Non-league football club needs £40,000 to survive

Stocksbridge Park Steels say they are "fighting for survival"

A non-league football club based near Sheffield has said it needs up to £40,000 to survive the upcoming season.

Eighth-tier side Stocksbridge Park Steels, who were founded in 1986, said they were "fighting for survival" in a statement issued on Thursday.

Vice chairman Roger Gissing said the cost of running the club was about £140,000 each year.

He said he and other volunteers at Stocksbridge would do "all we can to make sure the club survives".

They were "positive that we can pull through", he added.

"We are talking to lots of people," said Mr Gissing, who is one of about 40 volunteers who help run the Northern Premier League Division One East outfit.

"We are not going to say that we are not going to make it, we probably need thirty to forty-thousand to guarantee we can get through the season with everything we want to do and need to do.

"We have a plan that will see us through, as long as we can manage to get a bit of sponsorship."

The club has helped launch the careers of several professional footballers, most notably Premier League and FA Cup winner Jamie Vardy, who went on to represent England.

Jamie Vardy, pictured, began his senior career with Stocksbridge

"Everybody thinks Jamie Vardy should bail us out because he played there - he doesn't owe us anything," said Mr Gissing, who has been a committee member at Stocksbridge for 10 years.

"It's not beholden to him. It's down to the club to make sure they are self-sufficient. That's what we are trying to do."

The club had lost "a substantial amount of sponsorship" in recent seasons, which Mr Gissing said had contributed to its financial predicament.

Stocksbridge's average home attendances were also among the lowest in the league, Mr Gissing added.

Nor are they able to profit from the stadium bar, which is not owned by them.

'pull through'

But all hope is not lost.

National and international businesses have shown an interest in sponsoring the club in recent days, Mr Gissing said.

"The committee is positive that we can pull through.

"There are lots of people committing to smaller things. We don't mind how we do it.

"It will be a struggle but we are up for the fight and we will do all we can to make sure the club survives."

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