Tigers: Four weeks to save Gloucester City Football Club from extinction
GLOUCESTER City Football Club are a month from going out of business.
The crisis-hit Tigers need to find £25,000 by the end of the current season on April 27 in order to keep trading.
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Nigel Hughes
Six years without a home and dwindling gates have left the club unable to make ends meet.
Unless the money can be found by the time the current Blue Square Bet North season ends, the club will be left with significant bills and with no way of paying them.
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Club chairman Nigel Hughes explained that the Tigers were approaching a crunch moment in their 130-year history.
"If we cannot identify new funds quickly, and very quickly, then we are weeks from going out of business – the situation is as stark as that," Hughes said.
"We made just £21 from our game against Droylsden when we had a crowd of just 149, and we just cannot survive on gates and revenue like that.
"Where have all the supporters gone? We had 1,300 supporters turn up to support us against Leyton Orient in the FA Cup, we need them back desperately.
"We don't care where the money comes from, we just need it to come from somewhere.
"The Supporters Trust are doing their best to help and we have explored every single avenue in terms of funding and where we can play – we have exhausted all options."
The Tigers have been effectively homeless since the catastrophic Gloucestershire floods of 2007, as water submerged the Meadow Park pitch leaving it polluted and uninsurable.
Since then, the club has toured Gloucestershire making temporary homes at Forest Green, Cirencester and for the last three years Cheltenham Town.
Last month, The Citizen revealed that the club had fallen behind with their rent payments to current landlords Cheltenham Town owing a figure in excess of £17,000.
The club have found a benefactor to pay that bill and The Citizen understands that negotiations are close to being completed on a deal that will see the Robins paid in full and an agreement put in place for next season.
However, dwindling revenues through the turnstiles, that culminated in the record low gate for the Dryolsden game last week, has left the club with significant other financial pressures.
In the past, holes in the finances have been plugged by owner Eamonn McGurk, but after 16 years, spending a total of in excess of £1 million on the club, he has had to channel his resources.
The Gloucester-based businessman has already spent £250,000 on the planning application for a new stadium at Meadow Park, only for the plans to be dealt a major blow in September last year.
The plans for the stadium and business land surrounding it were only "minded for approval" by the city council – effectively an amber light when the club desperately needed a green.
McGurk is now turning his attentions solely to the remodelled plans for the stadium, knowing that for the club to have any sort of long-term future, a permanent home is desperately needed.
On the field, City already operate on one of the smallest playing budgets within the Football Conference and have no staff on the pay-roll other than the players, coaches and physiotherapists.
Steps are being taken to restructure the finances for the future, but with contracts to honour until the end of the current season, the desperate need for fresh revenue has become acute.
Despite the club's own website stating that just four home games are remaining this season, the Tigers are actually scheduled to play five further games at Whaddon Road this season.
Colwyn Bay are the visitors on Wednesday week, March 27, while Histon come to Whaddon Road three days later on Easter Saturday.
The Tigers face Vauxhall Motors on Saturday, April 6, Gainsborough Trinity on Tuesday, April 16 before Corby Town are the opposition for what could be the club's last home game on Saturday, April 20.
And unless significant investment is found by the time the return fixture at Colwyn Bay is played on Saturday, April 27, the fixture could be the last in the Tigers' 130-year history.
Any businesses or individuals who can assist the club are asked to contact Hughes on 07595 466447 or club consultant Colin Peake on 07763 831070.
33 Comments
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by late83
Thursday, March 21 2013, 4:45PM
“Cityboy81, I was sincere in my original post hoping for a Gloucester City revival but your latter comments just reminded me of how deluded, bitter and spiteful Gloucester city fans are, You and your sponging club should p1$$ off to Kingsholm! Your not fit to grace Whaddon Road where we have entertained the likes of Newcastle, Everton, Leeds, Forest etc etc. Dont need you cutting out fantastic pitch up with your games against the likes of Workington”
by Selector
Wednesday, March 20 2013, 9:46AM
“You just don't get it do you Tiger_Roar? The club is your passion, but you are only one of a few hundred odd-balls at most. You cannot force people into caring, no matter how much you choose to criticise them for not doing so. If this was rugby, we both know there would be a huge public outcry and a massive campaign to save the club, but it isn't, and you need to accept that the interest in GCAFC just doesn't exist and never will.
I don't much like Cheltenham Town FC, but they are the county's biggest football club, and Gloucester RFC is the biggest sports club. Click on the link to 'Football' on the home page of this website. All of the stories are about Cheltenham Town. There are local rugby sides such as Coney Hill and Matson that get more coverage than Gloucester City, because there is more interest in them, and that sells more papers.
