Photo courtesy Ingy the Wingy's Flickr account
Coca-Cola Football League Two side Accrington Stanley is reportedly close to repaying its outstanding tax bill of £308,000 to the British government, thus moving a big step towards ensuring the survival of the Lancashire club.
Stanley was given a deadline of eight weeks from Sept. 2 to pay its tax bill to HM Revenue & Customs or otherwise face a winding-up order and possible extinction. The club’s Save Our Stanley fundraising campaign, however, along with funds coming from the club’s directors and community members, appears well on its way to saving the Crown Ground club, which currently sits in thirteenth place in League Two.
As of Oct. 7, the Save Our Stanley campaign had raised over £88,900, and it stands to reason that more funds have come in through that campaign since then. The club has had promises of more money coming in from sources outside of its main fundraising campaign, though, which puts the club close to paying its unpaid tax bill.
“We’re well on track to raise £150,000 through fundraising efforts,” Stanley chief executive Rob Heys told BBC Radio Lancashire. “There is more money to come from directors which will bring in £100,000.
“That leaves £50,000 which we’ve got one or two things in place with a couple of local people who have offered to lend us the money albeit very short term.”
Stanley, which bowed out of the Carling Cup against Queens Park Rangers on Aug. 25 but still remains alive in the Johnstone’s Paints Trophy competition, has hosted a pair of fundraising matches against nearby Barclays Premier League clubs Burnley and Blackburn Rovers. Stanley’s trip to Burnley’s Turf Moor ground on Sept. 9 drew 5,301 fans, while Tuesday’s home friendly against Blackburn brought 2,453 supporters through the turnstiles at the Crown Ground.
Hey could only praise the club’s Premier League opponents, as he was clearly pleased with the sense of unity between the three Lancashire clubs. “They’ve both been absolutely fantastic,” he said. “There is no sense of being patronizing.
“They recognise that we are the other professional football club in between them in east Lancashire and they are quite happy to get involved and help out.”
Stanley hosts a third fundraising friendly on Thursday night, welcoming American side Austin Aztex to the Crown Ground. The Texas club plays in the USL First Division, which makes up the second tier of U.S. club football, and the Aztex beat Stoke City’s reserves 1-0 at non-league side Nantwich Town’s Weaver Stadium on Wednesday. The tourists will follow Thursday’s match against Stanley with another international club friendly next Tuesday against Sheffield Wednesday’s reserves.
As for Thursday’s game, admission is by donation at the Crown Ground turnstiles. The club’s website lists a suggested entrance price of £5 for adults, £3 for concessions and £1 for children aged 12 and under.
Matthew Semisch
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