Kentish Football 
We desperately need a small injection of funds, warns Bromley owner Jerry Dolke
Sunday 26th December 2010
BROMLEY owner Jerry Dolke says the on-going wintry spell has “crippled” the club financially - and that he calls upon supporters to raise funds to help the club make ends meet as all revenue streams have been affected with home matches being called off, writes Stephen McCartney.
Boxing Day football is very lucrative to all clubs as people flock through the turnstiles to support their local sides to get away from Christmas family gatherings at home - and The Lillywhites were expecting a four-figure crowd against fellow high-flyers Dover Athletic in Blue Square Bet South today.
But the fixture was frozen off, like hundreds of others up and down the country, despite the efforts of over 20 supporters who worked tirelessly to prepare the pitch this morning before the match failed an eleven o’clock pitch inspection.
Mr Dolke, issued the following statement, on the club’s official website, www.bromleyfc.co.uk:
“On behalf of everyone at Bromley Football Club I would like to say a massive thank you to all who came down to Hayes Lane this morning and helped in our abortive bid to get this afternoon’s game on. I was both surprised and heartened by how many people turned out to assist.
“Losing our Boxing Day game was a massive blow to the Club, not only would it have seen one of our biggest crowds of the season but it also means that we will now have gone pretty much eight weeks without a home game until we play Bishop’s Stortford on Monday 3rd January.
“Financially this, combined with significant decreases in other revenue streams due to the terrible weather, has almost crippled the Club. The Saturday Morning Soccer School and After School Clubs have had to be cancelled, bar takings at functions have been greatly reduced due to less guests attending and a higher proportion of those choosing to drive, and we have had to cancel many of the bookings on the five and six a side courts.
“We started this season with a contingency fund in place to cover six weeks wages. Early exits in cup competitions left us unable to add to this pot of money and it has now almost exhausted. The players are owed a week’s wages and by the time the Bishop’s Stortford game comes around it will be two. We have a great group of lads at the Club but at this time of year I cannot honestly ask them to stay with us without being paid when they could be earning money elsewhere. I have a family so I know that it would not just be the players themselves who would be affected.
“As many of you know, we suffered a burglary at the beginning of the month. Extensive damage was done to both The Sports Bar and The Glemnet Suite as well as other parts of the ground and assorted items were stolen. Insurance claims are ongoing but in the meantime I have had to reach into my own pocket to pay for repairs, replacements, etc and so I cannot do so again to maintain the playing budget.
“What the Club desperately needs is a small injection of funds between now and the end of the year. I am therefore making a plea to all Bromley supporters for any fundraising suggestions that they may have. We do not need tens of thousands of pounds, we just need enough to see us through the next month or so without losing the great squad that we have worked so hard to assemble. Clearly of course, were we to be able to raise more money than is needed in the near future we would be able to use it to strengthen our bid to finish in the top five but that is not the immediate priority.
“I hope you all had a great Christmas and I wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2011. Let’s hope it’s a good one with plenty to celebrate come the end of the season.”
If anyone has any suggestions, please email jerry@bromleyfc.co.uk.
Bromley, second (or joint-top) in the Blue Square Bet South table, play three sides that are all in the top eight in their next three games, although only one of them are at home.
The Lillywhites travel to Kent rivals, Welling United (Tuesday, 28 December) and Dover Athletic (Saturday, 1 January 2011), before Bishop’s Stortford arrive at Hayes Lane on Monday, 3 January 2010. All games kick-off at 3pm.
www.kentishfootball.co.uk is scheduled to cover the game between Welling United and Bromley.
Visit Bromley’s website: www.bromleyfc.co.uk
Welling United v Bromley
Blue Square Bet South
Bank Holiday Tuesday, 28 December 2010
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Park View Road, Welling, Kent DA16 1SY
Red Dragon I.T. Ltd