Dunstable Town chairman says Non-League football must get finances in order

By Matt Badcock
DUNSTABLE TOWN chairman Alex Alexandrou says Non-League football must get its finances in order.
Published on the EVO-STIK Southern club’s website, Alexandrou urges the game to make changes for the future health of the game.
A new committee took over at Dunstable Town in the summer and have soon learned the difficulties that come with running a Non-League set-up.
And Alexandrou feels supporters will be turned off by clubs lurching from crisis to crisis.
“Now that the new committee has been in situ for about six months, we have a greater appreciation of what it takes to run a club playing in the seventh tier of the English football system,” Alexandrou said, on dunstabletownfc.co.uk.
“From the outset, we knew we could not sustain a player budget and all credit to the players who have come forward to represent the club during these difficult times. We have to be prudent and in Dudley Peacham and Neil Barker, we have two officials who constantly ensure we meet all our financial obligations.
“We have settled outstanding debts, we pay our bills on time and only spend what we can afford. How long this approach will be sustainable, we honestly do not know but we will not spend money we do not have.
“Based on our experiences, limited they may be, we believe the time is right for Non-League clubs to take a good hard look at themselves for the sake of the future of football at this level.
“We believe greater mandatory and statutory financial oversight of clubs is paramount; there should be a salary cap; a designated pathway from the development squad to the first team; agreements with professional clubs for the free or nominal fee loan of young players so they can get valuable game-time and match-day experiences; and that clubs at our level should be run as collective, responsible and accountable not-for-profit enterprises that are not reliant on benefactors.”
For the full view – visit: www.dunstabletownfc.co.uk