TF90M’s Lower League Correspondent David Holliday comments on the woes of Weymouth Football Club…
There are only a few top league teams situated in the far South-West, with the stand-out side being Plymouth, though it looks as if the region may be about to lose one of their clubs.
I’m sure most of you have heard of Weymouth FC over the last few weeks. From the lifelong fans who made money by betting against their own team, to the hundreds of youngsters turning up from all over the country to try and get a game for the non-league team.
But who are Weymouth FC?
Weymouth FC, also known as "The Terras", are a Dorset-based club, who play in the Blue Square Premier First Division. The Terras spent many years in the top level of non-League football (initially the Southern League, then later in the Football Conference) before a period of decline. In recent years they were widely regarded as among the biggest underachievers in non-League football, but defied this reputation in the 2005-06 seasons by winning the Conference South. Famous former players include Graham Roberts, Peter Guthrie, Andy Townsend and even Olympic Gold medallist Darren Campbell who had a brief Weymouth career.
Recent years have hit Weymouth hard and they are now on the brink of collapse due to financial difficulties.
Journalist and author Ian Ridley took control of the club in 2003-2004 and his appointment of former Millwall, Leicester and Birmingham striker Steve Claridge as manager brought about new optimism. Within a season they had turned the club around from relegation fodder to just missing out on promotion to the Conference. Gates also increased from around 500 to 1200. The arrival on the board of Martyn Harrison and his decision to put the club in the hands of his company Hollybush Hotels as well as interference in playing matters prompted Ridley to leave in September 2004. Harrison sacked Claridge within a month.
Harrison was to appoint Steve Johnson - the brother of Gary Johnson - as manager in November 2004 prompting a huge-turnover in playing staff including the departure of star striker Lee Phillips on a free transfer to Exeter. When the team dropped down the league Johnson was sacked by Harrison in March 2005 with Garry Hill taking over. The club won automatic promotion to the Conference in May 2006 but at a heavy price with large loans from Harrison to meet soaring wage bills of around £20,000. In 2005 Harrison confirmed plans, pending local authority approval, to re-develop the Wessex Stadium, a scheme funded by selling the current ground to the Asda supermarket chain. This now looks very unlikely with local planners opposed to such a deal. Harrison is now looking at moving to another site and developing leisure facilities on the current land. Coincidentally, Asda's current base in Weymouth is on the site of the old Recreation Ground which Weymouth left to move to the Wessex Stadium in 1987, at a time when 32 years had gone by since a Football League club had built a new stadium.
In January 2007, Harrison announced that in order to guarantee the long-term financial future of the club, the entire first team had been transfer listed, and the management team of Hill and Kevin Hales had left the club by mutual consent. Days later, it was announced that Tindall had been appointed player-manager, with Roy O'Brien appointed player-coach, and the squad had been taken off the transfer list.
They finished 11th in the Conference National in 2006-07. On 20 June 2007, Mel Bush, Tindall's father-in-law, was confirmed as the club's new owner, although Harrison had personally cleared all of the club's debts. Tindall was sacked in January 2008 after 12 months in charge, in light of a 2007-08 season record of only three wins, leaving the club in 19th, 5 points off of the relegation zone. John Hollins was officially confirmed as the club's new manager a day later. He guided the club to an 18th place finish in the 2007-08 season.
In close season 2008 the club started a rebranding programme, with the club badge changing, and a club motto being introduced, "Forward Together". Then the announcement of local children's hospice Julia's House as the shirt sponsor for the year, following on from successful schemes such as Aston Villa and Barcelona with Acorns and Unicef respectively. The club also announced plans for a new stadium situated in the town which would not just be used for the club, but community purposes too. At the end of October the club were 13th with 16 points.On the 21st October 2008, club owner Malcolm Curtis announced he was set to step down and look to sell the club.At the start of 2009, it was announced that Weymouth was in financial difficulties. It is expected that Weymouth were £300,000 in debt and on the 19th January 2009, Weymouth FC Chief Executive Gary Calder announced that Malcolm Curtis had resigned as a Director and as Chairman of Weymouth Football Club Ltd. Weymouth then soon set up a scheme with 1 million shares each costing 50p.
None of the first team have been paid since 2008 but played on for a while until a few days before last week’s game with Rushden and Diamonds when they went on strike and refused to play. This led to the clubs youth team being forced to play. They lost 9-0 and it looks as if the youth team will get another run out against York City on Saturday. But young lads have been turning up from all over the country to get a game. All on trial at Weymouth they just want to play and don’t want paying.
So will Weymouth be forced to disband? Will they be saved? Or will they even become the first proper turn-up-and-play football team in history? Only time will tell.
Bookmark with:
