Harlow Town In Trouble
Emergency talks are being held to save Ryman League Division One
North club
Harlow Town after its parent company was threatened with closure
over unpaid
tax bills. HM Revenues & Customs has filed a petition which
seeks to wind up the
business for debts totalling £42,000. It will present its case
for Harlow Town Football Club Limited to go into liquidation in
court next week. If it succeeds, the club could fold unless a
new buyer is found.
This week Harlow chief executive Jeff Bothwell said a
last-minute meeting
with the club's board of directors, shareholders and potential
financial
backers has been arranged in the hope that a deal can be
thrashed out to
save the business.
And he said he may consider giving the company to chairman and
director
Simon Morgan in the hope he can solve the cashflow problems and
keep it running. "I don't believe the club will fold," said Bothwell. "I
think we will be
able to reach some sort of arrangement with them.
"We have an EGM (emergency general meeting) on July 21st with
directors,
shareholders and people who want to invest in the club and I am
confident we
will sort something out." Bothwell said while the club had good
financial backing, he was not able to transfer funds and shares
at the moment because of an unrelated order preventing him from
doing so.
He said this, coupled with huge overheads on running HTFC's new
3,500-spectator stadium at Barrows Farm which was built with
funding from
the Government's Gateway Partner-ship, has caused the current
problems.
"I love Harlow Town FC, I have been involved with it since 1994
and I would
do anything to save it," he said.
Morgan said he and Bothwell were fighting "tooth and nail" to
save the club.
"It's a resolvable situation which will be resolved," he told
the Star. "It
will not be allowed to go under." Harlow MP Bill Rammell said he
has been in contact with the club to offer support, adding: "I
am extremely concerned by this situation."
"Harlow Town FC is a fantastic local club with a brand new
stadium which the
town should be really proud of. "I have contacted the chairman
again this week following the news of the HMRC hearing and he
assures me that he is doing everything possible to agree with
HMRC a payment plan for the monies outstanding which will enable
the company to trade forward. I have offered the club any help I
can give over the coming weeks to resolve this."
The Essex Football Association said: "We are naturally concerned
to learn of
this news relating to one of our member clubs and will monitor
the progress
of the situation with great interest." The court hearing is due
to take place on Wednesday at the High Court in
London.
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Halesowen Town Hit Problems
Halesowen Town fans are being urged to come out
in force as the Zamaretto
League Premier Division club teeters on the brink of financial
disaster.
Supporters group `The Yeltz Trust` claim the stricken club is
more than
£250,000 in debt and have called on owner Morell Maison to take
it into
administration.
Halesowen were banned from playing by the FA for
a second time in three
months last Monday after failing to meet a July 10th deadline to
pay
creditors, believed to be a former player and two clubs. They
face a race to
be ready for the Southern League Premier Division season
starting on August
15th.
The Yeltz Trust, set up to safeguard the
future of the club, are looking to
take urgent action and believe they may be able to take
Halesowen Town into
administration with Maison’s consent.
The group is calling on supporters to help to apply pressure on
the club’s
hierarchy, starting with their official launch at the weekend.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Blue Square Premier club Chester City’s
124-year existence is hanging in the balance.
Amazingly, after weeks of uncertainty and with just nine days
before the season kicks-off, City’s problems worsened this week.
On Tuesday a High Court ruling revoked the Company Voluntary
Arrangement (CVA) that allowed the club to exit administration.
The decision means the future of professional football in
Chester rests squarely in the hands of the FA.
Soho Square officials must now decide whether to grant the new
company behind the Blues the required affiliation that would
allow them to resume playing and take their place in the Blue
Square Premier – despite not having a CVA in place.
If they do not, the club faces the very real threat of closure.
Last night there were no clues as to whether City would be given
a last-minute reprieve. An FA spokesman said: “All I can say at
this time is that the FA are in touch with the club,
administrator and the Conference with regards to the situation.”
And, worryingly, it is understood the FA have not set a
timescale for an outcome of their decision.
Meanwhile, Conference chiefs meet on Monday for a board meeting
in which Chester’s plight will be high on the agenda.
Dennis Strudwick, general manager of the Conference, said: “I’ve
written to the club and the administrator to find out exactly
what is happening and the matter is being dealt with in tandem
by the Conference and the FA.
“We haven’t set a deadline but an outcome is a matter of urgency
as there are only 10 days before the start of the season.
“We are seeking information and once we’ve received that
information we hope it will enable us to facilitate Chester City
in the league next season.”
HM Revenue & Customs objected to the CVA that took the Blues out
of administration last month and, in a Manchester court on
Tuesday, their objection was upheld.
City must therefore hope that, like Leeds United two years ago,
they are granted an FA Licence even though they do not have a
CVA in place. Leeds, however, were hit with a fifteen-point
deduction and Chester, who will already start the season on
minus-ten, would be likely to receive a similar punishment or
worse.
As an unaffiliated club, the Blues have not been able to play
pre-season friendlies and tonight’s visit of Premier League new
boys Burnley to the Deva Stadium has been cancelled.
The visit to Blue Square North club Droylsden on Saturday could
yet go ahead though. The fixture is in memory of Neil ‘Tony’
Downes from the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, who was killed
in Afghanistan. As an exceptional circumstance, the FA may allow
the friendly to take place.
Chester boss Mick Wadsworth, meanwhile, has agreed a deal for
experienced striker Glynn Hurst.
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