Doncaster Rovers: '˜Our strike product is football', says Club Doncaster chief

Relegation has focused minds at Doncaster Rovers and put the football operation firmly at the top of the list of priorities.
Gavin BaldwinGavin Baldwin
Gavin Baldwin

So says chief executive Gavin Baldwin, who has vowed to channel all the club’s spare monies and revenues towards the very clear goal of securing promotion back to League One at the first attempt.

Since his appointment in 2012, Baldwin has been at the heart of the evolution of Club Doncaster, which now incorporates Doncaster RLFC, the club’s charity arm Club Doncaster Foundation and associated sports college alongside the football club.

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Relegation from the Championship to League Two within that time period has led to a rather inevitable feeling among some Rovers supporters that Club Doncaster has failed to benefit the football arm of the business.

Speaking to the Star, Baldwin refutes any suggestion that Club Doncaster has drained resources away from Rovers and insists financial performance is strong.

But he says relegation to League Two has now “created a focus that our strike product is football”.

“What we believe is that the club has been very strong in producing financial revenues and commercial sponsorship but our strike product [the football team] wasn’t good enough,” said Baldwin.

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“Therefore all emphasis this year is on our strike product, which is getting us promoted and creating the momentum which will give us the best chance of reaching the Championship.

“All focus of any spare monies or revenues that are generated are being given to the first team to get us promoted. I think it’s created this focus and emphasis in everyone’s minds that our strike product is football and we need to put every bit of money we’ve got into that to secure ourselves the best possible chance of getting promoted.

“The Dons make a profit so they don’t hurt us at all,” he added. “The Foundation makes a clear profit, and the stadium is doing very well now. Those monies go across to the football.

“But also the owners have put considerable monies in as well because, you’ve seen the type of players coming in, they don’t come cheap.”