In recent months we have highlighted the way in which non-league clubs have been hit hard by the recession. Cash flow is vital to them and many have been hit hard by losing Saturday matches due to the winter weather. A number have disappeared altogether, Windsor & Eton being the most recent example.
In recent months we have highlighted the way in which non-league clubs have been hit hard by the recession. Cash flow is vital to them and many have been hit hard by losing Saturday matches due to the winter weather. A number have disappeared altogether, Windsor & Eton being the most recent example.
Coventry University football guru Dr John Beech has analysed 20 years of football financial data and has found that during that period 68 non-league clubs have experienced a range of ‘insolvency events’ compared with 66 of their league counterparts.
Beech observes that such clubs often fall foul of excessive ambition with benefactors with good intentions, although also interested in boosting their egos, pumping money into a club without thinking through the underlying realities. He thinks that this should be stopped as it goes against the sporting ethic and upsets the competitive balance in a league.
But how would one do this? And are clubs going to be eager to reduce the chances of a boost to their finances? Reference is made to the Supporters Direct model of fans running their clubs on a not-for-profit basis. There is much to be said for the community club model at non-league level, but my own experience suggests that personal tensions can be highly disruptive.