The Chairman of Bridlington Town Football Club has expressed his fears for the future of the club in a statement to supporters.
Matches are now required to be played to the requirements of the FA for clubs operating in Tier 3 areas. This in turn deprives clubs of gate takings, hospitality packages, bar revenue and other match day income.
In the statement, Peter tells of the worsening financial plight of not only Bridlington Town, but of many other clubs in this area.
Peter also outlines the difficulties of organising and playing matches in restricted circumstances and of the large amount of games that have been scheduled to clear the backlog.
Here is Peter’s statement:
“Another Saturday of “Football for the sake of it” to suit requirements of The League and the FA. another week with no income at all coming into the club. Another week of paying expenses to our players management and support staff which now leaves the pot almost empty.
Another week were my loyal and dedicated volunteers who have put an awful lot time, effort and money into the club in my time at the club quite rightly decided various reasons they could not attend the Goole game. Most of these people are of retirement age and on health reasons due to Covid the confusing rules and regulations about Covid meant only two of us out of the ten who normally help attended the game. One of these was myself as chairman and assistant kit man, the other was Dom our programme editor who was acting match day secretary and kit man.
I am also nervous about the situation and did not venture into the changing rooms to help with the kit and stayed outside all the time I was there.
Of course clubs are not allowed to afford any hospitality to the visitors and officials which makes it a miserable event to attend games now (Do the FA care?).
Now to make matters even worse we have been informed that taking in last Saturdays game we have a run of 7 fixtures with only one of those at home to put “another nail in the financial coffin ” of a well run and respected club giving us £600 income in 7 weeks. This is a bloody ridiculous situation and has to change and I await a formal response to the letter I sent to the League on 18th December 2020.”
