Southern Counties East League Canterbury City saw a mass exodus of management and players on Friday following a dispute over unpaid wages.
Manager Clive Cook and his staff walked away from the SCEL Premier Division club despite being finally paid on Thursday night.
City officials are blaming a budget cut forced upon them after missing out on a major sponsorship deal and fresh delays to their proposed move to a dream new home, pictured, for their entire playing staff quitting en masse.
Reformed in 2007 as the first football club to be formed as a community interest company, City ground-share at Faversham Town‘s Salters Lane.
Club statement now available at https://t.co/2hPdv2kpjC
— Canterbury City FC (@OfficialCCFC_uk) December 20, 2019
The statement read: “The club can confirm reports on social media that Clive Cook and his management team have stepped down from the first team set up at Canterbury City Football Club.
“This follows a meeting with Clive on Monday when it was explained that due to the stadium planning application being pushed back until late summer 2020, and the knock on effect that this has had with potential sponsors that a budget review was necessary and the club needed to re-evaluate their aspirations for the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons.
“Realistic aspirations for the club pending knowing with more certainty the timing and likely date of any decision on a planning application are for a mid-table finish this season as a prudent and sensible position to adopt.
“Clive relayed the situation to the players at a meeting on Thursday and following that Clive and the players decided to leave the club. We wish Clive and everyone else the best for the future.
“We are actively looking to recruit a new first team manager and hope to have an announcement in this regard at the beginning of next week.
“We would also like to quash any rumours that the club’s relationship with Quinn Estates, our main club sponsor and the developer who will be putting in the planning application, is anything other than excellent.
“We continue to work with Quinn Estates for the rest of this season and the seasons beyond, both on the pitch and off the pitch, so far as a fresh planning application for the club’s long overdue stadium is concerned.
“The club will make further announcements as soon as it is able to.”
We have submitted an outline planning application for our Grove Lane development in Rough Common. The residential scheme will consist of up to 35 dwellings including seven self-builds/custom-builds. Discover more here: https://t.co/63Wo4UzT7K pic.twitter.com/Y1a2Oqv0xF
— Quinn Estates (@Quinn_Estates) November 23, 2019
Artist’s impression courtesy of canterburycityfc.net & corstorphine-wright.com
