Kicking us when we're down

TO paraphrase the saying, we get knocked down, but I tell you what, it’s getting harder and harder to get back up again. Even pop band Chumbawamba would be struggling now.

Back in January, our club’s future was once again thrown in the air when chairman Raj Singh put us into administration. Supposedly debt-free, we had a chance to carry on, but then the full story started to unfold.

It emerged that we were not actually debtfree.

Mr Singh had loaned money to the club, although he publicly stated that he would waive his loan repayment if the community was going to take over the club.

After failed attempts to buy the club by businessmen, the only option left was for us – the fans – to buy the club.

In January, the club was effectively liquidated, with administrator Harvey Madden informing the players that it had gone. However, an extra-time intervention by the fans led to £50,000 being put forward.

With the promise of further investment, the administrator changed his mind and the club was back in business. Crowds of more than 6,000 turned up for the next two games.

Football fans from around the country chipped in, and from a club with a hardcore fanbase of about 1,400, we pooled £14,000 in two weeks to help the players who were not getting paid.

A further £70,000 was then injected by Darlington 1883, the fans group formed to take over the outfit.

The Crowdcube online funding pitch then went live and, within weeks, we hit the first £250,000 target, with the fund eventually settling at about £325,000. This gave us the money to pay off the football creditors.

We didn’t have enough to pay off all of the non-footballing creditors, but a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) could have been agreed to pay off non-football creditors over three years.

However, that all hinged on Mr Singh accepting the CVA. In the end, it was not and the community’s efforts were in vain.

IT then became apparent that without a CVA, we were going to be punished by the FA, who had already given us a ten-point deduction in the Blue Square Bet Premier and put us under a player embargo, which effectively relegated us.

With the club not actually owning the stadium, it became apparent that staying at the 25,000-seater arena was not viable. So now we had to make the drastic decision of moving out of town with a view to returning, hopefully, within 12 months to a new basic stadium.

After discussions with the FA, 1883 decided to groundshare with Shildon.

Due to the change in situation of how 1883 planned to take the club forward, Financial Services Authority regulations meant that we had to return all of the money invested through Crowdcube and hope people reinvested in a new community interest company.

1883 then purchased Darlington FC for £100,000, including the £70,000 previously invested.

They also gave a guarantee to pay the footballing creditors what they were owed over the next three years, reported to be a further £100,000.

Mr Singh then informed 1883 that he would sign over the football share, which the club needed to continue playing football, but attached certain conditions.

These conditions were against the FA rules, so 1883 could not accept them.

1883 then headed to FA headquarters to plead our case. After the meeting, it was deemed that all had gone well and hopes were high that we would only be relegated two leagues.

We then heard the news that because the club did not own a football share, we were being treated as a new club and demoted four divisions to the Northern League Division One.

It has been like a scene from Rocky, day by day as we try to clamber up the ropes to regain our feet, we get a bigger whack that lays us back on the floor.

And when we are laid on the floor, gasping for air, the FA have kicked us right where it hurts with another beauty. We are now told we cannot play in any FA competitions as the new club, which the FA told us we were on May 25, because it was not registered by April 1.

As it stands, it looks like we have paid £200,000 for well, erm, I’m not sure at the moment.

As a Darlington crisis goes, this has got to be the biggest test of our strength ever. We have had everything taken from us, and I mean everything. We have nothing left for anybody to take. Stadium, manager, players, FA competitions, all gone. Now they want to take our name.

We have had middle-aged ladies lay out hundreds of pounds to purchase scarves to resell for a profit, we have had pensioners ride bikes to Lincoln, ending up in hospital, bucket collections around the country, fundraising matches, sponsored abseils, quiz nights, race nights, and all to be kicked in the teeth from the powers that are supposed to be looking after our beautiful game.

But at least the sheikhs got the trophies they wanted.

I know that sounds bitter, but it seems that is all that matters these days.

This situation is actually encouraging clubs in future to go bust at the first opportunity.

Fighting to try and pay off your debts and give your club some dignity back does not work in your favour.

This time, we are in intensive care, but the life support machine will never be switched off, even when some are trying to unplug it.

We have lost everything, and as a football fan, it is hard to take. Please Mr FA, give us a fair crack of the whip, listen to our appeal and please allow us to continue the tradition of Darlington FC.