TiG doesn't care about GCAFC. It'll jump on any old bandwagon, but if it really gave a damn what happened to the club, it would give them far more column inches on a regular basis than it does.
Finally, you can mock my club as much as you want, because that is the only comeback you have left after being wrong about me in previous posts. I don't need to resort to mocking your club - I have put approx. £50 into its coffers this season - but I am just spelling out the realities of the situation it is in. Good luck in saving GCAFC, and I do mean that.”
by CheltRobin
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 10:16PM
“As a CTFC fan, I do actually have sympathy for the plight of GCFC. Although we haven't had a local rivalry for some 15 years now, it's sad to see our county rivals in such a state. Reading the comments, I can't believe that it costs £12 to see Conference North footy - Chelt is only £3 more and it's 2 divisions higher - maybe if the admission price was dropped to £8-10, then GCFC would see an increase in support. However, as a lot of other clubs have found to their cost, relying on 1 or 2 individuals to keep pumping money into the club, when gates and income are falling + the club is losing money hand-over-fist, is just unrealistic - it can't go on forever. It must be hard to see your club not playing in Glos, but the fact is, unless another benefactor is found soon or the attendances double in size from now until the end of the season, the future of GCFC is looking doubtful. Now that McGurk has ploughed his remaining monies into the plans for the new ground, the footy fans of Glos are just going to have to get along to WR - it may not be your fav place, but unless you do, you may very well no have any kind of club to support next season. I actually thought that when Glos moved to WR, the attendances would be double what they are now - it's a lot closer than Cirencester after all.
Myself - I can't understand how a deal hasn't been done to groundshare with Glos Rugby - surely the best (and cheapest) long-term solution for a club the size of Glos City??
Hope it doesn't come to that - the only 1's who can change that outcome are YOU - the footy fans of Glos.”
by Tiger_Roar
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 7:37PM
“So, you saw one terrible game (Wukkie), one with a great atmosphere (Orient) and one where we annihilated local rivals with a stunning start to the second half (Worcester) yet it's still a poor standard? It must be orgasmic watching Swindon Town! ....insert rolleyes smiley....”
by Tastyfish
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 7:23PM
“Colin, many thanks for clearing up my understanding with regards rule 21 of the Football Conference Rules which relates to minimum gate prices. However, this admission makes it even more astonishing - that GCAFC CHOOSE to set their admission prices at £12 (non-concessions). I can't make it any clearer: that is just bonkers in 2013 for this level of football, in austere times and when there are so many things competing for people's time and money.
Everyone I speak to about City asks how much it costs to watch. And every single one of them drops their jaw when I tell them. That's my basic market research which is clearly much more than the club has done.
I think the club just expect that people will pay this. Wrong. The only people who will pay this are the die-hard supporters. And there are just not enough of them to keep the club afloat. To cast your net wider you need to make it more attractive. Either on the pitch (which, let's give credit where it's due, the players and manager are playing their part) or on the gate.
Football needs to get itself away from traditional footballing mentality and immerse itself into the culture of 21st century Britain. Consumers are more more discerning and demand much more for their buck.
There is clearly a problem otherwise the club wouldn't be in this situation where it is not making any money. Price is definitely a factor.”
by late83
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 3:27PM
“Bitter Gloucester, we were always better than you even back then! You should be grateful you get to use our 'outdated' and 'scummy' ground otherwise you'd not have a club to support! What division are you in again?”
by cityboy1981
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 12:33PM
“Late83 you are a complete ***. I would rather watch celt saracens than chelt f.c!. Hate evey time i have to go to that out dated stadium in that scummey area”
by cityboy1981
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 12:30PM
“Late83 you are a complete ***. I would rather watch celt saracens than chelt f.c!
Hate every time i have to go to that out dated stadium in that scummey area.”
by cityboy1981
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 12:21PM
“Late83 you are a complete t@!t. I would rather watch chelt saracens than watch cheltscum f.c!
Hate every time i have to go to that out dated stadium in that scummey area”
by Selector
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 9:56AM
“I think £12 is a bit steep, although it is fair to mention that kids under 11 get in free. Personally, I would rather pay £25 to see Swindon once than £24 to see Gloucester City twice, and enrolling my son as a 'Junior Red' for £25 for the season means that he gets in to matches 'free', which is basically the same as having a season ticket. The football is significantly better, and the atmosphere doesn't compare when it's 9,000-10,000 against 200-300 fans. Logistically, by the time I get over to Cheltenham, I could almost be in Swindon.
For the benefit of Tiger_Roar, I have been to see three Gloucester City home matches this season - against Leyton Orient, Workington and Worcester. That's three occasions more than most Gloucester residents have ever seen them, and, for what it's worth, I do hope they survive, but something has to change if the club is to be sustainable, otherwise the plug may as well be pulled now.”