Done. Couldn’t afford much but I came within hours of not having a team to support anymore and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
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Honestly I am (and the club/supporters will be) so grateful for any donations, especially from those outside of the club and the town! Thank you so much Funky x
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Could you remind me tomorrow pervo? About to head to bed, but I’d miss Tonbridge if the worst were to happen.
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I’ll try to! It feels like we’re generally well-liked, which is really heartening, especially when Wealdstone fans spent weeks giving us grief over postponing their game.
Like I said before, fuck 'em.
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Pretty much my reasoning. I wouldn’t wish it on any club, even Charlton or Brighton.
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Have been to fundraising friendlies for Exeter (boooo) and Torquay (they’re alright really) and they did the same for us. Goes beyond rivalry really, stuff like this.
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No point having a rivalry with a dead club, is there.
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Exactly! Be missing out on 6 guaranteed points a season at least!
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I dunno Charlton especially took great delight when we were on the verge of being wound up. It does feel a bit like karma with what they are going through, but ultimately I’m better than that and wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
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Yep despite our rivalry with Brighton, it’s better playing them. I know DiS doesn’t understand it, but there is also a mutual kind of respect.
Despite our rivalry it hasn’t stopped us raising hundreds of thousands for charity.
This is an old link but is still going.
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Did you know it was an Argyle fan who first set up the thing I can’t remember the name of where fans of other clubs go to watch one that’s struggling financially, to help save Brighton. Sorry!
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Yeah we raised cash for them too and they did for us. Charlton on the other hand…
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I have a lot of sympathy for most clubs that are struggling to fit in their matches at the moment, as mentioned up-thread, Hendon went through something very similar almost 20 years ago where we ended up playing 14 matches in 27 days at the end of the season including 3 in the last 3 days - 2 matches ended up not being played.
Just having a quick look through the step 1-3 leagues, the sides worst off look to be:
Atherton Collieries - 16 matches to play in 44 days
Morpeth Town - 15 matches to play in 44 days
Hartley Wintney - 15 matches to play in 44 days
Poole Town - 14 matches to play in 44 days
I’ve seen a number of clubs launching crowdfunding pages after this winter - Hungerford, Poole and Worksop (I think their problems are slightly different). The Hungerford chairman was disarmingly honest about his side’s financial problems and they’re odds on to get relegated to step 3 - they’re paying about £3.5k/week (about half what the league leaders are paying and what Dulwich were paying a couple of years ago) and have all but one player on contract which makes cutting their budget pretty difficult.
The less said about Poole the better - a view perhaps coloured by a wasted 4-hour coach trip there and not even being offered so much as a cup of tea or piss in a warm toilet. They have at least seen sense and started to host matches half an hour down the road on the 3G at Dorchester (they’ve managed to host two matches at their own home since the end of September!). Besides which, by their own fans admission, they’re paying big money on players whilst maintaining a ground that isn’t fit for purpose. I do have an issue with this - you should be making sure you have a plausible home ground before putting together a squad on money at the top end of the budget league.
I honestly believe 3G is the way to go for clubs at Non-League level. Certainly at Step 3 and below. Our surface, at Hendon, is probably the worst 3G I’ve seen with Carshalton and Dorchester the best. I’m hoping that when ours is up for renewal in a couple of years that the landlords find a better one than what we currently have.
It’s a big outlay to begin with, but not only opens up a whole host of funding opportunities without fear of damaging the surface, it means clubs can budget without fear of losing matches to the weather except in snow (which is a rarity). It might upset some of the ‘but football should be played on grass’ purists but the benefits far outweigh the negatives. If managed properly, it more than pays for itself over time.
The FA should be setting up a fund by skimming a little bit off clubs at the top of the game and making it available to clubs at grass roots level to install 3G surfaces - so many lower league clubs on the continent have 3G, it’s the norm rather than the exception. Of course, that’s not going to happen.
I’ll try and slip a few quid Tonbridge’s way tomorrow and wish them well.
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This would be a great move and would give so much more stability to non-league clubs. Getting 3g at Haringey Borough has meant that home games are rarely postponed and it brings in more revenue as other teams/competitions use it, let alone giving the women and youth teams a decent surface to play on.
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Our groundsman reckons that 4G isn’t the way to go for us as there are loads of them at schools on the vicinity that we wouldn’t make much money renting them out, and Tonbridge is basically a flood plain so they reckon a 4G pitch would get flooded anyway. Improved drainage and pitch covers are our short term intended solution if we can raise the money for it.
I reckon it is the way forward for most clubs though.
3G seems to have changed Whyteleafes business plan. They’ve got a pretty good academy and youth setup and the pitches are always in use. Seems to be translating to results on the pitch too.
I think there’s going to be some worrying times ahead in the next few months for a lot of clubs across Non League Football.
Was pretty amazed that the National League was ‘business as usual’ at the weekend, a number of managers were unusually scathing about that decision and not just those that like to have a moan. The Southern League has been cancelled for a week and will be reviewed on Friday, really can’t fathom what is going to change between now and then for them to suddenly say ‘Yup, all good, on we go!’
Can’t see the season being concluded, which could be fatal for those clubs that have a large number of players under contract until the end of the season. No matter what, they’re going to have to be paid and with no income… not good news.
Of course, this is where you’d expect the authorities to step in and offer financial assistance but given the FA’s complete lack of leadership in the last week (not a new thing where they’re concerned, granted), I won’t hold my breath.
I’m quite relieved that Hendon will be able to cover the wages of our contracted staff without dipping anywhere near the red. We’re unusually fortunate in that respect, being financially solvent.
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…FFS… Our pitch, which since 4th January has only been playable during the middle of Storm Dennis, is ruled playable for tomorrow evening’s rearranged game against Eastbourne 
Relegation threatened Dulwich have suspended playing football for the foreseeable future as well.
Tonbridge fundraiser up to £8.5k (a grand has been donated directly to the club since the page was set up so it’s only showing up as 7.5 on the page itself). Feels like quite fortuitous timing really 
The comments underneath the tweet which Dulwich posted their decision to suspend playing football are quite something. So far I haven’t read one that isn’t from a twisted Wealdstone fan.
Would be enormously surprised if the National League isn’t suspended today.
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