Corporate: 'Community interest' plan rescues Darlington 2 February 2012

A ‘community interest’ plan has been agreed in principle to secure the future of troubled Darlington FC.

After talks with frontrunner, venture capitalist Paul Wildes, broke down the club once again looked in grave danger of going out of business.

But Darlington FC Rescue Group rode to the rescue for the second time in a fortnight with the brave plan.

Group spokesman Doug Embleton told Insolvency News that the group became the “cavalry” after the key players failed to wrap up a deal.

He said: “Paul Wildes pulled out of the deal – he couldn’t come to an arrangement with (former chairman) Raj Singh.

“We had worked on a concept, it could be a community-interest company.

“It has been put into action at other clubs. We are all just volunteers trying to do the best we can for the club.

“If you think of this it does put out the ultimate challenge to fans.

“The traditional dynamic is the chairman comes in, the fans whinge and then he goes – but this is asking a lot of the fans – it’s now down to them.”

The rescue group managed to stump up enough cash just two weeks ago to keep the club going for another three matches after it looked inevitable administrator Harvey Madden of Taylor Rowlands would confirm the club’s closure.

The club has suffered administration three times in the past nine years after enduring a rocky recent history.

And Darlington MP, Jenny Chapman, who has also been at the forth front of efforts to preserve the club, nicknamed the Quakers, also welcomed the proposed deal.

She said: “It’s a tremendous opportunity to for Darlington to own a football club – the fans have shown their commitment.

“The experience of the past 10 years shows that we have to be in control of our own future and that means doing the work ourselves.”

By Andy Pearce