THE Football Association have been described as daft for making Truro City stump up as much as £100,000 – just so they can play the final month of the season at a ground which is being torn down in May.
The National League South White Tigers must come up with the astronomical amount if they want to classify themselves eligible to compete in the play-offs, and around half of that if they are to retain their Conference membership.
Truro, currently just outside the top five, are being forced to pay over £50,000 by March 31 for improvements to a stadium they won’t need, to ensure it meets FA inspection standards.
The Cornish club have three scheduled home matches after the ground grading date before the bulldozers move in and they share for a season with Torquay. City move to their new Silver Bow ground in 2017.
That means should Truro declare their desire to contest the play-offs, they could be paying up to £33,000 per game. They will be instantly returned to the Southern League if their current Treyew Road home isn’t improved to Grade B standard – even though Torquay’s Plainmoor is a Football League level stadium. But chairman Peter Masters isn’t bitter.
He told The NLP: “It’s daft but I suppose these are the rules you sign up to at the start of the season.
“I have had other chairmen calling me up telling me how mad it is and I should be furious. But it’s unfortunate, it’s silly, but what can we do about it?
“We need to get in 200 extra seats which probably won’t be sat in. The dug-outs have to be expanded from nine seaters to 11 and a lot of safety fencing has to go up by March 31.
“We will get three games’ use from it, then down it all comes. If we want to compete in the play-offs, regardless of if we get in the top five or not, then another 250-seater stand must go up. That will take the total to around £100,000.”
The FA said: “As clubs are not allowed to enter into a ground-share agreement to gain promotion or retain membership, it was necessary for Truro to commit to completing the 2015-16 season at their existing ground (or a new one) – as such the deadline for improvements remains in force.
“The FA recognises Truro City’s commitment to improving facilities and in the medium-term, plans to relocate. However, as a governing body it is required to apply rules which take into account the needs of clubs and supporters with an even hand.”
