McMahon vows to spend wisely when new stadium is built

THAMESMEAD TOWN manager Keith McMahon says the club will not over stretch financially once their Bayliss Avenue ground is transformed into a “Mini-Dartford”, writes Stephen McCartney.

Trust Thamesmead are splashing out £4m to improve facilities and building work begins on their humble ground on 11^th May.

To maintain their Ryman League status the club have had to fill in their perimeter fence around the pitch, but the hands-on McMahon, speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk, is looking forward to the ground improvements, which will transform the club.

But he insists the Ryman League Division One North club will not go beyond the means financially, especially considering the financial problems that Fisher Athletic, Folkestone Invicta, Margate and now Ashford Town are suffering with.

“The stadium starts its work on May 11^th, you go out you see we’ve put the infills around the pitch to get our ground grading to stay in the League,” said McMahon.

“Obviously with recent events (concerning Ashford Town’s unpaid tax bill of £100,000), I’m pleased to announce that within a couple of weeks the football club that owed money will be completely free of owing money.

“The football club’s on the up, with the new development being built for the year after, it’s the football club to be at.

“The most important thing is to make sure the football club is here before you look to move up the pyramid.”

Every football club has suffered with the loss of income through sponsorship and gate receipts, and although gates have increased at Bayliss Avenue this season, McMahon revealed his club don’t spend what they cannot afford.

“I don’t think it’s down to this year,” McMahon said of the credit crunch. “I think it’s football clubs in the last four or five years, when you could say the boom was around, there was a lot of money being floated around clubs.

“As soon as you get a sniff of being promoted, especially with the play-off’s, it gives you that opportunity . Clubs (in all three Ryman divisions) throw a little bit of money just for the dream of going up and sometimes you don’t do things properly and it costs you.

“Obviously the recession has hit because of sponsorship and companies pulling out, which always hurts clubs at our level and some clubs are falling by the wayside unfortunately because of the bright lights of promotion.

“But sometimes it’s not down to clubs, it’s down to bad luck with sponsors pulling out.”

When asked if the club runs a tight ship, McMahon replied, “Huge, hugely tight, even a packed of crisps is paid for at this football club by everyone!

“When I took over the as manager here three years ago, but also when I took over the running of the bar and became a director, the football club was in a lot of debt.

“We’ve had to steady the ship and that’s what we’ve done now. The club is pulling in the right direction and the development is a pat on the back for everyone.

“When the development is built, the club won’t owe any money to anyone and it will be in great stead especially with the current climate.

Despite failing to even attract crowds of over 100 to their games, McMahon believes fans will flock through the turnstiles in two season’s time, once the new stadium on it’s current ground, is finished.

“People will come and look at the facilities,” he said. “People will be training and playing here and will hopefully come and have a look.

“We’ve got a tie up with some local schools as well because it will be a community place club and just the development itself, people will come and have a look and see what it’s like and the football we’re playing.”

When neighbours Dartford moved into the council built Princes Park Stadium, expectation levels on Tony Burman’s side went through the roof, but McMahon says the only pressure will come from himself in two season’s time.

“There’s no pressure whatsoever,” McMahon insisted. “There will be pressure from myself because I want to finish as high as we can. I want to win things for this football club.

"But unless someone’s going to give me some money out of their own pocket, which we don’t run that way, everything down to sponsorship and what we do ourselves, we only pay expenses anyway, there is no pressure.

“I think it may be different if we’re battling against relegation as this football club don’t want to go down.”

Visit Thamesmead Town’s website: www.thamesmeadtownfc.co.uk
 
Thamesmead Town v Cheshunt
Ryman League Division One North
Wednesday 1^st April 2009
Kick Off 7:45pm
At Bayliss Avenue, Thamesmead, London SE28 8NU