23rdmay04

Bromley up for sale - but only to the right person

BROMLEY chairman and owner Jerry Dolke has put the Hayes Lane club up for sale - but only to the right person.

He has put the "open to offers" signs up after a disappointing season that has seen them effectively relegated to the new Ryman League Division One and with a long climb ahead to regain the position they once held.

Officially, Dolke, a former Bromley player and a fan through and through, believes he has taken the club as far as he can.

Unofficially, the job will almost certainly take more time - and more money - than he has at his immediate disposal.

Speaking in Sunday's Non-League Paper, Dolke said: "The club operates in the richest and the biggest borough in London and it needs to be pushed on to another level."

He admitted: "I don't know if I'm the man to take it there.

"There was a time when this club played Gravesend and Margate as equals.  To get back there we need someone with the time and money to devote to it - someone with the club at heart.

"And if such a person was to step forward, I would willingly step aside.

"This club is a full-time job.  I have neglected my business and my family for something that doesn't pay me an income.

"Now I just want to pay my £7 like any other fan - and moan like one when the price goes up to £8.

His decision is likely to cause quite a stir in a town that up until now has taken only a passing interest in its football club.

If the right person does come forward chairman Dolke insists he will be handing over a going concern with a 15-year lease and security of tenure assured on its ground, new floodlights will be erected before the start of next season, and a youth development set-up that starts with the under elevens right through to under eighteens.

Dolke added: "This is still a big club with massive potential. All it needs now is for the right person to come along and really start the ball rolling."

SUNDAY'S NON-LEAGUE PAPER IS ON SALE FROM NEWSAGENTS PRICED £1.20


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