City head and football club chief tell how they are working together during latest Meet of MK.
The leader of Milton Keynes City Council and the CEO of MK Dons FC told MK’s business leaders last night how they were working together to create a popular and successful football club for the city to be proud of.
Cllr Pete Marland and Dons boss Neil Hart met at the latest Meet of MK business gathering and spoke jointly to more than 200 delegates about their shared dreams of success for the city’s popular football team.
It’s one year since club owner Fahad Al Ghanim and his Kuwaiti consortium bought the group that runs the football club and stadium, and the last 12 months have been spent creating a more cohesive and joined-up organisation, said CEO Neil Hart.
He described to delegates how the football team, the stadium, the adjoining hotel, a new club superstore, MKFM radio station and other divisions of the group were now more integrated and working more closely together.
“It’s no longer a hotel, a community trust, a football club, an arena, the National Bowl which we operate – all of that is now joined and they’re stronger together,” said Neil Hart.
“We’re together and we’re collaborative and no longer do we have silos across the group. It’s joined up and it’s stronger together and we want to deliver that to the city, and we want you to all be with us and proud of what we are doing.”
He said that the club had been working with the city council to help create a business that benefits the city as a whole, describing how more interest in the stadium and its offering can be of benefit to the general economy of Milton Keynes and its people.
“We have to stand side by side with the city council and even if we don’t always agree in things we have open and honest conversations and we find a way to work through it,” he said. “Whatever challenges come our way we will work together to do that.
“We have lots of vested interest. We both want the same things. We want a strong economy, we want to attract people into the city, we want more residents and people who want to build homes here.
“I want more people coming to the stadium and the hotel – all that has to do with the economy of the city so I think we must work together and communicate. I’d like to think this is a partnership acting in the best interests of the people of this city.”
Councillor Marland agreed and said that, although councils sometimes appear to take time coming to decisions, that is done for the right reasons. But he reiterated his desire for the football club to succeed and do well for the city.
“Councillors are sometimes not seen as the most dynamic,” said Cllr Marland. “But that’s because we have to make sure we do things in the public interest, and we are held to account for that by the public.
“Whereas Neil is held to account by his club’s owner, who wants the team in the Premier League in three years’ time. And the pressure on him is insane.
“So it’s my job to make sure that the council is moving as quickly as possible to help him deliver because the more successful MK Dons are, the more success it is for Milton Keynes and that’s the same for any business”.
This week’s Meet of MK gathering, at The Residence Bar & Kitchen, also celebrated the fifth anniversary of the charity Al’s Pals. As supported charity on the night, they raised £600 during the evening.
MKFM’s ‘The Meet of MK’ gathers every month at an exciting Milton Keynes venue. Next month’s event is on Thursday 27th November at Ha-noi Vietnamese Restaurant, 5-8pm. For more details or to book tickets, visit: www.mkfm.com/events/mkfms-meet-of-mk.
