Preston North End owners sent message amid supporter issues | OneFootball

Preston's owners have been told they could do more in terms of their communication with supporters.

Preston North End have been told to adopt a more modern, forward-thinking approach to how they deal with fans.

Whilst there has been talk of a potential takeover from US investors in the past, North End are now owned by the Hemmings Family, after the death of Trevor Hemmings, with the successful businessman having put plenty of money into the club during his time as owner.

Under the current regime, Preston have established themselves as a Championship club, and they will hope to kick-on with Paul Heckingbottom in the future.

Preston owners can improve transparency with fans

FLW asked Preston fan pundit Darren whether the owners at Deepdale had been transparent enough with the fans over issues concerning the club.

And, he had no complaints about the way they communicate in terms of the finances and state of the club, as well as praising them for being proactive in engaging with supporters on a regular basis.

He said: “I can give points for and against this. So, yes, in the sense that the club has always come out and told the truth in terms of what’s happening with the club, with money, and spending here and there. They meet up with supporters, maybe once a month or every couple of months, so they do meet up with the fans and discuss issues the fans may have.”

Yet, he also felt there were clear ways they could improve, as he urged Preston to take a more modern approach in trying to raise the profile of the club, with the upcoming Gentry Day, where fans honour those who have passed away in the past year, as an example of where the club and fans should work together.

He said: “But, on the other hand, I do feel like sometimes, especially with things like the stadium itself, maybe supporter groups, or, for example, we have Gentry Day, the club could advertise things a bit more. It seems to be a bit last minute on everything with the club.

“They put a notice out to one of the groups asking if Gentry Day should be at home to Aston Villa in the FA Cup. It’s a big game, we’ve not been in the quarter-final of the cup in 60 years, and they’re asking should Gentry Day be then?

"It would break tradition because traditionally it’s away. But, traditions can be broken and if we advertise it, it would be perfect for being at home. What a way to showcase what our supporters are about, and the precious entity that is Gentry Day for all Preston fans, live on TV, on the BBC, to show what Preston fans are. That would be a massive statement.

“But, the club is not advertising things. The ticket sales for Burnley, it took a couple of supporters to complain for the club to advertise it. I think they’re very slow in producing these things. I don’t know if it’s someone at the club who’s not finding different ways to advertise.

“We seem to be set in this traditional English football style, and it’s very ‘here we go, buy the tickets, that’s it’. There’s no looking down other avenues or creating things. I wish they’d get with the times a bit more. Football is changing, times are changing, people are changing. They want a bit more out of their football club than they’ve currently got.”

Preston can look up under Paul Heckingbottom

It’s a positive time to be a Preston fan, as they have made improvements under Heckingbottom, and the Villa game promises to be a great occasion - and they could reach Wembley.

Clearly, they are a club that can’t spend the sums of others in the Championship, and that’s why some would welcome fresh investment into the club.