There was interesting news coming from Barrow AFC this week with the departure of the Casson family, with Paul Hornby taking over the reins.

JF Hornby is currently the main sponsor for the rugby club and I’m sure we can work together, even if it is just sharing ideas. Paul will do a great job and he said a lot of kind words, as our accountant, at our most recent AGM about how we are turning round the club, and I hope he can do the same.

I am a Barrovian and I want the best for our town, not just for our club. From my street in my childhood, I could see both the rugby and football stadiums, and I am very much a supporter of both codes. In fact, I was once a ball boy at Holker Street.

I want our club the town to grow. Having professional sporting clubs to be proud of is all part of the attraction of the town. If people want to live in the town then we get investment, we get better shops, schools, hospitals and leisure facilities.

It’s not rocket science.

Inevitably, I have been asked questions about ground sharing and the topic came up in my most recent meeting with the council. I want what is best for our rugby club.

If someone offered me a facility fit for Super League and able to generate income for our club then I would be a fool not to consider it.

Our club is improving in every direction and I plan to improve Craven Park, but budget constraints limit what we can do.

It is a fact that we have a ground built in the 1920s and with that comes the associated maintenance costs. It may be that we spend our facilities budget just to stand still.

Looking ahead to next season, we have just announced the great news Paul Crarey has agreed to another two-year stint. We both feel that the club is going in the right direction.

I’m starting to think that if we can keep the momentum and the one up, one down stays in place for a few years then why can’t it be our club that makes the leap to Super League?

What we need to do is meet any criteria that the RFL puts in front of us. This won’t be gifted on a plate, we will all have to work hard building a sustainable club that can continue to compete for the long term.

And, to quash a rumour from the terraces, Marwan Koukash isn’t currently part of our strategic planning.