You would think that the end of the football season would mean things are a bit quieter here at Exeter City Football Club – but that’s definitely not the case. Whether it’s behind the scenes transfer activity, or improvements to the stadium, there’s always plenty going on!

The squad are back to training this month in preparation for pre-season matches in July, which include trips to Tiverton, Weston-super-Mare, Mousehole, Yeovil and Torquay, all in preparation to kick off the 2024-25 season on August 10. There will also be a behind closed doors game against Brentford, which you’ll be able to watch it via the club’s streaming platform.

Pre-season is important in so many ways, as well as valuable game time, it helps to bond the team and also gives us a chance to thank the clubs who take our players on loan, so these relationships are really important to us.

The fixtures are released on June 26 and then we’ve got the final pre-season friendly of the summer, which will see my old mate Jake Taylor and his team Eastleigh heading to SJP on August 3. And then the season starts proper just a week later on August 10. We can’t wait to welcome you all back to SJP!

You’ll be able to see the improvements we’ve made to facilities over the summer. We’re focused on improving the supporter experience - so we were delighted to recently be awarded gold for our ‘exceptional family matchday experience’ in the EFL Family Excellence Scheme, for the fourth year in a row.

We were one of only 13 clubs across all the English football leagues to achieve the accolade for the 2023/24 season. Well done to everyone – volunteers and staff - who work so hard to achieve this incredible standard, which positions us third in League One and eighth out of all 72 clubs from across the English football leagues.

As well as that much deserved award, May also saw two monumental achievements for our supporter-owned club; the purchase by the Supporters Trust of the Cliff Hill Training Ground near Clyst St Mary and The Park building at St James Park.

Both were significant and contribute to the security of our club. We’ve invested heavily with new facilities at the Training Ground and we’re so grateful to the Hill family for all their support over the years. What an amazingly generous thing Clifford did all of those years ago, to buy the land and lease it to the club on a peppercorn rent – yet another person who has played an important part in securing our club’s future.

As for the Park building, members of the Trust were given the opportunity to vote as to whether the Trust should go ahead with the purchase. The result was an overwhelming yes and goes to prove, yet again, that we really do ‘own our football club’!

Back to SJP, we’re making good use of the stadium during the off season, when you’ll hopefully get a chance to see some of the improvements. You’ll be able to catch that One of Our Own, Ollie Watkins, when he lines up for England in the Euros, which will be shown on the big screen in June. Then there’s the Party in the Park on July 7, expect the usual mix of live music, entertainment, food and drink and the chance to see the new away kit for the first time.

The commercial team are staging a corporate golf day at Woodbury Park on July 31. Sign up to play alongside members of the first team squad and management – but be warned, they are pretty good! It’s really great value, as well, so contact our commercial team to book your place on commercial@ecfc.co.uk

So, as we look to the new season, thank you to everyone who continues to support our club - more than 2,300 of you have already bought season tickets – which is just fantastic – sign up before the early bird deadline of June 10 to get the best value!

Not long to go now – Up the City!

Julian Tagg, Exeter City Club President