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Dover have received formal notice from the CVA supervisor and are now required to pay over the proportion of the proceeds from the 2002/3 FA Cup run by 31st December 2004.
Together with an assessment arising from an inspection of the Club's records by the VAT Office dating back to 2001 and other obligations arising from reduced gate receipts this season, Dover have to find £48,000 by the end of this year or face certain extinction.
The Supporters Trust and the fans on the terraces have already shown their support by selling out the forthcoming David Elleray evening while the public turned out in their numbers at the Fireworks display earlier this month.
The club are now appealing to the businesses in the area to come forward and support the Club at its lowest ebb - if they feel it is worth fighting for. We feel it is; with all it represents in the community and what it has on offer to all ages from the under-8s to the semi-professional 1st team.
Several businesses have supported the Club for many years and contributed greatly towards the Club's survival. The list is long, but many can be identified by the boards around the ground and the advertisements inside the match day programmes.
Recently, Hoverspeed became main sponsors and former chairman and local businessman, Jim Gleeson, wrote off a considerable debt.
With this in mind they have formed a fighting fund, which will be operated by Mr John Parsons (a retired local businessman who has no connection to the club other than as a supporter). No money will be touched by the club until sufficient funds have been raised to clear these obligations. Should this fail, then all monies will be returned untouched to the donors
Please help if you can
====================== Previously ======================
6-9-2004
The following was released by the board of Dover Athletic last week.
'The media have been focusing on a meeting scheduled for Monday 6th September 2004 at the office of Thornton Rones, who act as Supervisor for the Club's Creditors Voluntary Arrangement (CVA).
The meeting's purpose is to vote on a proposal to vary the CVA such that the Club would not have to pay over a proportion of the profits gained on the successful 2002/3 FA Cup run. That amount involved here is c.£23,000.
While the Club has made good its commitment to the payments of £3,000 per month, this special clause (known as Modification 5) was designed to accelerate the CVA and bring its conclusion earlier than the 5 years planned.
One of the Club's Creditors highlighted the obligation, as they were entitled, and the appropriate notices have been issued. Under the voting rules, we know that the votes already cast will almost certainly prevent the Variation being approved.
As such, following Monday's meeting, the Supervisor will inform the Club that it will be required to make good its obligation under Modification 5 almost certainly requiring that we find £23,000 by the end of September.
Speculation that Monday's meeting is set to bring about the winding up of the Club is, therefore, unfounded although it is equally clear that the ramifications are such that the demise could happen eventually.
Those who feel surprise at this revelation should recall Chairman Mick Kemp's statement following the Stafford Rangers match in May, openly seeking £30,000 of which the Trust were the only contributor magnificently raising £8,000 in June.'
Please note that the board of DAFC has 3 members, one of which is the Trust nominated Director, and another of which is a former member of the Trust Board. The third member (and Chairman) is a local businessman. None of these individuals have any money themselves and simply give up a lot of time and effort to work on the club's behalf. The Supporters' Trust is the sole regular contributor to fundraising. We have no difficulties whatsoever between the Trust and the Club Boards.
The reason that the money from the FA Cup run was not put to the CVA was simply because we would not have reached the end of the 2002/3 season without those funds.
These monies are not, and never will be, additional to the amount payable under the CVA. They only serve to 'speed up' the payment to the creditors.
In the overall scheme of football, this amount is, of course, a fraction of Wayne Rooney's weekly pay packet, but our club will fold for the lack of it.
On Saturday 18th September, Dover Athletic will play AFC Wimbledon in the FA Cup and are hoping arrange another 'Fans United' day or find some other way of getting fans to attend this game specifically, so that a bumper crowd can help their aim of raising the funds needed to keep the club afloat.
Dover Athletic are in trouble. Earlier this month, following relegation from the Nationwide Conference the board of directors resigned. This is the 4th time that this has happened this season alone.
There is a consortium hoping to take over involving local businessmen and the recently formed Supporters Trust. These two groups are expected to become the latest board to try and rescue the club from liquidation. However their task is by no means straight forward. The club is believed to be £400,000 in debt, and as usual much of this is owed to the Inland Revenue
At present Dover have no body to pay the debt
