Grounds for concern for Kent League clubs

Sunday 17th October 2010

KENT LEAGUE clubs face a race against time to raise the funds to get their grounds up to scratch by the end of March - or they could be thrown out of the league, writes Stephen McCartney.

They might be bitter rivals off-the-pitch, especially after clashes in the past over kit colours and last week the row over striker Jamal York, but Beckenham Town and Erith Town must find £75,000 between them to maintain their Kent League status next season.

Beckenham have received planning permission from Bromley council to erect a new stand at their Eden Park Avenue ground, but must raise the funds and install the structure by the 31 March deadline.

Jason Huntley, who doubles up as first team manager and chairman told www.kentishfootball.co.uk: “We’re speaking to a couple of sponsors’ because that has to be installed to go up by a certain date and to take part in the FA Cup and FA Vase and that needs to be up by March.”

Huntley claimed: “I think that applies to five or six teams in our league. Erith Town are one of them, Corinthian, Holmesdale, obviously Greenwich Borough as they groundshare there, so we’re still on-going with that. That’s our priority.

“A couple of people I know, who I used to work with, they seem very optimistic about trying to put some money in so we can raise the funds to do it.

“I think it’s between £20-25,000 to get it all completed, the stuff the ground needs.”

Erith Town chairman, Albert Putman, meanwhile, says he will delve into his own personal savings to spend the £50,000 the club needs to get their ground up to scratch by the deadline.

Big things were supposed to happen to the club following the arrival of a new chairman, Roy MacNeil, but things quickly turned sour. Mr Putman returned to the hot-seat as Mr MacNeil was removed off the committee and in the past week manager Steve O’Boyle resigned, revealing that his playing budget was slashed in half.

“Everybody knows we have to do certain things to the ground,” Mr Putman told www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

The club must erect a cover for some of the green seats that are situated on one side of the ground at Erith Sports Stadium, and put a rail around two ends, which is in hand, according to the chairman.

“I resigned, not resigned, but stood back from chairman at the beginning of the season for on reason, a guy came along, Roy MacNeil, but I stood back because he was going to put the money in to the team and I was going to do the ground.”

Mr Putman alleged: “Right, well, he was a con merchant. That’s not a very nice word to use but he had no money. He put no money up. He never done anything that was asked of him to be done and that’s why he was taken off our committee.”

He added: “I came back at the beginning, again, I had to come back into it.

“All my savings was going into doing the ground because if we don’t do it by March we’re out of the league.

“£50,000 is going to be spent on the ground. It’s going to be my own money. It might be some from the Football Foundation but that’s still in the balance.”

Mr MacNeil, contacted www.kentishfootball.co.uk last Tuesday requesting to put his views across, but no statement has been forthcoming.