Crawley Coming Our Way?

[Matt H]

Surely they can't at this late stage?

 

http://www.confguide.com/cboard.mpl?id=552638

 

From the Brighton Argus

 

End of an era for Crawley Town

by Tom Gurney

 

Administrators Begbies Traynor will start the process of winding up the limited company after a creditors' committee voted to reject an offer from former owners Chas and Azwar Majeed to buy back the Conference club.

 

Former diamond dealer John Goodwin is now preparing to form a new club to play at the council-run Broadfield Stadium and enter it into the Ryman League for this season.

 

The Argus understands the Inland Revenue, which was owed £250,000 in unpaid taxes and VAT, and former administration worker Ian Holman voted to reject the Majeeds' attempt to regain control.

 

Crawley District Council is believed to have voted in favour and football agent Andy Sprott abstained.

 

Mr Goodwin, 62, pulled out of making a bid to buy the club last week after discovering the high running costs.

 

He is confident his new club, which will be called a different name, will be given the go-ahead at a Football Association committee meeting tomorrow.

 

Mr Goodwin, a former chairman at Bishop's Stortford and Romford Football Clubs, said: "I understand the club as we know it has been liquidated but things are already in motion to form a new club.

 

"I have been working very hard behind the scenes to make sure Crawley continue to play football.

 

"I have been negotiating with the council for some time and there will definitely be football at the Broadfield Stadium.

 

"A new club has already been formed by me, we have to change its name but I can assure everyone it will not be too different for what it is now."

 

The Majeeds, who took over in July 2005, voluntarily handed over the running of the club to Begbies Traynor in June, after running up debts of £1.4 million.

 

Administrator Rob Sadler put the club up for sale two weeks ago after its creditors' rejected repayment proposals from the Majeeds' company SA Retail Limited.

 

He received only one bid, which came from the Majeeds.

 

Mr Goodwin said: "The debt was so enormous and their ongoing contractual obligations so substantial that the club just could not sustain itself.

 

"It would have gone bust during the season and that would have been the end of football in Crawley altogether.

 

"Unfortunately it was playing higher than it could afford to but that is not to say it can't play at that level in the future.

 

"I want to start again at a lower level, make it self sufficient and rebuild it from there."

 

Crawley were due to start the Conference season on Saturday at home against Rushden and Diamonds.

 

If a new club is formed, it is likely to be entered into Ryman division one, three divisions below the Conference.

 

Mr Goodwin said: "The council has been very helpful to the club down the years and I believe it will continue to do so.

 

"The local people want a club at a high level and they deserve one but we have to make sure there is enough money for that to happen.

 

"I will be the custodian of the club until we are in that position."

[The Great Eckscape]

Surely it is too late for them to be put into the Ryman now?

[Matt H]

Well even if they did, are they going to get rid of Flackwell Heath just like that and we'll have new opposition on the opening day? <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

[The Great Eckscape]

That would be completely unfair. After reading the article in the NLP the other day, Alan Turvey opposed the latest restructuring on the basis that clubs would have budgeted for a season only for it to be changed. Even though the situation is slightly different, the morales remain the same.

[blooming barmy bongo]

and who will go up into the conference, seems a bit of a farce to me, i would of thought they would of recognised this at the end of last season and of done the same as us.

[Matt H]

No-one would go into the Conference. They would have to operate with only 23 teams. Their campaign kicks off in three days!

[Ribbit]

Complete farce. If Crawley start again it's a completely different kettle of fish to us. They should have to start from the very bottom, not half way down - remember, we didn't go bust, we haven't started again.

[ronin]

If Crawley do go under then they will probably come back as AFC Crawley but this will take at least a couple of months to sort out, i very much doubt they will have a team playing competitive football this season.

 

Even if they come to some arrangement at the 11th hour i`d still expect the Conference to throw them out at their meeting on Thursday.

