BUSINESSES have been urged to get behind Malvern Town as it aims to become a ‘first class’ football club.
The Pickersleigh-based side have issued a rallying call to continue the regeneration of a club which was faced with possible closure just 18 months ago. At that point the club faced crippling debts of £250,000.
Chris Pinder was one of the men who took the helm when Town faced a bleak future. He has since pumped in close to £50,000 of his own money and told The Observer they are now a thriving ‘success story’.
“It is a long term project,” Mr Pinder, managing director, said. “It has got so much potential, the success we are having and the enjoyment being had at the club is very rewarding but I know we can always do better.
“We have one of the best stadiums and facilities in our league but we can always make it better. We want to keep adding improvements that make the club more and more professional.
“To create a first class football club we need the support of not just local people, but local business and everyone has a role to play in this football club’s success story.”
It is not just things off the pitch which have picked up for the West Midlands Regional League Premier outfit, as the side face their most successful campaign for about a decade.
Malvern have already scooped the Worcestershire Senior Urn, look set to finish in the top six and Mr Pinder believes with the right investment promotion is just around the corner.
“It is not unrealistic to think we could progress a couple of leagues and still be sustainable,” the 29-year-old added. “But you have to balance ambition with sustainability.
“The failure of the club in the past is when they got promoted too high and it brought too much financial burden.
“They took a big loan out to fund it and that is what ultimately cost them a few years down the line.
“We want to make sure if we progress up the leagues that we have the budget to do so and everyone has a part to play in that.”
