BRIGHOUSE Town Football Club, hit recently by vandalism and more lately by destructive weather, are appealing for financial backing from companies and individuals in the local business community.
A large section of the security fencing behind the quarry goal at St Giles Road, Hove Edge, blew down last week and club president Bob Walker led a team of four salvaging timber fencing and posts ahead of a repair job that could cost them well in
excess of £2,000 to repair.
"It was a section of around 80-100 foot that came down and took concrete posts and all," said secretary Malcolm Taylor.
"It is also classed as an "act of God" in insurance terms and there is not one insurance company in the land that will touch fencing, so we are left to pick up the bill and pay from what was being saved to help us on our way to the next level of football.
"It has to be replaced and quickly as we need the security and for the representative matches and cup ties that are being played on the ground besides our own league matches.
"We are a non-profit making club, any monies that are raised go straight back into the improved running of it. We receive £1,000 each from our two major sponsors at the start of the season and after purchasing new kit if required we put the rest into the workings of a club that at this level costs us £18,000 a season to operate two open age teams.
"Brighouse Town is an ambitious club and we want to be able to move up a level but to operate in the Northern Counties East may well see us have to raise upwards of £100,000.
"Our dressing rooms need updating and while we could probably land a £10,000 grant, for what is required we would possibly need £30,000. That is why we need to attract at Calderdale's second major enclosed ground, after the unfinished Shay, local industry and commerce.
"It has been tried in the past and we have only had very partial success and while Halifax Town and the Shay Trust committee are asking for all kinds of help to raise the £800,000 they require, we are looking at attracting two or more directors willing to put in £25,000 each.
"This would not be frittered away and they would have a say in how it was spent. In fact they would be the major partners in the arrangement and what was set in stone with the existing management committee.
"They would not lack for publicity as we feel we are well covered locally and there are other countless benefits.
"Our club president has experience of running a professional club after being with Halifax Town as a director and then chairman and being highly successful in business and he is ready at the drop of a hat with chairman Chris Lister to go out and meet any interested parties.
"We would like company directors to contact us on 01422-207326 (Bob) and 01484-380088 (Malcolm).
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