[ronin]

Quote:

Matt CIFC said:
No-one would go into the Conference. They would have to operate with only 23 teams. Their campaign kicks off in three days!

The loss of income from having 2 games less could have a big impact on some of the smaller clubs in the Conference.

[Matt H]

I find it hard to believe that Crawley would be accepted into the Ryman League. If they end up being wound up and have to reform as a new Club surely they would have to start where every new club starts, in their regional league.

 

AFC Hornchurch, AFC Wimbledon, Enfield Town, FCUM, AFC Telford all had to start from the very bottom.

[The Great Eckscape]

Latest from the Crawley Town Mad site:

 

Yet another bid by current Crawley owners The Majeeds has led to the suspension of today's proposed winding-up of the club.

 

Majeed Brothers Make Increased Bid

 

"In a hectic week, a creditors committee yesterday announced a NO vote on a previous bid by the brothers, meaning Town were on the brink of liquidation.

 

However, an increased bid was submitted moments before deadline and the creditors must now consider the new offer before the club's future is finalised."

[ronin]

Quote:

Matt CIFC said:
Well even if they did, are they going to get rid of Flackwell Heath just like that and we'll have new opposition on the opening day? <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

IF! Crawley were somehow allowed into the Ryman 1 surely they would go into the Southern half of the division.

Apparently this situation has happened before,Barrow were refused entry to the Unibond League but this was overturned by the FA who forced the league to run with an extra team.

[YELLOW]

If they go bust and have to reform then surely they have to start at the bottom.

[ronin]

Quote:

YELLOW said:
If they go bust and have to reform then surely they have to start at the bottom.

Telford didn`t and neither did Hornchurch, what level did FCUM enter football?

[A Non E Mouse]

I know this has been done to death - but in some respects Jeff leaving as and when he did doesn't appear to be as bad now. Although quite a few of us, including me, moaned about the amount of time required to get the club up and running was far to short - it was managed extremely well. You do have to feel for Crawley. I didn't think that their supporters trust were interested in the Majeed brothers running the club?

 

I'm not sure where they will end up but if they get support from the local council I would imagine that potentially they would be shoe horned into a league somewhere - probably Southern. How that will effect the Conf National I don't pretend to know or guess. But as said any revenue or credibility loss to the Conf National will not bode well. I presume also that Crawley Town will be a big fish in a small pond somewhere and the revenue that they will bring will be welcomed by many in a lower league.

 

I'm sure the powers that be will cobble something together which will piss some people off and please others..........but that's football

[ronin]

Our changeover was a friendly one but it still seemed to take forever to actually go through, things at Crawley are sure to get very messy so it will prolong the agony for their fans.

[Matt H]

Quote:

ronin said:
Telford didn`t and neither did Hornchurch, what level did FCUM enter football?

FCUM began life in North West Counties Division 2, (Step 6)

What I don't understand is why FCUM started at Step 6,
Enfield Town at Step 5, (I think).
Hornchurch reformed into Step 5,
Telford into Step 4
AFC Wimbledon started at Step 6, (I think) when effectively they're all brand new Clubs.

What dictates at what step they can reform into?

[ronin]

The FA as far as i`m aware, i can only guess that it was because FCUM and AFC Wimbledon were totally new clubs although the argument goes on about AFC Wimbledon.

[Nette]

Quote:

ronin said:

Quote:

YELLOW said:
If they go bust and have to reform then surely they have to start at the bottom.

Telford didn`t and neither did Hornchurch, what level did FCUM enter football?

The bottom of senior league football was the ESL for us as in the case of Barking and Eastham they droped one league as we droped three. both to the bottom of senior league football in the essex area.

If you are a reformd senior club you will be drop to the lowest level a senior club can play, thats how I am aware that it works.

some 1 some 2 some 3 and some 4 levels

[The Great Eckscape]

On paper AFC Wimbledon would have been classed as a new club, but I think that most people recognise them as the real Wimbledon Football Club.