Forest Green Rovers are one of the smaller teams in the Conference and not for the first time they are in a relegation struggle this season. But they are also facing tough financial challenges. They changed from member club to limited company status last November and launched a share issue. But so far it has only raised almost £100,000 for the Gloucestershire club, not enough for its needs.
Forest Green Rovers are one of the smaller teams in the Conference and not for the first time they are in a relegation struggle this season. But they are also facing tough financial challenges. They changed from member club to limited company status last November and launched a share issue. But so far it has only raised almost £100,000 for the Gloucestershire club, not enough for its needs.
Chairman Trevor Horsley has estimated that he has invested £2m in Rovers, but has said that this level of support cannot carry on indefinitely and new investment is needed. Directors’ loans have shored up the club which faces ongoing loan repayments for the New Lawn stadium, now four years old. It is hoped that the stadium itself may provide new revenue streams, but it is not in a highly populated area. In the short run, cash flow has been hit by bad weather and Chester’s failure to turn up for a scheduled game.
Running a Conference club can be expensive. Another relatively small Conference club, Histon, is engaged in a battle to get its wage bill down from £750,000 to just over £250,000, a move that has led to something of a players’ revolt. It appears that a lot of the money was paid out in a wide variety of bonuses. New chairman Steve Fallon reckons that in a part-time club it was possible for players to take home £1,000 a week after a 1-0 victory.