CHAIRMAN Colin Gordon has reassured fans that Kidderminster Harriers is edging ever closer to a sustainable future.
Gordon has spoken of the work being done behind the scenes at Aggborough to make sure Reds reach financial stability in the long-term.
He has opened up on the subject, as well as a host of other issues, following news earlier this month that the club had been the subject of a winding up order from HMRC.
That matter was resolved before a court hearing took place but still left some fans concerned.
Gordon insists things are heading in the right direction despite the fact times are currently tight for the club.
He said: "We are on the brink of becoming, for the first time probably in recent history, a sustainable football club – thanks to the work that has been put into building the foundations of what will support us.
"But there’s no hiding the fact that, at present, things are extremely tight for us. Financially, I inherited what you could only describe as a black hole. We were pulling forward, every year, the following year’s monies for season tickets and sponsorship deals to survive and make it from day-to-day.
The stark reality is that the legacy of that same void remains very much present and impacts us.
"The biggest problem is that the legacy of what was here before I walked through the door does remain. The amount of money being paid to what were very average footballers and the amount spent on paying off players and staff was crippling, and you can’t just plug the gap that this creates. Again, we historically have constantly had to ‘pull forward’ monies and it isn’t the way to operate. The only thing I would accept that could be levied at us as a criticism is that we do overspend on the overall first team budget, and that means both players and management staff. We do this because we want to be successful not only as a club – which we will be – but also as a football team. And at this level, that is very expensive."
Gordon underlined the importance of the club's stadium development plans to becoming sustainable.
He added: "A tremendous amount of work is behind done behind the scenes in terms of getting plans, strategies and documents in place and that is ongoing. We have invested significantly in terms of time and money for what has been completed already, and we are very positive that we’re moving in the right direction. The feedback we’ve had has been encouraging and we hope to know more soon.
"We all know that Aggborough Stadium is a fantastic venue for hosting football matches, but the simple fact is that it is not physically capable of supporting or hosting what it is we’re already rapidly reaching towards.
"The support a new stadium would bring to our education provision is absolutely enormous and we envisage a site that would be without equal in this country. As it is, Aggborough is at its busiest for matches but, this represents just two or three days in any given month – and sometimes less than that. While capable of hosting events and functions, the fact of the matter is that the stands here lay dormant for almost the entire year.
"A new facility would be a living and breathing entity of work that sees people benefit from Kidderminster Harriers, and Kidderminster Harriers benefit from them in return."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here