Non-league clubs are particularly vulnerable in the economic downturn and there has been mixed news recently for those in difficulty. Businessmen Stephen Beer has taken a 48 per cent stake in struggling Conference side Weymouth in return for the £300,000 they need to keep them going until the end of the season. Beer owns a cleaning business, a haulage company and a hotel. He criticised past ‘get rich quick’ schemes at Weymouth and made it clear that he would not provide a pot of money.
Non-league clubs are particularly vulnerable in the economic downturn and there has been mixed news recently for those in difficulty. Businessmen Stephen Beer has taken a 48 per cent stake in struggling Conference side Weymouth in return for the £300,000 they need to keep them going until the end of the season. Beer owns a cleaning business, a haulage company and a hotel. He criticised past ‘get rich quick’ schemes at Weymouth and made it clear that he would not provide a pot of money. He commented, ‘We need to be a football club again here and not a circus.’ Chief executive Gary Calder said that although Beer’s investment would guarantee the short-term future, more would still be required. Former chairman Malcolm Curtis said that he will not demand instant repayment of the £250,000 he states he is owed.
The news is less good at Merthyr Tydfil. They face liquidation in their centenary year. They are at least £350,000 in debt and face immediate financial problems after chairman Wyn Holloway withdrew his backing for the BGB Premier League club. The players have not been paid for six weeks and the electricity and water have been cut off. Officials are hoping to install a generator for the next home match. The Merthyr Tydfil Fans’ Trust have put £40,000 into the club over the last 18 months, but have had a take over offer rejected.
Elsewhere, Conference side Lewes are hoping to be rescued by new investors. Their debt is reported to be in six figures. The Rooks were served with a winding-up order for failing to pay a Portakabin company £15,000. However, they escaped immediate closure at the High Court last week after the case was deferred to 1 April. Fisher Athletic also won a stay of execution in the courts. The Blue Square South club are believed to owe the Inland Revenue £150,000. However, an application for a winding up order has been deferred until April 22nd.