4:57pm Thursday 12th January 2006
By Alex Galbinski
Hendon FC face a real risk' of folding after nearly 100 years and will not be able to move to Barnet Copthall stadium because it is not financially viable, according to supporters.
At a meeting at the club on Saturday, more than 70 supporters were told that the recently agreed supporters' trust would need to raise at least £25,000 before June 30 to allow the club to continue.
Hendon FC vice-chairman David Bedford told supporters that the club, founded in 1908, would not be able to move from its current site in Claremont Road, Cricklewood Hendon's home ground since 1928 to the athletics stadium in Mill Hill, as it was no longer viable' and would cost at least £200,000 more than the £300,000 originally estimated.
"Clearly, this financial situation is untenable and a remedy has to be found," he said. "I believe the setting up of the supporters' trust will mean a future for Hendon FC."
Supporters say the only viable alternative to folding or merging with another club which they believe could see Hendon FC losing their identity is to share a ground with a similar club, and talks have begun with Wingate & Finchley FC, based in Summers Lane, North Finchley.
Current club owner Arbiter Group wants to sell the ground to developers something that is dependent on Barnet Council overturning a restrictive covenant, which only allows the site to be used for public recreational use.
A decision on this is yet to be made by the Lands Tribunal.
But Mr Bedford said: "Throughout the debate on the club's future, the Arbiter Group has indicated it would make an undefined amount available to the club if the land was sold."
Long-time supporter Simon Lawrence, who chaired the meeting, added that more than £25,000 needed to be raised by June for the club to move forward.
A target of £100,000 after that to maintain the club's status for next season had also been set. "It's not your club or my club," he told supporters. "It's our club."
For information on joining the trust or to donate, visit the web site at www.hendonfc.net, or call 020 8201 9494.
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