HERE’S £1M TO MAKE US GREAT AGAIN
THE man behind a £1 million donation to Chester FC says he wants to help make the club great again.
Entrepreneur Stuart Murphy, whose business rates firm Exacta Plc used to sponsor Chester’s stadium, completed the donation to the Blues on Tuesday, with the majority of funds to be used for infrastructure projects to help the club be self sustainable for years to come.
The donation is risk free for Chester and will not affect or dilute their fan-owned model, with the 64-year-old Majorcabased businessman wanting to “give something back” to the city and the football club and see it one day return to being a Football League side.
“Someone had to step into the breach and Chester has been good to me over the years,” said Murphy.
“It is £1million but it could be quite a bit more depending on some projects and how far we want to go with the infrastructure. We are still working on the finer details but we haven’t yet figured out how it is going to be spent.
“The money is one thing and that is the easy part of the role I have got to play here. I have got a lot of enthusiasm and some great ideas but we are going to need a few permissions if we are going to expand the infrastructure of the club so that we can attract 3,500 supporters or more to every home game.
“Hopefully we can get the permissions through. We are a supporters club and they need to agree with what we want to do.
“At the end of the day I am only here to make this club great again. All I can do is donate the money and put the ideas in. The dream is League Two and self sufficient and then I can say I’ve done my job.”
It is just five short months since Chester revealed a financial crisis that saw them needing to raise £50,000 in the short term in order to survive.
Cost cutting on the playing and staff side had to be undertaken while fans raised over £100,000 through various activities, including an All-Star game including the likes of Michael Owen and Ian Rush.
But it wasn’t just off the field the Blues were in crisis and they found themselves relegated to the National League North, with Marcus Bignot sacked three games before the end of the season.
Former Salford City managers Anthony Johnson and Bernard Morley have taken over at the helm but will have to work their magic with a fairly limited budget, although Murphy indicated that he may make some funds available to enable them to be competitive next season and challenge for a return to the National League.
“The £1million is for the here and now. The budget needs to reflect the quality of the management we have got, and those two guys are top quality guys,” said Murphy.
“Hopefully we will be able to support them get the players they want in this particular league and no number has been given or decided yet. Over the next few weeks I’m sure we’ll be able to give them that.
“The appointment of the two managers is a real coup for the club in the position that it is in and with the experience that they have got. They have been working with big names and I have met them two or three times and been very impressed with them.”