RUMOURS have been circulating recently about the demise of Street Football Club writes Merv Colenutt, but following a meeting at the club on Tuesday evening, Jo Stimpson laid down the facts in a long statement of where the club stands at present and also what the future holds, the main points that were taken from the meeting were as follows.

Street FC are certainly having to face up to many difficult decisions in the season ahead and around 80 members and supporters were in attendance as the club faces up to the difficult current financial climate.

Street Football Club, like so many others are having to deal with more negatives than positives, but the club obviously felt it important to squash those rumours that the club was going into administration.

Increased energy prices, the cost of living and only 7 home fixtures between January and April, curtailed any revenue that was being brought into the club and that only compounded the financial problems that the club were facing up to now.

Increase in travel, plumbing problems that saw events cancelled and an increase in staff wages and less in the way of volunteering, also added extra revenue to the accounts.

At present the outgoings are outweighing the income by a wide margin and the majority of the previous committee have now left their posts.

The big decision and crisis point came during May and June as meetings were laid out to discuss the future of the club where three options were discussed in depth.

  1. To put the club into administration and close the doors with immediate effect.
  2. Close the clubhouse and withdraw the First Team from the Western League and play Somerset County League and Youth football, using a tea hut for refreshments.
  3. Or to do everything we could for Street FC  to operate as it is with the clubhouse open and competing at all levels of the game and the decision has been made to go forward with option 3.

The goal now is for Street Football Club and Bar 1880 to be individually and financially sustainable, providing playing opportunities within the men’s semi-professional game, community and youth level, whilst creating a community hub for social and recreational activity.

The club will form sustainable links with Millfield School to strengthen the under 18s team and to continue to field a competitive squad within the Toolstation Western League Premier Division.

Facilities will be provided for darts, skittles etc and at the same time expand and introduce a community café.

A formed partnership with Millfield School is also very much in the offing, along with an increase in the growing of the fanbase.

The club will merge with Victoria Sports, who will become the reserve side for the 23/24 season and also Cllr Terry Napper who is a trustee of the club, is also hoping to get support from Street Parish Council who have been so supportive to other local facilities in and around Street, including Strode Theatre.

On the playing side, the first team ended last season on a 12 match unbeaten run to finish 9th, so overall despite the turmoil within the club financially, there does appear to be a far more positive reaction from the members and supporters.

The hope now has to be that the reality and understanding of so many issues is now taken forward, there is a long road ahead, but with the right support shown initially by Jo Stimpson, Street Football Club do appear to have the right ingredients to have been on the brink of expulsion initially, to now have far more positive vibes for the future.