Hartlepool United non-executive director Adrian Bevington discusses club vision and future plans at the Suit Direct Stadium - 'There’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes'

Bevington was discussing the club’s off-field operations on the back of remarks made by first team coach Antony Sweeney who suggested the club were set to reveal a ‘new vision’ in the near future.

Sweeney was speaking after his final game as interim manager against Sheffield Wednesday when revealing details about his future, with the need for discussions to take place as to where he sits within that new vision.

And while Bevington was keen not to reveal too much about the finer details behind the scenes, Pools’ non-executive director was enthused by the amount of work on-going at the Suit Direct Stadium following the appointment of new manager Graeme Lee.

“There isn’t anything I can reveal about it, but what I would say is there’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes,” Bevington told The Mail.

“We’ve been quite open that we intend to bring the academy back and Antony [Sweeney] will be more across that than most people because he’s been integral to that in the past.

“There’s a lot of conversations going on with the local authority over a stadium redevelopment. Meetings are live in that regard at the moment.

“There’s a huge amount of work going on in the commercial space, including the sponsorship agreement for the stadium, but the whole big piece of work will build outwards as we go forwards. There’s a huge amount of work going on.”

While fans will always be eager to know the ins and outs of the club, Bevington feels reassured by those involved with Pools before going on to praise supporters for their efforts since being able to return to the Suit Direct Stadium.

“I’ve been here a very short period of time but I’m hugely impressed by the capability of people, the commitment, but also the fanbase is absolutely fantastic and I don’t think you realise until you experience it first hand.

“One of the biggest things for me is, at home it’s just so loud compared to other grounds you go to and away, the numbers that we take, people from other clubs in the boardroom afterwards comment saying ‘wow your fans are fantastic.’

But while progression is being made off the field, it is on the field where Bevington admits what really matters for the club.

Having dealt with the prolonged process of appointing a new manager, Bevington is now keen for the momentum to continue around the club since Lee’s appointment.

“We had a blip and it’s kind of understandable, now we’ve got to make sure that we don’t lose the momentum that we had prior to that which has been going on for a couple of years now.

“We need to capitalise on that which includes making sure we have a good window in January and also plan subsequently beyond that so it’s not just all about one window and invest in the club and the team.

“We’ve got a responsibility as a board to support everyone at the club and that means everything we do around the edges in the support services that gives teams that extra little bit to help them perform.”

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