PLEASE HELP HTFC

Can Club Survive - 2nd January 2010

Henley Town Football Club almost folded last season when waterlogging meant the ground in Mill Lane Henley was unplayable during most of November, December and January. With the club still struggling with the debts this incurred, the severe winter weather has struck once again to make the finances of the club even worse. Matches in December and over the Christmas period have been postponed due to waterlogging, the frozen pitch and then snow. One of these was a big fund-raising game between a team of Ex-Reading FC legends and the Thames Valley Police which was well advertised and would have attracted a large crowd. The club’s Christmas party was also cancelled because of dangerous icing on Mill Lane bridge, the road to the ground and the car park. Although these events wouldn’t have cleared the club’s mounting debts, they would have paid off a few bills.

Club Secretary, Tony Kingston said: “As the club exists almost entirely on income from the Triangle Suite bar it now has a major financial problem. Unlike a lot of other clubs, Henley Town has a large mortgage; has to pay rates and ground rent; plus bills for electricity, burglar alarm, insurance, maintenance etc. The clubhouse used to be thriving but bar sales have gone down dramatically and the club has even thrown beer away because it has gone past the sell-by date.

“Although Henley is one of the most affluent areas in the country with more multi-millionaires per head of the population than most, the football club gets very little support from the community apart from Invesco Perpetual who give a generous annual donation and sponsor the clubs kit.” A few small companies have also helped by sponsoring matches. Although the club’s teams are near the top of their respective Leagues, the average home attendance is around 30 and the majority of these have travelled with the visiting team.

Tony Kingston added: “We are the oldest club in Oxfordshire and has been in existence since 1871. It has seen many ups and downs in those 139 years but the financial crisis the weather has caused is very worrying for the current committee who are looking for donations to help the club out of its current nightmare.”

Next season, the club is hoping to ignite local interest by restarting the Henley Charity Cup which was last played for in the early Eighties. All the matches will be played under floodlights at the town ground and eight local teams will be invited to compete for the cup. Also in conjunction with Tabbitts and Invesco Perpetual, teams will be entered into the local darts league and games played in the Triangle Suite on Tuesday evenings.

The club would also like to invite local pool enthusiasts to contact them about entering teams into the local league. The Triangle Suite is also available for hire at all times for functions at reasonable prices.

If you can help the club or would like more details, email the club secretary Tony Kingston: tony.kingston1@btinternet.com or phone him on 07712 139592 or 0118 967 0196.