Is There a Safe Model for lower league & None League Football Clubs ?

Is there one?
One that prevents a Bury, a Bolton and almost certainly more to follow. One that prevents the downward trajectory that our own club has suffered as we start our ninth season in none league football as a direct result of historic financial mismanagement. One that prevents historical custodians of the club that should not have been allowed within 20 miles of the front door with resultant decision making that beggars belief. Is there a panacea that puts the true custodians of any traditional club with a history, its supporters, at the forefront of a club’s wellbeing? Sadly the answer as it stands at the moment is almost a resounding no although I will qualify that with a dose of hope.

A football club whether it be a multi million pound premiership outfit or a glorified recreation ground with 50 supporters is, unless its floated is a private business. The owners and shareholders make decisions about how that business is purchased, funded and operated. The problem with professional competitive sport is that the drive for success is often so acute that those normally sane, astute businessmen and women make business decisions about the football club that they would never, in a million years make about their own businesses. The almost rabid desire to strive for the Premier League for already resident EFL clubs is almost matched by the same desire for none league clubs at the upper echelons of that pyramid to achieve EFL status. For some clubs that are completely bankrolled to do so (more of which I shall comment on later) finance is clearly not the limiting factor providing the benefactor (s) hang around.

For every Bury, Hereford, Chester, Darlington, Maidstone etc there is of course a Salford, Fylde, Fleetwood, Crawley or Forest Green and yet to castigate those clubs entirely on the basis of a bankrolled existence would be both unfair and unwise. Yes it is hugely grating that what appear to be ego driven vanity projects often driven by seemingly deeply unpleasant persons massively inflating pay structures and in effect buying success but its their business to run and fund as they wish. When one of the UK’s top twenty richest took over at EP in 2003 one could have been forgiven for thinking ‘happy days’ the reality of course was something very different. Turning to such ‘legislation’ as Financial Fair Play Rules which I note Martin Samuels of the ‘Mail’ calls a “tax on ambition” would not, in my opinion, help much particularly lower down the pyramid. It is hard to enforce, even harder to prove and police and even if it were solicitors and barristers would be the only real winners. That is unless the authorities introduced something more accountable.

I could not write this article without a mention for the press and particularly local, regional TV. They are to put it bluntly appalling. Clearly the BBC love in with all things Salford made for a good documentary given the class of 92 connections and I have no issue with that. What really annoys me is the local press’s total amnesia to how some of these clubs function. When Fleetwood gained promotion at Wembley a few seasons ago they (the BBC) excitedly and fervently informed us that Fleetwood had spent in excess of £21 million pounds to go from none league to League 1, as I have said that is their prerogative but then fast forward 5 years and the BBC devote the whole of their evening local programme from Gigg Lane as Bury goes through its death throws due to massive (several £ million) debt, without a hint of irony they talk about the current owner’s shortcomings, quite rightly berating him and yet had the ill fated C&N Sporting risk deal saved Bury I seriously doubt that they would have given that take over much analysis.  When Stewart Day took over Bury in 2013 local TV ran an interview with him, I would challenge them to run it again and ask the question to all concerned, including the press ‘at what point did the alarm bells not ring? I attach a small extract from Bury FC’s website at that time:

Stewart has identified a new team of individuals to work within the club to make sure that the historic financial perils will never be faced again.

Stewart is an open individual that will not hide from any of the fans questioning and will openly invite people to the club in the next few weeks to share his vision for the future of this amazing football club.

So let us turn our attention to the governing bodies of football: The Premier League, The EFL and the National League. ‘Fit and Proper persons test’ an abstract idea, rarely enforced or at best late. ‘Financial Fair Play’ ditto. The current English Premier League Champions are effectively a state run and financed outfit with global ambitions, I suppose you could throw in a dodgy (at best) human rights record and accounting skills that I can only dream of to try and offset FFP rules but ultimately as I said, law firms and barristers will be the ultimate beneficiaries should any ‘punishments’ be admonished unless the authorities come up with something more workable. Our very own National League in many respects out guns the EFL in many areas but I can tell you (allegedly) that even in the upper reaches of the none league set up there are a number of (mainly southern based) clubs with ownership and funding that may, and I’m being kind here, make interesting reading to a forensic accountant or investigator.

So back to my title question. Supporters Trusts: A few succeed, most fail or sell out to the next available buyer. Maybe some success with a minority stake although if the objective is to prevent the next ‘asset stripper’ deluded nutcase’ or just out and out criminal from buying the club that may be difficult to prevent.  Sugar Daddy or Sugar Mama: Great whilst they are committed to the club and they have genuine wealth the problem here is if the wealth is leveraged against the owners outside business interests and that goes belly up it will almost certainly drag the club with it. I note that the betting/gambling industry clearly has huge sponsorship involvement particularly in the Premier League and the Championship. For me there is a slightly worrying aspect beyond the obvious promotion of gambling in that betting industry analytics companies are coming to the fore. Notts County were saved at the 11^th hour by one such enterprise and I wish them well but it does seem that the betting industry has an ever increasing presence in professional and none league football both as sponsors and now as actual owners.

 At Stockport County I would argue that we don’t have a model as such but it appears to be a relatively safe working arrangement where a board of directors and advisors and ‘shareholders’ manage and administer the club within its income that I guess is derived from season ticket sales, on line/walk up sales, sponsorship and cuts of catering monies, club shop profits and lottery monies. Stadium cleaning as well as some maintenance and refurbishment work carried out by Help the Hatters on a self funded voluntary basis including training ground work as well. Budgets set within known (or projected?) income with break even or small profits aimed for with any losses underwritten by the directors. It’s a relatively unspectacular but safe model. It does not give us the biggest playing budget in the division but it’s not the smallest either. I am estimating that the relatively large crowds that we attract effectively fund the stadium and other overheads that will be quite large. Be great to bring the stadium back at least into the orbit of the club and save that rental/mortgage. Be great to have a dedicated and proper training ground. Be great to re-seat and get a roof on the Railway End, but for now safe and unspectacular works. I suspect the dynamic may have to alter should we get back to the football league. Travelling costs may not be much greater than the National but clearly player’s wages would be on another level. Income, Golden Share etc would increase but I would envisage the model as it is would essentially stay the same although additional ‘investment’ may be required. Not sure what investment actually means even in the lower reaches of the EFL or National level, I think its somebody with some money to give and perhaps not too bothered about getting a return on it or even getting it back but I am just cynical.

RIP Bury FC and the others that will follow.

Adrian Caville