Kentish Football 
I don't think we can keep this club going, warns Greenwich Borough boss Steve Firkins
Wednesday 16th March 2011
GREENWICH BOROUGH face a precarious future if they can’t find £10,000 before the start of next season, writes Stephen McCartney.
The club have struggled to attract a fan-base ever since they were forced out of their modest Harrow Meadow ground in Eltham a couple of years ago, after Greenwich Borough sold the ground to build a housing estate on the land once the lease expired.
Club officials agreed a three-year deal with their Kent League rivals Holmesdale to groundshare Oakley Road, Bromley, but the club has struggled to make ends meet.
The statistics do not make happy reading for Steve Firkins, the club’s manager, secretary and heartbeat of the club, who regularly puts his hand in his pockets to keep the 83-year-old club going.
The visit of title-chasing Hythe Town last night attracted their largest league crowd of the season as 45 people watched a spirited Greenwich Borough side lose 2-1, a result that took big-spending Hythe back to the top of the table.
Before that, the local derby against Beckenham Town, last Saturday, attracted 38, but other attendance figures have been embarrassing.
When only 14 people bother to turn up for a home league game against landlords Holmesdale, and 15 against Sporting Bengal United, then you know you’ve got serious problems.
“We’ve got to speak to Holmesdale and there’s bits and pieces going on with us,” revealed Firkins last night.
“They’ve obviously got improvements to make and stuff like that but at the moment my main concern is where were going next year - not moving away - whether we can keep sustaining this.
“I’ve spoken to the chairman (Devon Hanson) briefly and hopefully he’s got something lined up for next year but at the moment the way we’re going, I don’t know whether we can keep this going.”
Firkins added it’s a constant battle to survive and all income is spent to stage Kent League football.
“We took a little bit of money (against Beckenham) on Saturday and that’s paid for a few bits,” he said.
“It pays for the food and stuff like that and whatever we make we just stick in the club, but if you’ve got no punters coming through the door, you’re not selling stuff behind the counter and it affects Holmesdale as well because they’ve got the bar open so they’re not earning bundles behind the bar.”
Greenwich Borough generate income through the tea-bar, which is run by Samantha Firkins (the manager’s wife), whilst landlords Holmesdale keep the bar takings.
When asked whether the club will be playing Kent League football next season, Firkins replied, “Well I hope so! Whether I’ll still be involved or not, I don’t know, because I’ve got my own business starting up again, after a few years I’ve had to go back on my own.
“I’m a self-employed painter and decorator. I’ve got quite a bit of work coming up and I find it really hard at the moment to box myself between the two, the football and the work.
“I’m 54 this year and I don’t know how much longer I can keep doing the two, plus I’ve got my first grand child on the way so I have to spend a little bit of time with the family.
“It’s tiring for me. On Monday my wife was washing the kit and stuff like that and it’s really hard for us.
“We shouldn’t be like this but unfortunately it is. It’s something that we’ve inherited and me personally, I’m not saying about the others, I really, really don’t know if I can keep it going and you’ve asked me an honest answer and I’ll be as honest as possible.
“I hope Greenwich Borough are still playing Kent League football next year, I really do. There’s nowhere else for us to go, there’s no other options. There’s nothing. We haven’t got money where we can offer people, say can we come and play at your ground, here’s an x-amount of money.
“There’s no problem with Holmesdale or anything like that. We all get on well and I think over the last two years we’ve developed a good relationship. For me, that’s a big plus, but as I say, for me, at the end of the season I’ve got to really sit down. The financial side of it, I can’t keep doing, personal reasons, for my wife, my daughter with my first grand child and my business.
“I’m 54, I’ve not got much years left in me work wise and I’ve got to think about my future.”
When asked how much money the club will need to get through next season, Firkins was honest in his reply.
“You’ve got to be looking, grounds and stuff like that - I don’t want to say figures because that’s between us and Holmesdale, but I think people know roughly what we pay.
“But I think you’ve got to have anything between £5,000-£10,000 (at least) to get you going really and we’re finding that really, really hard to find that sort of money - but we’ve done it over the last two years thanks to Devon and Kevin (Marley), our vice-chairman, but I think it’s too much of a burden for any one person, unless you’ve got that sort of money to throw around.
“One of the Holmesdale people (coach, Grant Watts) said that Holmesdale need a sugar daddy - I think we need two or three!”
Firkins paid tribute to his “family,” the footballers who turn out for the club for no financial gain and they must take credit for the brand of football that they play - how it should be played, on the deck.
“That’s the one thing that really keeps me going, it’s only these fella’s,” admitted Firkins.
“I’ll take my hat off to them. I think most of them will get in most teams in the Kent League and could probably earn a few quid at it as well. Possibly one or two of them could play at a higher level but they all stick together and I think we’ve grown as a team and as a unit. It’s not manager and players, we’re friends and two or three I’ve known since they were 9 or 10 years old so they’re more like family than players.
“That’s what keep’s this club going, those boys in there. They give up a lot, some of the lads as we can’t pay wages but some to these lads give up a days’ work to come here and turn out for us. They don’t have to do it but they do.”
For the good of the club, everyone hopes Firkins stays at the club.
“I can’t not see Greenwich Borough being here next year,” said Firkins.
“I’ve got a lot of financial commitments and family commitments. It’s something I’ve got to look at. I can’t not take time off from work now as it’s my own business, people want work done.
“But we’ve always got hope. I’m sounding a bit pessimistic with my own scenario. God willing I will be here next year and even if it’s not as manager, I’ll probably do some sort of capacity, even if it’s secretarial work or something like that, but saying that it’s getting harder and harder for us.”
Greenwich Borough are in fifth place in the Kent League table with 11 wins and 11 defeats from 22 games and welcome Corinthian to Oakley Road on Saturday.
Stay-away Greenwich Borough supporters are advised to prove that you actually care about your club - if you turn your back on them now then you may play your part in sending the club into the football abyss.
Firkins said: “If we had any money we could probably rent-a-crowd or something like that, bribe a few.
“It’s soul-destroying, that’s the gutting thing about it. I feel for our players because we do play decent football, we try and play the game the right way.
“I’m at a loss. We’ve tried every possible way to attract people. It’s just not happening for us because as far as Greenwich going anywhere else there is no where else. We consider this (Oakley Road) our home.
“Hopefully somebody will wave a magic wand and things will happen for us. I’ve got to seriously sit down myself and have a good think about myself personally. Whether I can keep going as manager, I’d like to but I would like to have a good think about it. It’s not just financially but personally.”
If you can offer Greenwich Borough financial help, please contact Steve Firkins on 07711 303 936.
Visit Greenwich Borough’s website: www.greenwichboroughfc.com
Directions to get to Holmesdale’s Oakley Road Ground: www.holmesdalefc.co.uk/clubdirections.shtml
Greenwich Borough v Corinthian
Safety Net Associates Kent League
Saturday 19th March 2011
Kick Off 3:00pm
At 68 Oakley Road, Bromley, Kent BR2 8HQ
Red Dragon I.T. Ltd