We don't want to be in the Kent League forever, says Tunbridge Wells chairman Joe Croker

TUNBRIDGE WELLS chairman Joe Croker last night announced that the club will controversially ditch their red kit for a dark blue and light blue striped home kit for one season to mark 125 years of football in the spa town, writes Stephen McCartney.


The current club were founded in 1967, but the first game to be played by the first Tunbridge Wells side was against Tonbridge outfit Eton House on 23 October 1886.

The Kent League club have struck an undisclosed non-monetary sponsorship deal with sports giant Nike, who will supply kit and boots to players for nothing, and the club will don a kit similar to their Kent League arch-rivals Sevenoaks Town for the coming season.

Speaking to twenty club members at last night’s Annual General Meeting at Culverden Stadium, Mr Croker, who is also the club’s treasurer, said, “I think it’s fair to say the (beginnings) of the club goes back to 125 years – it’s not the same club – it’s the 125^th anniversary of senior football in Tunbridge Wells.  That’s the message.  Any other claim is not quite accurate. 

“Several people will tell me the club split, folded (several times), we can’t claim to be the same club formed in 1896.”

He added: “Because it’s our 125^th anniversary, what an opportunity for us to make a big deal of it to try to raise our profile as a club and that’s what we’re going to do.

“The Nike guy (Richard Creswell) is leading this for us and he’s arranging high profile events to maximise publicity.  There won’t be a lot of them (events) but they will be getting the right people along, the financers of Tunbridge Wells to make the club bigger and better.  Without those sort of people we’re not going to grow this club the way we like to.

“This will be slightly controversial, we’re going back to the kit from 1886.  We’re going back to a blue kit next year (season 2011-2012), a lighter and darker blue.

“Next year we’re going to be playing, just for the one season, in a blue kit.  There will be something special on the kit, we haven’t discussed it in any detail.  It’s another exciting thing for next year.”

Mr Croker, who controversially wants to change the club’s nickname from The Wells to the “The Two Blues”, for one season, revealed he is in discussions with the powerbrokers at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council to improve Culverden Stadium, especially as the club has fourteen years left on its current lease.

“Development is really for the future,” he said.  “Basically I guess some of you will know we are talking to the council of giving up this ground and giving us a new stadium.  They (the council) decided there was never going to be housing put on this land, therefore it’s not worth the millions, so they’re not going to give us a new stadium if you can’t put houses up her and take us out the rural fringe.

“We’ll fight that battle.  This is us, we’re here for the foreseeable future, a fourteen-year lease.  What we’ve got to do with this place, what it does desperately need, find new income streams so we make money out of this stadium.  How do we do it? This clubhouse, pitch, the other things.

“When I go to the changing rooms, there just not fit for it.  We decorate them every year, but they’re just not fit for purpose.  We have to have new changing rooms, it’s an absolute must to keep playing football.  We can get away with it for five-to-ten years.  Let’s get these new changing rooms in place, people have said it for years. It’s fallen on us to make sure we do it!!

Many people support Tunbridge Wells and their nearest neighbours Tonbridge Angels, who will be playing three league’s higher in Conference South (Blue Square Bet South) next season, where as Tunbridge Wells retain their Kent League membership.

The Angels have benefited through investment in recent years from Nick Sullivan and now Garry Pass, but despite being the larger town of the two, Tunbridge Wells stagnate in the Kent League and it’s been eighteen years since the two last met in a league fixture.

“We don’t want to be in the Kent League for ever – we want to go in the Ryman,” vowed the Tunbridge Wells chairman.

“Look at the big car park, the land we’ve got.  If we had the money, it would soon be fit for the Ryman.

“We will do things.  We’re talking to the council but they’re not talking to what they used to.  The council people have changed. We’re talking to the right people now.  We have a great opportunity to make things happen down here.  We’re waiting for a letter (from the council) to see what’s possible.”

Mr Croker paid tribute to manager Martin Larkin, who guided the club to sixth place in the Kent League last season, knocked non-league giants Dulwich Hamlet out of the FA Cup, enjoyed a good run into the last 64 of the FA Vase and were defeated by Erith Town in the Kent Senior Trophy Final and thrilled their fans with attacking football.

“We had this achievement of scoring 100 goals in all competition, which we haven’t done since 1986,” he said.

“It’s been a great season on the pitch as far as I’m concerned.

“An average crowd of 138, third highest in the league, beaten by Hythe and Herne Bay (who finished top and second in the league last season), those teams are going places and with those numbers we’re going places too.

“Let’s not slip it back, we’ve got to keep ourselves in the news to make sure that’s the minimum number next year.  Wouldn’t it be lovely if we had 200 people coming, just think what we can do.  It’s not great that we’re proud of 138, we should have far more than that and we really should go for it!”

Mr Croker concluded, “It’s been a great year, an enjoyable year.  I’ve enjoyed it.  What could have been better? The atmosphere around the club has been excellent and I’m pleased to be here.

“There are challenges ahead, without a doubt.  Doing nothing is a poor option.  We can carry on what we’re doing but costs go up all the time and income doesn’t match it and that’s going to happen for quite a few years.

“If we do nothing this club will be in dire straights.  We won’t do nothing. We do have a solid platform of support, financial platform, and the team.  We’re in a good place to move forward in my view, so that’s all I want to say.

“I think we’ve had a very good year and I thank everyone around us to make that happen.  Let’s keep doing it and do more of it and let’s make stuff happen.”

The chairman confirmed that the club will be retain last season’s admission prices (£6 adults, £3 concessions), although he did reveal that the club bag only £4.13 for each adult after tax.

He said: “I think we should make a big deal with that.  We are being hit with 20% VAT but we will hold the prices of admission but we can’t do it for ever.  We may have to put up prices the year after, to what, I don’t know.  I guess it won’t go up too much but it will have to go up.”

Mr Croker, however, did regret that he has been forced to increase prices at the bar.

“There is no way we can hold those prices, the way we’ve been doing,” he said. 

“The bar has been difficult to get a lot of money out of it.  If we were a pub and those bar prices had to pay for electricity, rent and the rest of it, we will go out of business as we open far few times as you know.”

Tunbridge Wells report back to pre-season training today and their first pre-season friendly is away to Kent Invicta League outfit Erith & Dartford Town on Saturday 9 July at Chislehurst Sports & County Club, Elmstead Lane, Chislehurst.

The match kicks off at 1pm and admission is free.

Visit Tunbridge Wells’ website: www.tunbridgewellsfc.co.uk