PEACEHAVEN & TELSCOMBE believe they have a bright future after reaching the total needed to become a community owned football club.
A target of £35,000 was set, and subsequently surpassed, by the East Sussex outfit following a tough campaign that almost saw the club fold.
The Magpies saw boss Darren Freeman leave for Lewes in October and his successor Simon Colbran had to deal with his budget being cut in half.
Peacehaven then lost chairman Brian Suckling in January after he lost his battle with cancer and the club ended up finishing bottom of the Ryman South.
They are now back at Step 5, in the Southern Combination League, and on the right track after revealing they had raised £36,620.
The club has now started the process to become a community owned club and fundraising champion and interim board member Mike Bradbury said: “It’s astounding. So many people have stepped forward to support our great football club.
“We now have enough funds to be able to bring the club into community ownership. I know there are some people who are waiting and seeing before they commit. Well, we have done it. We will be a community owned football club and I urge you to get involved and support your local football club.
“I would like to go on record to thank everyone who has donated and supported this ground-breaking campaign. You have all been brilliant.”
The Magpies have been further boosted by the news that international betting giant Unibet have agreed to come on board as the club’s main sponsor.
The company used the club’s Sports Park in April to film their new sports documentary and were so impressed by the welcome they received, they have agreed to an initial one-year sponsorship deal.
Acting club chair Sue Norwood said: “We are delighted to have sealed this sponsorship deal with Unibet. This agreement is the best in the history of this football club.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ben Cove (global head of content at Unibet), a former Peacehaven & Telscombe player, for considering our club.
“The money will greatly enhance our club going forward as a Community Benefits Society, and will be used to ensure we can further develop our teams to maintain our presence in the Southern Combination League, through coaching and team building.”
Cove added: “We were highly impressed by the community spirit and never-say-die attitude of the current committee members, who have brought the club back from the brink.
“Unibet is a truly multinational company with a significant global presence, but it’s also nice to be able to support such a worthy local sporting project like this one.
“We look forward to watching the newly-formed community club grow and prosper in the coming months and years, and hope we can play a small part in ensuring football survives in the area for generations to come.”
