TOWN ARE HUMBLED BY MAJOR NEVILLE DONATION
BRIGHOUSE Town chairman James Howard says the club is still pinching itself after receiving a “significant” donation from Manchester United legend Gary Neville.
The former England right-back and Salford City co-owner has helped out the Northern Premier League North West side in their vital fundraising campaign to keep the club going through this uncertain period.
“We still have a huge amount of liabilities for the rest of the season,” Howard told The NLP. “We’ve got half a dozen players on contract that need paying.
“We’ve got three major sponsorship deals that are up in the summer and that’s major income to us. We have no commitments from anybody that they want to take those sponsorships on and quite right in the current climate.
“As a community club it’s about a lot more than just the football. People rely on the club for something to do on a Saturday afternoon. This isn’t just a two-month issue, this will have a significant economic effect for all clubs at our levels.”
Brighouse – who have played just one home game since the start of February – have raised almost £4,000 and Neville has contributed a separate generous sum, revealing St Giles Road held a special place in his heart as it was the venue for his last Salford City game alongside his father Neville, who died in August 2015.
“We decided to set up a JustGiving campaign as a ‘please help us’. It was very much warts and all, to the point,” added Howard.
“Gary got in touch and asked me a few questions about how it’s impacted the club, what’s the financial deficit. He volunteered to make a significant donation and made the payment the same day. We are still pinching ourselves really.
“It has allowed us to start planning for the forthcoming season and carry out some essential repair work on a roof that is collapsing in one of the stands. We can do these jobs that we couldn’t previously, which is absolutely incredible for the club.”