A Message from the Chairman
A Message from the Chairman
Dear Supporters,
As Chairman of Berwick Rangers Football Club, I want to begin by saying a sincere thank you to every one of you who continues to stand behind our club.
Berwick Rangers is more than a football team. It is part of our town, our community and our history. It belongs to the generations who have supported it before us, to those who support us today and, importantly, to those who will follow us in the years ahead.
That is why I believe it is important to speak openly and honestly about where we are as a club, the challenges we face, but also the many reasons we should be proud and positive about our future.
Our Financial Challenge
Unfortunately, we are currently looking at a loss of more than £140,000 for the 2025/26 season. That is a significant figure and one that we cannot ignore.
A major factor behind these losses is the ever-increasing cost of running and maintaining Shielfield Park. Keeping our stadium operational, safe and at the standard we expect comes with a substantial financial commitment.
Our business rates alone represent a considerable burden. We are currently paying more in business rates than many clubs in our league are paying for their ground and training costs combined.
At present, the financial losses being incurred by the club are being covered by myself and our Vice Chairman, Chris Butler.
We are both businessmen and, quite simply, no businessman wants to continually operate at a loss. However, we are also both extremely passionate about Berwick Rangers and committed to its future. We have been prepared to provide that financial support because we believe in this football club, its importance to the town and what we can achieve together.
Our commitment is to get these losses under control in the near future and put Berwick Rangers on a much stronger and more sustainable financial footing.
But Chris and I cannot, and should not, do this alone.
Berwick Rangers represents our town, and I believe the future of the club has to be a shared responsibility. We need the town, our supporters and our local business community to play their part and stand alongside us, particularly during these difficult times.
That support can take many forms. Coming through the turnstiles, sponsoring the club, advertising at Shielfield Park, enjoying our hospitality, attending club events or simply encouraging others to get involved all make a genuine difference.
We are not asking anyone to solve the club’s financial challenges for us. We are asking people to get behind their local football club and help us build something Berwick can be proud of for generations to come.
A Stadium to Be Proud Of
While we face significant costs in maintaining our home, we should also take a moment to appreciate what we have.
Our club is the envy of many, with a fantastic stadium and a playing surface of which we can all be extremely proud.
A huge amount of credit for the quality of our pitch goes to Ross, our groundsman. His dedication, expertise, pride and countless hours of hard work are there for everyone to see.
In my view, Ross is one of the best groundsmen in Scottish football, and we are extremely fortunate to have someone who cares so deeply about the standard of our playing surface.
Shielfield Park is our home. It is part of the identity and history of Berwick Rangers, and while maintaining it comes at a considerable cost, it is also one of the greatest assets our club possesses.
Matchday Hospitality
Another area where we should take enormous pride is our matchday hospitality, which I genuinely believe is second to none.
The welcome we give to sponsors, businesses, guests and visiting supporters says a great deal about who we are as a football club.
A tremendous amount of work goes on behind the scenes on every matchday, and I would personally like to thank everyone who contributes to making the experience so special.
Hospitality is also an increasingly important source of income for the club. I would encourage supporters and local businesses who have not experienced it to come along and join us.
You will receive a proper Berwick Rangers welcome, enjoy a great day at Shielfield Park and, importantly, you will be directly supporting your local football club.
Our Footballing Future
On the pitch, we have a great coaching team with a real vision for where we all want Berwick Rangers to go. Our recruitment process for the managerial position was rigorous, and Martin Scott stood out for his attention to detail, his clarity of vision, and his focus on team culture. We are confident that all of these assets will lead to results improving and the second half of this season being a successful one.
We all want success. We all want to see Berwick Rangers winning football matches and competing higher up the league. Nobody associated with the club is satisfied with our current league position.
However, forging something meaningful and sustainable takes time, patience and hard work. We will need to rebuild, learn from experience, and develop our identity on the pitch. The team will emerge stronger, but this process will be neither straightforward nor instant.
We recognise that our current league position is difficult and is not where any of us want Berwick Rangers to be. But this is exactly the time when our coaching staff and players need our support most.
I ask everyone to stay behind them, encourage them and give them the support and time they need as we work together to steer ourselves away from our current league position and towards a brighter future.
There will be good days and difficult days along the way. That is football. What matters is how we respond to those challenges and whether we face them together.
I believe in the coaching team, I believe in the direction we are trying to take and I believe in this football club.
Our Club, Our Future
The Board will continue working tirelessly to control costs, increase income and put Berwick Rangers on a stronger and more sustainable financial footing.
Chris and I remain fully committed to doing our part. But the future of Berwick Rangers cannot rest on the shoulders of one or two individuals.
It has to be something we build together.
Every person through the turnstiles matters.
Every local business that supports us matters.
Every sponsorship matters.
Every hospitality booking matters.
Every volunteer matters.
Every voice encouraging the players from the terraces matters.
And above all, every supporter matters.
We have challenges ahead of us, and I will never pretend otherwise. But we also have so much to be proud of: a fantastic stadium, an outstanding playing surface, first-class hospitality, dedicated volunteers, a committed Board, a coaching team with a vision and supporters who care passionately about this football club.
Those are strong foundations on which to build.
So my message to our supporters, our town and our local business community is simple:
Please keep believing.
Keep supporting the team.
Keep supporting the club.
And let’s move forward together.
Berwick Rangers has a proud history. It is our responsibility today to protect that history, strengthen the club and make sure future generations have a Berwick Rangers they can be equally proud of.
Thank you for your loyalty, your patience and, above all, your continued support.
Together, we are Berwick Rangers.
Kevin Dixon
Chairman
Berwick Rangers Football Club