As promised in my notes in the last issue of The Bayview, I hope to provide both a review of the season past as well as a look forward to season 2022/23 as we aim to bounce back at the first opportunity. I apologise in advance for the length of this update, but I feel it’s important to keep fans informed of the goings on at Bayview.

Firstly, I would like to say a big thank you to all of you who have supported us both home and away over the past year as well as to all the volunteers who continue to provide their support that the club always needs. Thanks, must also go to our sponsors who have supported the club over the season, should that be the team kit, match sponsorship, kit donors or advertising. We hope you continue to enjoy your relationship with East Fife and thank you for your support.

Season 2021/22

Season 2021/22 did not end as anyone connected with East Fife would have liked. Although we suffered badly with injuries this season, the league table doesn’t lie, and we were deservedly relegated after 6 seasons in League One. No one is more acutely aware than me that we need to be better as a whole and, as you will see below, we are now undertaking an extensive review of all areas.

We took the decision to change managers in November with Stevie Crawford replacing Darren Young. It is without doubt the hardest decision I've taken while in the position of Chairman at East Fife and I’d like to put on record my thanks, and that of the board, to Darren for everything he did for club during his 5 years with us and wish him well for the future. Stevie was dealt a difficult hand to try and retain our League One status but had to deal with the same team selection dilemmas as Darren and there is no doubt that being without so many key & experienced players for the majority of the campaign also contributed to our final position.

A review is also already underway at board level where we are assessing the changes required to support the team on the park.

One plus point from this season was the emergence of a number of young players at the club. Already we have several of them tied down for next season who we hope, given time, will turn into important players for the club.

At the time of writing, our Under 20s side are sitting in 7th position in their Lowland Development League Conference A with 2 matches to play - a remarkable achievement given the vast majority of the squad are aged 18 or under. A huge credit must be given to Steve Batty and his team for the development of the squad. The date for their final home match against Broomhill is still to be confirmed but I’d encourage all supporters to come to Bayview to support the boys. Any changes to the U20s squad ahead of next season will be announced following the conclusion of their season.

The club also entered the Scottish FA Youth Cup (Under 18s) for the first time this season and we were handed a very difficult first round tie against Celtic. This was the first time many of the boys had played with linesmen let alone in front of a crowd of over 500! The team gave a good account of themselves against their much more experienced opponents but were knocked out in the opening round. Overall, the coaches feel it was a valuable experience for the youngsters and we plan to enter the competitions again in 2022/23.

Squad Update for 2022/23

As announced last week, Ross Davidson, Aaron Dunsmore, Ross Dunlop, Dan Higgins, Danny Swanson, Jamie Semple, Ryan Blair and Sean Brown will all leave the club when their contracts expire in June. I'd personally like to thank them all for their efforts whilst at the club and wish then all the best for the future.

I would like to give a special mention to Club Captain Kevin Smith who will also be leaving this summer after 8½ seasons at East Fife. Kevin has been the consummate professional throughout his time at Bayview and I know his influence will be greatly missed in the dressing room. The series of events planned for Kevin's testimonial are still going ahead as planned and I'm sure this will be well supported by all East Fife fans.

Stevie has his budget for next season, and I know he is already hard at work speaking to potential targets as he looks to strengthen the squad for our 2022/23 League Two campaign. As always, any new additions will only be announced after the appropriate paperwork is in place.

Boardroom Update

2021/22 saw a number of changes at board level:

• Vice-Chairman Dave Marshall passed away in January and was replaced in the role by John Barclay. John is also continuing in his role as Director for Hospitality.
• Ken Henderson stood down as Commercial Director due to ill health before sadly passing away at the end of October.
• Liam Anderson, Dougie Briggs, and Robert Cargill were appointed Directors (all previously Associate Directors). All three retained their current responsibilities; Liam as Media & Player Liaison Director, Dougie in his position of Company Secretary and Robert in his role as Liaison Director for the U20s.
• Tom Brown was appointed an Associate Director in April. Tom has taken over Dave Marshall’s responsibilities with regards to stadium maintenance and utilities.
• David Stevenson stood down from his role as Associate Director and was appointed an Honorary Director.

