Cash Strapped Fleet offer fans opportunity in effort to raise funds
Ebbsfleet United are presenting fans with the opportunity to
play on the club’s Stonebridge Road pitch in an initiative dubbed, ‘Pay to
Play’.
The event, which takes place on the 11th May, allows
supporters to take to the field for a small fee of £10 per player. There will
also be a family friendly barbeque and the FA Cup final will be played on the
clubhouse’s big screen, with all donations going towards securing the club’s
long-term future.
The relegated side have had a torrid time both on and off
the pitch this season and with outstanding tax payments looming large, they are
facing the very real possibility of closure by the end of the month.
Despite having made a ‘substantial payment’ to Her Majesty’s
Revenue & Customs last week, Ebbsfleet confirmed in a statement on Tuesday
that they still face a real struggle to stay above water.
The statement claimed; “The club does have short-term cash
problems and the most critical situation is that we get the club through to the
financial year end, which is the 31st May. The amount still owed is excess of
£25,000, we have a dialogue with the HMRC and this will be ongoing to ensure
the survival of the club.”
The announcement of the ‘Pay to Play’ scheme comes just days
after the cash-strapped side were forced to sell all of their club merchandise
at discounted prices.
In desperate times, finding an outside investor seems to be
the only resolution for the Kent club, and Spanish businessman, Carlos Kabir
Karani, is rumoured to be architecting a takeover. 38 year-old Karani received the backing of
the club’s supporters at a meeting in early April but there hasn’t been any
movement since. Fleet fans can only hope
that productive talks are ongoing between the Spaniard and the board as the
deadline approaches.
For more information on the ‘Pay to Play’ event and how you
can help out the club, please visit the website at www.ebbsfleetunited.co.uk.
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