‘All we need is one week’s wages from a Premier League player’

THE CHAIRMAN of a non-league football club has bemoaned the lack of support from teams higher up the football pyramid after storm damage left his club facing five-figure bills.

Andy Charlesworth is chairman at Tadcaster Albion, an eighth-tier side from North Yorkshire which saw its ground heavily flooded following Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis.

The club is attempting to raise £12,000 itself to pay for repairs via their JustGiving page, and have been visited by the Football Foundation with a view to obtaining the remaining money required.

The Premier League is one of the partners behind the Football Foundation, a charity that has supported grassroots sport projects and more since it was launched in 2000.

While the help will go a long way to getting clubs like Tadcaster back on their feet, Mr Charlesworth believes a gesture of goodwill from a top-tier player could see the rest of their fundraising efforts make it over the line.

“We could do with a Premier League player donating a week’s wages, that would realistically just sort us out,” Mr Charlesworth said.

“But typically of the larger clubs, we’ve had no feedback.

“It seems to be that the nonleague family are looking after ourselves.”

Tadcaster’s pitch and facilities were flooded more than a week ago before Storm Dennis brought even more water.

The result is a clubhouse that needs significant repair work and a pitch that has taken days to get rid of standing water.

Support at a local level has been evident, with a bucket collection due to take place at Ashton United’s game against Hyde United on Friday night, while a departing Tadcaster player donated his February wages to the cause.

Mr Charlesworth has broadcast his club’s difficulties to sides higher up the football pyramid, but said it appears non-league clubs are being left by bigger clubs to look after themselves.

A “big clean-up” at the club took place yesterday afternoon, thanks to an army of volunteers.