Interview With Grant Biddle Chairman Of Peterborough Sports Saturday 12th March.

[MichaelD]

https://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/spo ... ue-3972141

If Hitchin ever managed to get promoted, we would face the same problems of competing against full time clubs, and hence would require additional financial investment. I get the impression that some Hitchin supporters want teams like Peterborough Sports to fail. Hitchin will never fail because they will never take the chance of going beyond their self-imposed limits.

[russell]

Personally I don't 'want them to fail'.. but neither do I want them to succeed particularly just on the whim of one businessman with a few quid to spare (who seemingly has now lost interest). They don't have a fanbase, or any investment in youth teams which to me makes them a vanity project not a community football club

[Brian]

Personally I don't 'want them to fail'.. but neither do I want them to succeed particularly just on the whim of one businessman with a few quid to spare (who seemingly has now lost interest). They don't have a fanbase, or any investment in youth teams which to me makes them a vanity project not a community football club

I'd have to agree with that.

I don't particularly wish ill on these clubs but we have seen numerous instances where people have come in and thrown money at it to try to achieve success. They have got so far then either the money runs out or the person loses interest. It's not fair on the clubs, their supporters or the other teams in their league.

We have all seen teams come flying passed us then suddenly they have gone bust with large debts, reforming as a new club so creditors receive little of what they are owed if anything at all.

The problem is at our level a sugar daddy doesn't need millions to be able to make a big difference. However the fall out can be massive once they go.

I take on Michael D's comments about 'Hitchin will never fail because they will never take the chance of going beyond their self-imposed limits.' but that's the point, we want a club that is prudently run and still around for future generations to enjoy and suffer as we do now. A promotion or two would be great but longevity has to be the aim too.

[Cat Daisy]

Personally I don't 'want them to fail'.. but neither do I want them to succeed particularly just on the whim of one businessman with a few quid to spare (who seemingly has now lost interest). They don't have a fanbase, or any investment in youth teams which to me makes them a vanity project not a community football club

Be interesting to know if they reached out to what was left of Peterborough Northern Star (in the same area in the city) when the latter hit the rocks in 2021. PNS men's team folded but the junior sides were to continue iirc. Joining up or offering resource would've been community-spirited. I reckon I know the answer.

[Neil]

If you don’t pay HMRC, you’re hardly a community club…

[DarrenW]

Personally I don't 'want them to fail'.. but neither do I want them to succeed particularly just on the whim of one businessman with a few quid to spare (who seemingly has now lost interest). They don't have a fanbase, or any investment in youth teams which to me makes them a vanity project not a community football club

Be interesting to know if they reached out to what was left of Peterborough Northern Star (in the same area in the city) when the latter hit the rocks in 2021. PNS men's team folded but the junior sides were to continue iirc. Joining up or offering resource would've been community-spirited. I reckon I know the answer.

You make a good point there Colin.

Having lived in the area I know there not short of council owned facilities for Youth football (Possibly why they opted not to invest) The facilities they have put NHDC to shame.

If I remember correctly Peterborough NS was owned and run mostly by the same family of Italian origin with the ethos of running a club for the community. Was saddened at there demise having read about them in my time living there. They didnt throw money at it just Covid finished them I strongly suspect. I believe they owned the club for a good number of years.

Neil hit it spot on and fully agree with him. If they didnt take this option and they have defaulted on tax...... What possible claim can they have to being a community club?

[MichaelD]

There is no indication as to what caused the default to HMRC. However, Grant Biddle has referred to the improvements needed to the club's day-to-day operations - in a league where they are competing against clubs run on a full-time professional basis.
Hitchin would face similar problems if they ever got promoted to Level 2.
Whatever one's views on Mr Biddle, it seems that the only way to gain promotion to Level 2 is to rely on one or more individuals pumping money into a club. Running your club prudently will not allow you to compete, unfortunately. There is something that has not been picked up from articles on the subject.

[Neil]

This is the basic flaw of non-league football. As it stands, many clubs cannot afford wages unless they are propped up. Many have a wage-to-income ratio that goes beyond 100% of income.
There is no control over wages and most financial accounts are not transparent because the clubs opt for the bare minimum.
Clubs that run their ship prudently deserve credit, but you are right, they cannot be truly competitive. Similarly, fan-owned clubs find it hard to be competitive.
There is a way to change this and that is to impose salary caps and insist upon more transparency around financial reporting. At a certain level, wages should be scrapped - most cannot really afford to pay wages, it is a completely false economy.

[russell]

Good points Neil.. the pressure shouldn't be on clubs like Hitchin to find some money from thin air.. the relevant bodies should incentivise having consistent attendances and doing good work for their communities

[MichaelD]

Nine teams have higher average attendances than Hitchin at the moment, and nearly all clubs do good work in their communities. So not sure how things are going to be any different. Hitchin did actually find money from thin air to bring the ground up to the required standard. So, perhaps there is somebody out there somewhere who is willing to invest substantially in the club. However, such a person would probably be told to go elsewhere as who knows what their motives might be.