The men who want to awaken a sleeping giant: Southerns Group CEO Andy Kendall-Jones (centre) with Yorkshire Amateur joint managers Neil Sibson (left) and Phil Harding (right)
Ambitious Yorkshire Amateur could be heading for an unprecedented period of success, if their main sponsor Andy Kendall-Jones gets his way.
Mr Kendall-Jones, the CEO of Leeds-based Southerns Group, is instrumental in providing the tools to “awaken a sleeping giant”.
Earlier this year Southerns sponsored the building the new 3g training pitch at Bracken Edge, a development which will generate lots of revenue for many years to come. Now they are helping in other areas.
On-the-field, the Ammers, led by joint managers Phil Harding and Neil Sibson, have already made no secret of their ambition to challenge for honours in their centenary season, with signings such as record-breaking AFC Emley striker Ash Flynn.
Although Mr Kendall-Jones wants to see the first team enjoy lots of success in the coming years, he is also keen to see Bracken Edge become a hub of the community and a real force for good.
“I have played local football all my life and we helped the club a few years ago with some seating,” Mr Kendall-Jones told Non League Yorkshire.
“We’re now trying to give back to the local community and the timing was right to help take Ammers to the next level.
“I think it has a great model, a great history and we want to do something that the local community will be proud of.
“It is about longevity, it is about a long term goal. The long-term objective is to build the club, put back into the local community and into schools.
“I think in five years’ time we’d like to have seen a continuous improvement in the facilities and football on-the-pitch.
“We want to see something constantly moving forward. As you go up to the Ammers now, there’s a footprint. Hopefully every time you go for the next six, 12, 24, 36 months, you will see improvements.
“That’s to the ground, facilities, the first team, all the juniors teams. All that can be fed back into the local community, schools to helping disabled people, disadvantaged people. We want to give something proper back.
“I’d like the club to get promoted this year, but the number one thing for me is see people with a smile on their faces on a Saturday afternoon, as well as awakening a sleeping giant.
“Southerns is known for being the best in class, we want Yorkshire Amateur to be known for being the best in class.”
Non League Yorkshire’s James Grayson went to Southerns UK’s headquarters in Bramley in Leeds to interview their CEO Andy Kendall-Jones
Southerns Group CEO Andy Kendall-Jones, left, and Yorkshire Amateur club secretary Simon Charlesworth pictured recently at Bracken Edge
Yorkshire Amateur made a major statement by revealing that Ash Flynn had agreed to sign for the club
Southerns, who won best medium business at the 2017 Yorkshire Business Masters Awards, is a leading provider of high quality commercial workspace solutions, offering design, installation and lifecycle of furniture and associated facilities.
It is based in Mr Kendall-Jones’ hometown of Bramley, just a 20 minutes drive from the club’s Bracken Edge home in Chapel Allerton.
One thing he is keen to stress is that he is not taking over as the club’s owner. He is merely providing sponsorship and business advice. It is up to the club’s committee to choose how they run the club.
“There is already a present committee and if I am asked to go to a committee meeting I will do and I’ll try and help encourage them as much as possible,” he says.
“They have done a great job to get the club to where it is now as I know from speaking to people at the club, it was in the doldrums four years ago. They now have a great standing in local football
“It is used for cup finals because they have such a great pitch. But I have no active involvement in the club. My interest is in helping the club move forward.
“There is no hidden agenda, it is just about helping to develop a long-term strategy to help Yorkshire Amateur move forward and there’s no time limit on how long we will be working together.”
Mr Kendall-Jones, whose business partner is well-known Leeds businessman and Clipper Logistics chairman Steve Parkin, a director of Guiseley, is Bramley born and bred.
Mr Kendall-Jones clearly loves sport. He has a season ticket at Leeds United, as well as at Leeds Rhinos, Rugby League’s most successful Super League team.
As well as the Ammers, he has also shown his philanthropist side to a Boxing gym. All this is down to the success of Southerns in the past few years.
“We have been involved in a Boxing academy, Golden Team Thai Boxing Gym in Hunslet which we are helping to develop,” he says.
“I have an interest in Boxing, I train twice a week. Once again it is about putting back into Leeds and help people in the community.
“The business is doing well. We have over 250 people employees now throughout the business and we want to give something back.
“I’ve always been a sporting lad, that’s why. I played football where I was brought up in Bramley and I played football for Leeds City Boys and then when I was in the Royal Air Force.”
As we near the end of the interview at the company’s Bramley headquarters, Mr Kendall-Jones also gets a jokey mention in for his business partner, when discussing the future of the Ammers.
“I’d like to go up myself on a Saturday afternoon and see the kids running about on the 3g pitch enjoying themselves, have a pint and see the Ammers beat Guiseley 2-1,” he adds, with a smile.
One thing is for sure with Yorkshire Amateur, it is very much watch this space…
Good luck ammers in your new venture?my son played for juniors from being ,11to18 and did the double every year he now lives in Australia but will be pleased when I tell him