By Andy Mitchell
STEP 5 Worcester Raiders continue to prepare for Saturday’s FA Cup debut despite a two-year takeover saga raising questions over the club’s eligibility.
Friday was the two-year anniversary of Morecambe Football Club owners and directors Colin Goldring and Jason Whittingham announcing they had become the new owners of Raiders.
It was part of the deal that saw the then-10th-tier club move into the 11,499-capacity Sixways Stadium, home of Premiership Rugby outfit Worcester Warriors that is also owned by Goldring and Whittingham.
Football Association (FA) rules state “no person, company or business institution… may at any time be interested in more than one club” without being granted “prior written consent”.
Precedent suggests the move should be passed with so many levels between Morecambe and Raiders – Notts County and Ilkeston Town had the same owner until 2019 – but last season’s success has opened a fresh can of worms.
Raiders lost in the Hellenic League Division One play-off final to Hereford Pegasus but became one of the lucky losers to benefit from Walton Casuals folding, gaining promotion to the Premier Division where clubs routinely enter the FA Cup.
That threw the spotlight on the ownership situation with FA Cup rules stating that without prior consent “no club may participate in the competition at any time where a person, or any associated party of that person, is interested in” more than one entrant.
They add: “The second club shall similarly not be permitted to participate in the competition at any stage.”
Being lower ranked than Morecambe would preclude Raiders from entering under such circumstances but officials continue to declare Raiders as a members’ club, as it was before the Sixways move. The team makes its FA Cup in an extra-preliminary round tie at Daventry Town on Saturday (3pm).
Comments on the club’s social media channel, partly operated by staff at Warriors, and from Raiders chairman Steve Harris openly refer to Goldring and Whittingham as the owners – following promotion in May, Harris told the Worcester News: “I have been congratulated by the owners earlier on today and I am already on their case for a bigger budget next season.”
Raiders tickets are bought through Warriors and one player confirmed to the NLP that his wages had been paid by Warriors throughout last season.
An FA spokesperson issued a carbon copy of the statement made on this issue in October 2021, that “consideration of a request for the transfer of football memberships is ongoing and all parties are working towards meeting the requirements”.
Pressed on whether the FA is aware of or looking into Goldring or Whittingham’s potential involvement with Raiders, the spokesperson was “not (in a) position to provide any further details at this stage”. No response was offered to the question of why that was.
The NLP was informed by staff at Worcester Warriors that neither Goldring nor Whittingham would be made available for interview at this stage.
A statement from Warriors director of marketing and communications Fiona Prendergast read: “Worcester Raiders is a members’ football club funded by its members.”
The NLP’s questions over why the takeover has been delayed, whether Goldring and Whittingham intend to see it through and the attempt to seek an explanation over their potential links to the financial running of Worcester Raiders were not addressed.
Harris was unavailable for comment.
In September 2020, Whittingham reiterated his intent to complete the takeover but said “the priority at the moment is supporting the rugby industry” in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the same interview, he said: “We accept Raiders may not be able to play in the FA Cup for the time being but if anything, I see the benefits of being able to link up a non-league club and give it a pathway to an EFL club.
“We are going to join up the dots between Raiders and Morecambe, hopefully to the benefit of both clubs.”
