Catlin: More good news for Pompey

Mark Catlin has promised Pompey fans the good news will keep flowing in the next few weeks.
Plenty to smile about: Pompey chief executive Mark CatlinPlenty to smile about: Pompey chief executive Mark Catlin
Plenty to smile about: Pompey chief executive Mark Catlin

The Blues have been boosted by excellent early season-ticket sales as the feel-good factor sweeps the club.

Encouraging progress in stabilising Pompey’s infrastructure, coupled with Guy Whittingham recruitment of 13 players, has generated plenty of excitement ahead of the League Two campaign.

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In addition, a deal for a new training home at the University of Portsmouth’s Langstone Campus is in the process of being completed.

That is one of a number of announcements expected in the next fortnight.

And Catlin believes the positive news is going to keep on coming.

The Blues chief executive said: ‘Not a day goes by when I am not sending two or three contracts over to our solicitors (Verisona).

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‘There is a little bit of a backlog there at the minute, but they are wading through that.

‘There are so many deals at the minute just sat at the solicitors waiting to be signed off. We are working them hard!

‘But I can tell you there is a lot of news that will be coming out in the next couple of weeks.

‘There’s the training ground for instance and, in terms of corporate and sponsorship, we have blown away last year’s return.

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‘I won’t go into figures until contracts are signed, but from a sponsorship point of view we have already absolutely destroyed last year’s figures while in administration.

‘We are so far in advance, you are talking double already. We are really marching on.

‘It is organised chaos where there is just so much going on.

‘It is like bees in a hive, but there is an element of structure in there and so much going on that the naked eye wouldn’t see it.’

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Verisona played a crucial role in the Pompey Supporters’ Trust’s successful takeover.

The Lakeside business has continued to work closely with the club and, in particular, Catlin.

The chief executive believes it is important that remains the case as he seeks to avoid the recurrence of problems of the past.

Catlin added: ‘At a lot of clubs you would get chief executives who would just sign things off – but not me.

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‘The board have not said to me “we want everything run by a solicitor”, it’s just something I have taken the decision on to safeguard the club.

‘I want everything double checked because a lot of the contracts here in the past haven’t been great.

‘A contract is a legal document so unless it is one page that is idiot proof, then I won’t sign it straight away.

‘When you are talking about in-depth contracts, even on sponsorship deals, I think they need to be looked at by a solicitor because it’s their area of expertise.

‘It is sensible and my decision. It just covers me and covers the club.’