same thought passed onto me by countless supporters over the course of the season.
“Without Phil being with us and joining us for the last few years, we’d probably still be in the National League. People have come up with various ideas of what we could do and the one thing that keeps coming to the fore is to name a stand after him.”
After taking questions and having open discussions with the supporters for well over an hour, each of the panel addressed the audience before the end of the event with some closing remarks.
Manager Paul Cook said: “I’d just like to thank the support. The fan base, especially the away support, is phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal. Tuesday night at Cambridge, brilliant. When we come out for every game, we always get good support.
“Our community is part of what makes our club great and we just want you to keep supporting us like you do. Thank you very much.”
John Croot followed up by saying: “Thank you for your support week in, week out. It’s tremendous. I’ve been here a long time and to be looking at the average crowds we’re getting now is unbelievable.
“I’d like to thank the owners for the investment that’s getting us to where we are. When you look around here and you see the fantastic facilities we’ve got, and also to help us invest in resources, which you don’t necessarily see all the time as supporters, but hopefully you do get the benefit of.”
Sharon Kirk said: “I support what Paul and John have said, but most importantly, keep giving your feedback, keep caring about the club, keep letting us know what’s going well, what’s not going well, and then hopefully we can improve things over time.”
Lastly, chairman Ashley Kirk finished the evening by saying: “Everyone’s got a little bit of a part to play. Let’s make this club the most important thing in Chesterfield and the thing that everyone’s most proud of. That’s our aim, that’s my aim, and together we can create something special that lots of other places haven’t got.
“I am lucky enough to meet some of the opposition managers and they are genuinely surprised about how close all the staff are from top to bottom and that’s reflected in you guys and the fans. We’re in it together. We’ve got to stick together.”
