By Matt Badcock
Staines Town are looking for new owners with chairman Matthew Boon feeling the time has come for someone with renewed enthusiasm to take the Bostik Premier club forward.
Boon – who took over the helm in 2011 following the death of his father Alan, and is the sole benefactor – has been around Staines since childhood but wants to concentrate on his mechanical electrical contractor business and, most importantly, family.
The Swans are on the look-out for potential suitors interested in taking on the completely debt-free club, who are currently pushing for promotion back to the National League South.
“I’ve been here since I was a kid,” Boon told The NLP. “I’m 47 years old, my dad was involved in the club for 40 years. I married my wife here, so it’s part of my life. My sister looked after the finances, and still has heavy involvement, so does my wife Amanda. She looks after everything on accounts.
“My eldest sister is functions manager – it’s very much a family thing. But it’s at the point where I need to think about my own family and my own business. It needs new enthusiasm, which can bring new interest and more support. When you drive in it’s a facility that feels like a League club. We’ve obviously been in the Conference South and there’s growth to get into the National League with the facilities. It’s an opportunity.”
Having seen the club enjoy big FA Cup days – including live TV matches with Stockport County and Millwall – as well as promotion to Step 2 before subsequent relegation, Boon is well-placed to see how Non-League‘s landscape has changed over the years.
“It is becoming more and more difficult,” Boon said. “Non-League, especially at this level, is completely unsustainable. Unless there is help from above, I cannot see how it can be sustainable at this level. The outgoing costs, as they always have in Non-League football, far outweigh what’s coming in. But I think that gap is growing.
“There are some clubs at our level that have good support, but in general at this level the support is much lower – and if the boundaries are opening up (next season), the travelling support is going to be even lower.
Tight ship
“A big difference between this league and the one above is the away support. You also get central funding in the National League South, which helps. There is no funding or assistance at this level, whatsoever.
“It makes a difference – at least it can pay for your travel expenses. But you are literally left on your own. For instance, on Tuesday night, the gate receipts just about covered the officials’ travelling expenses. It is a constant balancing act.”
With popular boss Johnson Hippolyte assembling a promotion-pushing team, who are also in the Middlesex Senior Cup Final, a dedicated committee and a growing surrounding area, Boon hopes it’s an attractive opportunity for the right party.
“The football club has no debts,” Boon, who has four parties potentially interested, said. “So we are probably one of the richest clubs in football! In the last financial year we actually made a profit. We run a tight ship, but it does need someone with a bit of drive who can see the potential – and there is massive potential. We’ve had four or five FA Cup runs in recent years. We’ve had 3,000 people here, we’ve taken 3,000 to Brentford.
“The future is only going to grow around Staines. It is being redeveloped substantially ready for the third runway at Heathrow, there’s 400 houses being built and over the next decade Staines is going to change dramatically.
“Everything is about the survival of the club to do the best it can. So it’s about finding a football person; someone who can see the potential.”
Serious interested parties can contact Boon and general manager Ken Williams on [email protected] and [email protected]
*This article originally featured in The @NonLeaguePaper which is available every Sunday and Monday
