The owners' initiative will provide clean energy and significantly reduce the stadium’s carbon footprint and electricity costs.
The lightbulb moment for Dan Rogers came as the private aviation business he ran as managing director was sold and the energy crisis took hold. His home electricity bill skyrocketed just as he had ordered solar panels and planned to install them himself.
“I thought if we just gave away solar to everybody then we can make our own energy and not have to worry about anyone else,” says Rogers, who founded Kingston-upon-Hull-based green energy firm HDM Worldwide.
Earlier this year, subsidiary HDM Solar, a wholesaler of renewable energy products, secured £10.2m in funding to accelerate the rollout of a nationwide network of branches.
It also led to CEO Rogers acquiring Northern Premier League East Division outfit Bridlington Town AFC, who play in English football's eighth tier. “It’s been quite a swing from running an aircraft maintenance facility to being an eco warrior,” admits Rogers.
Under its Energy for All scheme, HDM installed 400 rooftop solar panels at the stadium, an initiative which will provide clean energy and reduce the club’s carbon footprint and electricity costs, while promoting the use of sustainable energy in the wider football ecosystem.
Bridlington Town AFC play in the eighth tier of English football.
“What we found was there were many people, businesses, community clubs that wanted access to cheap energy,” says Rogers. “I thought what better way of showcasing how a community can use green energy to not only survive but then thrive and go forward, so we purchased the club.”
Rogers says the installation will generate around £42,000 in annual revenue, with the club able to offer free tickets for under-16s or full family day out incentives for £10.
“You can take something that's good for the environment and make it very commercially viable for the benefit of communities — and football is a great way of engaging the community,” adds Rogers.
The fledgling owner has seen average attendances rise from about 200 to over 750 this season, while funding has been secured for the launch of a women’s side next year, adding to veteran, youth, under-19s and reserve teams.
HDM Energies, a subsidiary of HDM Worldwide Limited, has installed solar panels at the Queensgate stadium, Bridlington, under its ‘Energy for All’ scheme.
Rogers says that the club wouldn’t exist without previous owner Pete Smurthwaite at the helm over a 20-year tenure. Despite higher offers, Smurthwaite sold the club to Rogers for £142,000 and also wiped out pre-existing debt. “I want to put Bridlington on the map and be proud of the fact that our business is headquartered from the East Riding of Yorkshire and that community has been incredibly important to us,” says Rogers.
So rapid has been the rise of HDM that Rogers jokes that a better name could be found, with the acronym standing for Hannah, Dan and Milo (wife, husband and dog respectively). "At the time we didn't expect it to go quite so well but we're stuck with it now," he says.
“The overriding objective is to prove that renewable energy does work commercially. Once you do that, then businesses, councils, governments, all of us, will realise that it can work. And then the mass adoption of this technology, hopefully, will be frictionless. Because there's no longer the need for incentives, greenwashing, marketing, or pretending that we're doing something.
“It’s then quite defendable as a business model to everybody, from government and banks to investors and the community. And I think that's why we're doing it the right way.”
Bridlington’s ownership follows Dale Vince, of Ecotricity, who became major shareholder and chairman of Forest Green Rovers in 2010, implementing eco-friendly initiatives and the world's first all-vegan, carbon-neutral football club.
HDM Worldwide, based in Hull, East Yorkshire, is a leader in the renewable energy sector and now owns Bridlington Town.
“I've read into what Forest Green did a lot,” says Rogers. “It's admirable and it got the conversation started. I don't know if mixing it in with all the other bits like going vegan is clouding the value of the renewable side, but we're focusing purely on renewables being commercially viable.”
Earlier this year, the Football Association partnered with E.ON (EOAN.DE) to provide energy saving advice and funding to 18,000 grassroots clubs. This month, the FA also launched its ‘Greener Game’ programme. Four clubs participated in a pilot phase and reported significant energy savings, including up to a 25% reduction in annual energy costs through use of solar power and battery solutions.
Meanwhile Rogers says that rather than Bridlington standing out as a cost-efficient non-league club, fair competition is crucial for survival. “I think the club can see that we're really trying to give it every resource we possibly can to make it successful,” adds Rogers.
“We don't want to sit where we are in the league. We fully expect to fund the club to progress through the leagues.”
While the solar-run clubhouse opens its doors to mental health charities and acts as a food bank, the owner’s aim is to grow the fanbase, which currently attracts less than 1% of the town’s 35,000 population.
The Seasiders currently attract less than 1% of Bridlington's population. ·Randall Runtsch
However, there are signs of growth. Rogers, who also travels to away games, felt enamoured when hearing that local kids have returned on a regular basis, with Caribbean drums to create noise and atmosphere at the club.
“They were cheering the team on and they felt empowered by it,” says Rogers. “So it's really about building that momentum which is incredible.”
CEO says: Dan Rogers on…
Creating community energy
We don't need to lay the cables and rely on foreign states or entities to provide us with our power. We do it all ourselves. Bridlington earns its £42,000 by selling the energy that it produces to the grid providers, who then go and sell it on to the good people in Bridlington. There are lots of examples around the UK where community clubs are going to be able to do that.
And they're going to be able to do that on their own, but they're not going to be able to do it on their own. So the communities that are driven by a leader can create community power projects where you can build these solar farms and then wire them into the properties in the community and become self-sufficient.
But that is the next level. We're not there yet, but there are examples of it happening. And it will be really cool when we make the country and the world aware that it's possible to do that and get ourselves away from expensive energy. One where we're relying on huge corporations or foreign entities to provide it.
Watch: Behind the Brand: EBay Sneakers
Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android.
