Ash: Cup brings in £800k

Oliver Ash has estimated Maidstone’s FA Cup run to be worth £800,000.

That’s the figure the Stones co-owner is working with following their history-making journey to the last 16.

United won more than £350,000 in prize money while their share of gate receipts and TV revenue make up the total. But after losing more than £200,000 last season - the first loss posted under the ownership of Ash and Terry Casey and with further significant costs, there will be no spare cash for a legacy project, such as a new stand.

Essential expenditure includes a replacement 3G pitch this summer which comes in at more than £200,000. Maidstone beat three Football League clubs en route to round five before losing at Coventry where their split from a 27,000 gate will complete their FA Cup income.

“The receipts from Coventry will push that up to about £800,000,” said Ash.

“There’s plenty of costs to come off that.

“We’ve already said we have to cover the deficit from last season, we’ve got the new pitch to lay, there’s tax to pay, player bonuses, so unfortunately there isn’t enough left over for us realistically to start building new stands.

“I would love to build a west stand but when we costed that seven or eight years ago it was about £800,000.

“Now, with inflation, a simple west stand, that doesn’t actually increase capacity, it just puts seats instead of standing, would probably cost £1.2£1.3million and we simply can’t afford that.

“Even if we could borrow to fund something like that, it would put debt into the club, which we want to avoid doing, so we’re not going to do that project.”

Ash said before the Coventry tie that Maidstone’s FA Cup income would not be life-changing and he stands by those comments.

He added: “It’s not life-changing because, as a club, we’re run to be in the black, to be profitable, and this season we would have been back in profit. “Where it would be life-changing is if a club is in difficulty or has a stand to build or has something essential to do and we’re in a fortunate position that we don’t have that essential stuff to do. “If the club is to get to the Football Club one day, which I hope it does, it would probably need £8m of expenditure so that at the moment is a pipedream unless we find an investor who’s extremely wealthy.

“At the moment, a reasonable ambition, a realistic ambition, is to compete in the National League and do better than we have done in the last couple of seasons we’ve been in it.

“We know we can take the club that far but we’ll need another investor to take it further into the Football League.” Maidstone put themselves in the window for investment with their FA Cup exploits, making headlines around the world.

Nobody has come forward yet but Ash is confident the club’s profile will remain high for the foreseeable future, comparing the impact of their FourthRound

win at Ipswich to Hereford’s famous victory over Newcastle in 1972.

“Certainly our name is on the map for at least several seasons to come,” said Ash.

“It’s crazy to say around the world, but it is.

“Maidstone is now on the map because people have heard of what we’ve done.

“It’s as significant to me as when I was a kid and Hereford beat Newcastle and so many football fans of my generation will not just remember the result but remember the goals and the whole thing will stand out. “Maidstone beating Ipswich will have the same impact in 30 years’ time.

“Probably 20 million people will say they were at the game and they will remember the goals, and that will obviously help us going forward to attract new investment.”