The Reality of Non-League Football

After the events at Marske United FC hitting the headlines because they need to raise £120,000 in the next month or so in order to continue as a club in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, we now have North Shields struggling to continue.
They were promoted two seasons ago to the Northern Premier League East Division, however, they were unable to attract sponsors in the difficult economic climate, thus were unable to improve their ground as required and were demoted back to the Northern League where they are obviously in debt from their season in the higher division and they have issued t his statement:- https://www.northshieldsfc.co.uk/clu...OfPxf-PCc1_lEk

Sadly, this sort of thing is becoming more common because, through the Pyramic System, clubs are being forced in to promotion and the much greater expense which this involves, particularly with clubs in this are having to travel so much further and having ground improvements to be met.
Ashington AFC are trying to raise £50,000 at the minute in order to make the necessary improvements before the March deadline which were made necessary by promotion to Northern Premier League East. I honestly don't see them achieving this and this could have disastrous effect to a Club which is as old as the Clarets.

I have quoted just a few cases in my local area, however, it is happening all over the country. Meanwhile in the Premier League they are wasting money left, right and centre.

It is so wrong that clubs that are part of the community are struggling to survive despite the riches in the game.

I think the PL and the FA have a duty towards clubs in the lower leagues - clubs which have, as you say, a rich history.

The EPL if they have any morals will step in here.There are also a number of player etc in the EPL who could do the same.

The latest update on Marske United FC is just typical of what is happening to a number of clubs at non-league level who are overstretching financially and building up debts at a critical rate.
North Shields recently lost all their playing and management staff because the club could not pay them. They were promoted to NPL a couple od seasons ago but could not afford to update ground facilities so were relegated back to the Northern League with outstanding debts.
I fear that Ashington may well go the same way because they are asking fans to fork out more and more each week.
It is not just in this area that this is happening .

Marske United
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Dear Football Friends & Family,
As many of you are aware Marske United Football Club faced the real threat of extinction.
Our village football team has punched above its weight for many years, achieving exceptional success along the way, but unfortunately stretched itself too far and lived beyond its means.
The price of a rapid rise through the leagues is exponential for a volunteer ran football club.
Ever increasing travel, wage and maintenance costs, alongside greater infrastructure requirements and the pressures on unpaid volunteers are just some of the many challenges faced by non-league football clubs throughout the region and across the country.
These issues combined with our own unique circumstances such as floodlight sabotage, pitch related postponements, and material delays in last summer’s essential drainage work which prevented any pre-season home friendly revenue ultimately brought an existential threat to Marske United, which has been fighting to survive from week to week.
In all our efforts, our number one objective has always been to try and save the football club.
At one stage that did not look possible, and we apologise unreservedly for how events have transpired, both in recent months and over the past year.
The club is sorry for how the situation has been handled from our perspective.
However, today we can confirm that we have ultimately been successful in our mission.
Thanks to the fundraising efforts, and significant financial contributions from the new directors, we now have enough funds to service and stabilise the critical concerns needed to ensure our football club can continue to exist.
If this money had not been raised, then Marske United would not have been allowed to return in any familiar name, shape or form at any level, or play at Mount Pleasant ever again.
The club has been saved.
However, our second objective was to save our season.
Unfortunately, despite our best efforts on and off the pitch, we will not be able to achieve this after exhausting every available option to raise the £120,000 in funds required to get the First Team to the end of the season.
The ongoing weekly and monthly costs to operate at this level are just too great, even with the implementation of further significant cost saving measures to reduce the deficit.
At this stage any further attempts to continue down this path would ultimately jeopardize objective one, as there are no guarantees we would be successful in our efforts, and these would most likely be detrimental to our main mission, leaving the club with no funds, nor future.
However, our collective efforts have not been in vain.
All of the money raised so far will provide our community club with a solid foundation to rejoin the football pyramid at lower-level next season where space is available.
This will provide Marske United with a platform to rebuild again properly in terms of organisation and infrastructure, and the club will survive.
Thus, with a heavy heart the club informed the Northern Premier League and the FA of our decision to withdraw from the Northern Premier League Premier Division which has been accepted.
We would like to place on record our thanks to all official stakeholders for their assistance, guidance, and support behind the scenes, which is often unseen by most.
Discussions as to which league the Marske United First Team will play in next season are already underway. A final decision will be ratified by the FA at the end of the season.
The Marske United Junior Teams will continue to play this season. We also plan to move our remaining Marske United Reserve Team fixtures from New Marske Sports Club to Mount Pleasant to continue to provide weekly football for the community, free of charge, as per North Riding League regulations.
This will ensure that the facilities at Mount Pleasant are well-maintained ahead of the return of league football for the First Team next season.
We would like to thank all the players, coaches, volunteers, partners, other clubs, but most importantly the fans for all their countless efforts and unwavering support.
For now, there will be break, but this not a goodbye by any means, and as always, we will be back!
Sea...Sea...Seasiders
Marske United Football Club