THAMESMEAD TOWN chairman Paul Bowden-Brown has defended the decision to leave Bayliss Avenue and groundshare with Dartford – saying it will give the club a “new lease of life”.
The Ryman North outfit announced on Wednesday evening that they had signed a five-year deal to share Dartford’s Princes Park stadium from the start of next season.
Thamesmead have called Bayliss Avenue home since 1988 and the ground has undergone a number of improvement phases over the years.
However, with the club unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease with landlords the Peabody Trust, Bowden-Brown says they had no choice but to look elsewhere.
They have secured their immediate future by signing a five-year deal with National League South side Dartford, Princes Park standing just nine miles from Bayliss Avenue.
It is hoped the move to Princes Park, itself only opened in 2006, will help push Thamesmead forward with chief Bowden-Brown denying claims he is “killing the club”.
On the move, he said: ““It is very unfortunate that Peabody were not able to offer the football club an agreed five year package when requested.
“Had they been in that position, the football club would not have contemplated a move, but TTFC is operated as a business and needs security of tenure at all times.
“Without that we cannot operate within the League rules, and therefore for the financial stability and security of the club, I made the difficult decision to look elsewhere for the club to play its first team matches. And to this end, here we are playing at Princes Park – a genuine football stadium – from July 2017.
“There will be several individuals that will not agree with my decision to move the club, and I have already heard comments that I am “killing the club” by moving.
“But let’s be quiet clear – I feel in my opinion that the trouble started when this fine old club gave up its considerable “Security of Tenure”, as a condition of moving into the new stadium, without gaining from the then landlords (Thamesmead Trust) an agreed annual rate rather than short term licenses that were offered that were increased yearly.
“The move to Princes Park will hopefully allow the board to bring the club into the 21st Century, and as the person with his hand on the heart of this fine old club, I feel that this decision will give the club a new lease of life.”
