THE VICS COLUMN - By Pete Tonge

MORE good news coming from Northwich Victoria this past couple of weeks has been the announcement that our groundshare agreement with landlords Witton Albion has been extended to five years.

This means that the agreement will now run to the end of the 2025/26 season.

The obvious benefits are, of course, a period of stability for the Vics, meaning they can concentrate on continuing the rebuild of the club without the worry of not having a home (again) for a few years.

And Witton have the advantage of a regular stream of extra income as well as help from the Vics volunteers alongside their own pitch and stadium maintenance staff.

The extension of the agreement to five years shows how far the Vics have come in terms of restoring the trust and image of the club over the last three years of fan ownership.

A lot of this is down to Vics’ chairman Brian Turner, one of if not the most honest, trustworthy, unassuming and downright nicest men in football.

More often found getting his hands dirty helping out with pitch or ground maintenance, or cleaning up the changing rooms rather than in the boardroom, Brian has Vics in his blood and is a man of which no-one has a bad word to say about.

Along with Dave Thomas, Brian was the driving force behind the fans’ takeover of the club three years ago, and without him there simply wouldn’t be a club to support.

Brian said of the groundshare agreement: “ We would like to thank John Salmon, chairman of Witton Albion, for helping make this possible, and wish them all the best for the forthcoming season.”

As part of this deal, our now annual pre-season match with Witton Albion for the Dr Vijay Anthwal Cup, will be held in July (should restrictions be lifted in time) and the gate money be split 50/50 between the two clubs.

However this year, both clubs have agreed that all the gate money will be donated to the NHS to mark the tremendous work they do particularly at this moment in time.

Despite the friendly relationships off the field, this cup will be fiercely fought for on the field, as the Vics strive to remind Witton that their current supremacy is only temporary.

Let’s hope that the current situation improves and allows us to keep the rebuilding of Vics going and continue making the fan-owned and fan-run Vics a success on and off the field.

In the meantime, stay positive and stay safe.