Biographies for all directors can be found here.

Season Tickets for 2022/23

Season ticket prices will be announced within the next couple of weeks however I can confirm that prices will increase for next season for both season tickets and individual match tickets. I understand that fans will question an increase after relegation, but the rising costs required to run Bayview, coupled with the desire to provide the manager with a competitive budget, mean we were left with no alternative.

We have tried to keep the increase as low as possible for season ticket holders including the return of our early bird prices and the introduction of 2 new pricing bands. As announced last season, the age for concessions will increase from 60 to 65 bringing us into line with most other SPFL clubs.

Over 300 members of the East Fife Community Football Club attended our matches against Dumbarton and Cove Rangers, and it was great to hear how much they enjoyed their visit. Following on from this, we have agreed a hugely discounted kids season ticket price for members of EFCFC (details to follow in the coming weeks).

For the first time we will also include a new season ticket band for 16-19-year-olds in full-time education. It’s been fantastic to see an ever-increasing number of young adults attending matches at Bayview, so we felt it was important to acknowledge that with a new season ticket category.

Finally, we will implement an option to pay-up your season ticket for supporters who are unable to lay out the full amount up front. Those wishing to take up this option should contact the club office directly after tickets go on sale.

Hospitality/Commercial Opportunities 2022/23

Chef Tom Will is retiring after a number of years running our matchday hospitality and pie stalls. Tom has been a great servant to the club, and I would like to put on record my thanks for everything he’s done over the years and wish him well in his retirement.

John Barclay has been working hard behind the scenes and we’re pleased to confirm a replacement has been recruited to cater for both hospitality and the pie stalls. Further details on pricing for hospitality will be announced over the coming weeks.

Our new commercial brochure detailing all sponsorship opportunities for next season will also be published in the coming weeks.

Strips for 2022/23

Our black & gold checked home strip will remain in place for next season. I am also delighted to confirm that BW Technology will continue as our home shirt sponsor for the next 2 seasons. I’d like to thank Dave Bryce & the team at BW Technology for their continued support.

Our all-red 3rd kit will be retired, and our green & white away kit will take its place as our 3rd choice kit. The final design of our new away kit is being finalised with our kit suppliers Football Nation, but we are aiming to be in a position to reveal this by the end of May.

Miscellaneous

Several other change/events are also planned over the close season including:

Introduction of a club mailing list with regular updates from the Chairman/Manager.

Introduction of an Overseas Fifers Supporters Club in conjunction with East Fife TV. This will be primarily aimed at supporters who reside outside the UK/Ireland but there will also be options for supporters who are unable to regularly attend matches in person.

A club open day with the opportunity for fans to meet the players along with a Q&A with board and management team.

East Fife TV will also be looking for assistance in all areas of club media related activities. Keep an eye on our social media platforms over the next couple of weeks.

After 14 years, Allan Duthie has decided to hang up his editorial hat and the production of The Bayview matchday programme will revert back to being run by the club. We would like to put on record our thanks to Allan, all of the programme contributors and the East Fife Supporters’ Trust for doing such a magnificent job over the years. It is hoped that all existing contributors will continue to provide articles for the revamped programme but, as always, more contributions are required. Anyone interested in becoming involved with The Bayview should contact the media team (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Additionally, we are also in the process of sourcing additional merchandise for the club shop and starting the process of revamping the official club website.

As always, if anyone has any suggestions/ideas of things they would like us to consider, or if you know of anyone who may be interested to hear more about our sponsorship opportunities, please feel free to contact the club office (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), our media team (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or any director (see directors page for contact details).

Once again, many thanks for your support over the season and we look forward to welcoming you back to Bayview for season 2022/23.

Yours in sport

Jim Stevenson

Chairman