The future for Windsor & Eton remains uncertain. On the one hand, they have a prospective new owner in Kevin Stott but Revenue and Customs are pressing ahead with a winding up order against a club whose debts could be as high as £249,000.
The future for Windsor & Eton remains uncertain. On the one hand, they have a prospective new owner in Kevin Stott but Revenue and Customs are pressing ahead with a winding up order against a club whose debts could be as high as £249,000.
The club owes Revenue and Customs £50,000 and thought that they would have 12 weeks’ grace if they raised £10,000 by November 10th which they have done. However current chairman Peter Simpson has complained that the tax authorities have ‘moved the goalposts’ and won’t confirm that they will agree to such a deal and not proceed with the winding up order. What has to be realised is that, against the backgound of a fiscal deficit, Revenue and Customs are fed up with clubs that can’t settle their tax debts. The club is now exploring a company voluntary arrangement.
Stott has pledged £5,000 to the club which is hardly sufficient to meet their needs. His ambitious plans include opening a gym in one stand and installing a 3G Astro Turf pitch so that it can be hired out during the week. That’s all very well, but the football authorities don’t like such pitches and won’t allow them above a certain level, as Durham City have found to their cost. Also, has the market for a new gym been researched?
If the winding up order goes ahead, the Royalists face losing the lease on their Stag Meadow ground which is rented from the Crown.