Terras need £400,000 to break even
By Derek Bish

Tuesday 30th March 2010

WEYMOUTH FC will need to make £400,000 next year to break even, chairman George Rolls announced last night as he set out his ambitions for the Terras.

At the first fans’ forum since the acceptance of a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA), Rolls added that next season’s playing budget would be in the region of £8,000 per month.

He also stated that Weymouth would no longer live outside of its means but would need the fans to choose how far they wanted the club to go by turning up for matches, functions and other events – an average home gate of 350 has been budgeted for.

“We have to get the feel-good factor back, start loving the club again and we have to get other people loving the club,” urged Rolls. “That will only work if the people at the top are doing their jobs correctly.

“Any successful club usually has a steady ship at the top and we now have a chance to make that happen.”

One of the first questions of the night asked whether any deal had been done with ex-chairman and major creditor Malcolm Curtis to push the CVA through.

Rolls replied: “No. As I’ve told everyone from day one, I have spoken to Malcolm – even when I first looked at getting the club – and it was important, as he is the major creditor, for us to be at least on speaking terms.

“He is going to get 9p in the pound, the same as everyone. I don’t believe Malcolm wanted to see the club liquidated.”

Rolls also rejected the notion that past directors and the controversial land deal were now protected because of the CVA.

Among several things spoken about in the two-hour forum, attended by around 150 supporters, Rolls said local businessmen were being sought to replace the Lith-uanians currently on the Terras’ board, except for vice-chairman Pranas Preidzius, and he also backed club secretary Gary Calder, who came under fire.

Rolls also pledged to have an annual general meeting “at the right time”. Missing paperwork from previous years has prevented him from doing that so far, he said.

The chairman also confirmed that talks were ongoing with former manager Ian Hutchinson regarding a possible return to the helm but was unsure – as the Football Association (FA) is also – what league the Terras would be playing in next term.

He hopes that a 10-point penalty, due to come into effect next season, will be the club’s sole punishment and they will therefore only be relegated to the Zamaretto Southern Premier League.

However, should Weymouth wish to be promoted back up the pyramid then they are going to need to have paid off their CVA – meaning it could be five years before the Terras are eligible for Conference South football again.

“If we can pay it off any sooner then we will do, but why should we expect any benefactor to wipe that out,” said Rolls. “As a business, we have to make that £90,000 as quickly as possible to get it paid off so we are in a position to get promoted.”

With just two home games left this season, Rolls admitted he would have to put more money into the club to get it to the new season in August.

He also plans to buy more shares but said he had to put money in as loans – hence the cash owed to him in the CVA – because he was still not officially a director and therefore not able to write them off.

Due to Rolls’ shares in Cam-bridge United he has not been able to join the board, but has previously told Echosport that he expects clearance from the FA in the near future.

The work of William Ronald towards maintaining the upkeep of the Wessex Stadium was also praised – a statement that received a generous round of applause – while other volunteers were thanked and more fans encouraged to help out.

* Football in the community officer Tim Davis has departed Weymouth FC to run the sporting community trust that local financier Chris Ryan is planning to set up.

Davis, who had been with the Terras for the best part of 10 years, handed his resignation in on Friday so he could pursue the challenge of making the Weymouth & Portland Community Sports Development Group a success.

He said: “The time was right to try and go out and deliver more of the projects that I want to deliver.”

Rolls commented at last night’s fans’ forum: “He has actually accused myself of trying to bully him into his voting at the CVA, which I didn’t.

“I was trying to help him and let him know that after he put his claim in at the 11th hour of over £60,000 – another fixed contract given by a previous board – that he would only get 9p in the pound if accepted and if not it could essentially be liquidation.

“It was very disappointing because I know he has done a lot of good things but I think he was possibly influenced by others.”

Rolls added that no decision had been taken as to whether a new community officer would be employed, especially in light of the forthcoming trust being set up by Ryan.

* Weymouth Reserves are due to host Holt United tonight (7.45pm).