Alfreton Town are currently third in the Football Conference and therefore have a chance of promotion to the Football League. The Derbyshire town has a population, counting surrounding villages, of around 25,000 and the attendance at Saturday’s game was just over 800. Table topping Luton Town can easily attract 6,000 or 7,000.
Alfreton Town are currently third in the Football Conference and therefore have a chance of promotion to the Football League. The Derbyshire town has a population, counting surrounding villages, of around 25,000 and the attendance at Saturday’s game was just over 800. Table topping Luton Town can easily attract 6,000 or 7,000.
The club does not have a rich benefactor and, indeed, are well above the most conspicuous benefactor club in the first tier of the non-league system, Forest Green Rovers. Talks with an Asian investment group stalled before Christmas with some doubts being expressed about the integrity of the prospective purchasers.
However, in the anticipation that they would succeed, they increased their wage bill to over £300,000. Even so, they are in the bottom third of the budget table and their chairman admits that they are a ‘tiny’ club.
They are now encountering cash flow problems as before Saturday they had not played a home game since New Year’s Day. They have appealed to fans to buy season tickets for the rest of the season.
It has been emphasised that the club is not in debt and that PAYE and VAT have been paid along with all wages.