Fuel prices could hit non-league
Published on 5th June 2008 in Sport
An already turbulent non-league close season, which still has the league AGM's to go through in many cases, now faces more problems with the recent escalation in the oil price, writes Graeme Wilson.
That is the major findings of an investigation undertaken by a leading non-league weekly publication after they had been contacted, and indeed had spoken to several chairman of clubs at step one to four of the non-league pyramid.
Most of the findings are not exactly rocket science as this was forecast some time ago in this paper, which has always doubted the intentions of the Football Association to reorganise the levels of the game semi professionally and to cut travelling costs.
One club chairman at the top level in the Nationwide Conference, Geoff Goodwin at Altrincham, who owns a coach company believes attendances will be hit as he is quoted as saying " the first thing to go in times of a credit crunch is the luxuries in life."
He also says that to hire one of his 49 seater coaches at the moment is £1100, and that is fuel bill alone has risen from £280000 to £400000 in the year so far.
Well that is the Conference admittedly, but take the Vikings for instance, who by being placed in the UniBond One South once more face trips to Birmingham in 2008-2009 and getting players there as well as expecting supporters to travel is becoming increasingly difficult.
For instance last season the Vikings' travelling away by coach was £500 for journeys into Lancashire and Staffordshire, so one knows they will increase for the Midlands this time.
It is another consequence of a summer of problems with reorganisation yet again and the continued uncertainty over club's futures, namely Halifax Town, Boston United and Nuneaton Borough.
Those issues should finally be decided in the next ten days with Annual General Meetings taking place all over the country for leagues at step four and five.
Halifax, at the time of writing, have until the UniBond AGM on Saturday week to take their place in , it is understood, UniBond One North, but if that is not the case, a new club may well start down in the wilderness at step six in the Northern Counties East.
And finally, although not strictly non-league, it does have connections with the news that Gretna, once members of the UniBond League before moving into Scotland, appear to have folded following their financial woes centred around the illness of their long standing benefactor Brooks Mileson.
His illness and the obvious financial pressures of their elevation in such a quick time to the Scottish Premier Division have seen them go bust.
I just wonder if we haven't seen the last of them though, and knowing the chairman Ron McGregor quite well, I believe they will form once more back in the English non-league pyramid - probably North West Counities.