Two Blue Square Bet Premiership clubs are in real danger of going out of business, an outcome that would be highly disruptive for the non-league top flight and would occur in spite of the league’s efforts to rein excessive spending by clubs. In both cases a common factor is owners who have been unable to live up to earlier promises.
Two Blue Square Bet Premiership clubs are in real danger of going out of business, an outcome that would be highly disruptive for the non-league top flight and would occur in spite of the league’s efforts to rein excessive spending by clubs. In both cases a common factor is owners who have been unable to live up to earlier promises.
Kettering Town face a winding up order from Revenue and Customs on 6 February. The tax authorities won’t say how much is owed, but it is hardly likely to be a trivial amount. Of course, there is enough time to pay it off, but hopes of additional money coming in through sponsorship being paid up or new investment has not been realised. At least some fans fear that it could be the end of the road for the club.
The future is also looking bleak for Darlington. Over 1000 fans made the trek to Barrow yesterday fearing it could be the club’s last match. Administrator Harvey Madden told The Non-League Paper, ‘There’s no point in me sugar-coating the situation – it’s as bad as it gets. We are working on a day-to-day basis. I would say week-to-week, but it may not last that long.’
Madden added, ‘We will sit down with two people on Monday, but I am not sure they will be able to show us the colour of their money.’ Any potential new owner would have to come up with around £450,000 to pay off the club’s creditors and it is still possible that chairman Raj Singh would demand the return of the significant amount of money he says he has lent the club.