Ground sharing between clubs is always unpopular with fans, but mergers of clubs attract even more opposition as they destroy a cherished identity. In most sectors of business a merger is a normal rationalisation procedure when businesses are failing, but in football it happens rarely and generally at the lower levels of the game. Dagenham and Redbridge, now in League 2, can trace back its lineage to three clubs. Moor Green, hit by a series of devastating arson attacks, merged with Solihull Borough to form Solihull Moors. However, it’s not a costless process.
Ground sharing between clubs is always unpopular with fans, but mergers of clubs attract even more opposition as they destroy a cherished identity. In most sectors of business a merger is a normal rationalisation procedure when businesses are failing, but in football it happens rarely and generally at the lower levels of the game. Dagenham and Redbridge, now in League 2, can trace back its lineage to three clubs. Moor Green, hit by a series of devastating arson attacks, merged with Solihull Borough to form Solihull Moors. However, it’s not a costless process. Legal fees alone cost £30,000 and there were also administration costs at the FA. A proposal to merge non-league outfits Bromsgrove Rovers and Redditch United is under discussion. Debt strapped Redditch would effectively disappear with games being played ten miles away in Bromsgrove. A merger is also being envisaged for Blue Square Premier side Weymouth who are reportedly losing £30,000 a month. A Dorset ‘super club’ would be formed through a merger with Dorchester Town with games being played at Dorchester’s modern stadium seven miles away from the seaside town.