Keep the Albion Alive

Last updated : 13 September 2004 By Bob Gear
In the light of the decision by John Prescott to re-open the Public Inquiry into the new stadium, the Albion are launching a major fund-raising appeal to help the club as it enters the sixth year of its battle for a permanent home.

The further delays and huge extra costs of the Inquiry will place a heavy additional financial burden on the club, as the Board continues the struggle to keep the team competitive in the second tier of English football while playing at inadequate Withdean.

The directors are writing to every supporter - excluding Juniors - who have attended an Albion game in the past five years, explaining the club's financial position and seeking their help through a crucial period in the club's history.

It goes without saying that every donation - whether £50 or £5,000 - will be very much appreciated. And we want to give something in return for such generosity to the club.

We obviously do not want donations to be subject to VAT, so we trust that the following structure will be acceptable to you.

* Donations up to £100 will be treated as a gift and very gratefully received.

* Everyone making a donation of over £100 will be entered into a prize draw - with a Season Ticket for Life to each of the first five people drawn out.

* As well as being entered into the prize draw, everyone making a donation of over £250 will also be entitled to have their name recorded on a seat in our new stadium - a permanent tribute from an appreciative club.

* Everyone who helps the club will receive a commemorative certificate in their name, signed by the Board, as a memento for their grandchildren!

Albion's Chairman, Dick Knight said: "Since the new Board took over in 1997 the directors and shareholders have raised over £7 million in share capital and loans, but this has not been enough to cover the costs we have incurred over that period.

"While we were at Gillingham and each year at Withdean we have suffered trading losses.In addition, we spent £2.5 million converting Withdean to meet League regulations, the cost of finally getting rid of Bill Archer was £700,000, and we have had to fund the planning application and Public Inquiry into Falmer which has cost £2.5 million to date - with more to come.

In total the costs of running the club since 1997 amount to over £9 million, which means we have a cash deficit of just over £2 million which we need to raise now to stabilise the club's position.

"Without the new stadium project we would have more than balanced the books through recent years, but everybody can see that Withdean is totally inadequate.To secure the club's long-term future, it is absolutely essential that we have a decent stadium of sufficient capacity to generate the income we need, without having to repeatedly ask the directors and shareholders to dig into their pockets to keep the club going, as has happened throughout our time at Withdean.

"If everyone we have written to were to respond by making a donation of just £100, either in a single payment or by standing order over a year, we would raise the money we need. "For the sake of this great club we are asking our supporters to help keep the Albion alive and kicking and help us to secure the club's future now."

Life-long Albion supporter Des Lynam commented: "The business of running a football club is tough and getting tougher, but the Albion are in a League of their own with their unique problems.It's a miracle the club has survived, let alone be playing in the Championship, and I urge all Seagulls fans to rally round the Board and help the club at this crucial time."