We hope to bring back the good days to the club, says newly appointed Erith & Belvedere director Paul Springett

Two former Erith & Belvedere footballers have taken over the club at boardroom level.

Paul Springett, who made 144 appearances for the club between 2012 and 2016, winning the Kent League double under Micky Collins in 2013, has been appointed director along with James Lyons, as a small consortium have taken over the Sea Pioneer Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division club.

“James Lyons was announced as a new director a couple of weeks ago and will continue to operate in this capacity,” said Springett.

“James brings great leadership qualities and organisational skills, which will be key as we work on planning for the future.  He has been instrumental in organising the transition for the new consortium so thank you to him.

“The new board of directors will focus on monitoring the company’s financial performance and status, implementing a clear strategy and working on putting together a clear operational model.

“The hard work starts from the grassroots up to build a sustainable infrastructure.  This includes securing long term training facilities, ground/bar/dressing room refurbishment and this all requires significant investment and time, so we would like to take this moment to say, please bear with us during these refurbishment works. 

“The club unfortunately has been left in disrepair so apologies in advance as we look to fix things during this transitional period.

“We take over in a difficult position on and off the field: as we have seen with non-league clubs and more recently Football League clubs, investment on and off the field is important.  We will look to ensure that both areas improve as we build and plan for 2020-21 and beyond.

“With the teams in place already, along with potential ones planned for next season, we will continue to create an environment for all players to have the option to play for Erith & Belvedere FC. 

“This is something we have been very keen on maintaining: making sure we have a clearly defined path from the youngest age to the highest level so that, should they choose to do so, all boys and girls can play for Erith & Belvedere FC from five, six or 10 years old through to adult football and at the highest level we can achieve.

“We very much look forward to the challenges ahead, working closely with the managers, committee and of course the players, supporters, parents and carers of this wonderful club.

“We hope to do justice to the role and to continue the hard work and success that the McFadden family have brought to the Erith & Belvedere set-up over the past 26 years.  We wish them well for the future and they will always be welcome back at the club.

“Thank you also to Mickey Cooper who has stepped down as a director but has been a great help in liaising of the running of the club, and to former club secretary Bill Hollins who can now enjoy his retirement.

“Lastly, I would like to say a huge thank you to current chairman Brian Spurrell and club treasurer Mike Murtagh for bringing this opportunity to the table and working tirelessly through our extensive due diligence process.  Mike is a long serving director of the club and Brian, while a more recent addition to the board, is a supporter of over 30 years’ standing.

“We hope to bring back the good days to the club and look forward to a prosperous future and to welcoming you to our games starting with the home fixture against Chatham Town on 25 February.”

Erith & Belvedere are sitting second-from-bottom in the table with 19 points from their 25 league games, three points clear of basement side Crowborough Athletic.  The Deres are four points adrift of the side immediately above them in the table, Fisher, with 11 league games remaining.

Visit Erith & Belvedere’s website: www.erithandbelvederefc.clubbuzz.co.uk