Supporters and members of the wider community are being invited to an action day to help Farsley Celtic’s ground meet FA ground grading requirements.
Farsley Celtic Supporters’ Club is holding a day of action at The Citadel this Sunday (March 16) in a bid to help get the facilities up to required standards.
The club said: “Some of the work has already started and we will also be holding an action day at The Citadel on Sunday where we hope to get as many supporters and community members to help out at the ground.
“Any help people can provide to carry out some general tidying up or painting the hatchings around the ground would be very welcome. There’s also a wall to take down in the referee’s room and we need a joiner to fit a couple of locks in the changing rooms.
“There are lots of different jobs available to suit people of all ages and abilities.”
Volunteers are being encouraged to turn up and lend a hand from 10am.
It’s been a tumultuous season for the troubled Celts, who haven’t played a game in Farsley for almost 11 months due to delays installing a new artificial pitch.
They are playing home games 70 miles away in Buxton and sit bottom of National League North, with relegation likely. Plans for a new artificial pitch, which would have provided a major new revenue stream for the club, have now been shelved.
The grass pitch at The Citadel was ripped up last summer. But the work to install a 4G pitch was beset with delays and those plans were shelved last month.
Chairman and owner Paul Barthorpe left the football club side of the business last month – which trades as FC2010 Ltd – leaving four directors (Paul Glover, Josh Greaves, John Stubbs and Jon Wickham) to run the club.
Barthorpe’s resignation was confirmed on Companies House last week, although he still still chairs FC 2010 Holdings Ltd, a separate company which owns the ground.
In a club statement, the directors described the past few weeks since Barthorpe’s resignation as ‘relentless’. They said: “As a board we are continuing to look at ways to bring in fresh funding into the club and ensure some stability moving forward.
“We have been meeting various potential funders [regarding the pitch], including the Football Foundation, as well as contractors and the league. Those discussions are complex and take time, but are progressing and are our priority.
“We hope to make a positive announcement regarding a new grass pitch once everything is in place.”
The statement commercial brochures had been circulated to businesses in Farsley and beyond. Any com apnoeas interested in becoming a partner should contact Jonathan Wickham on jon@farsleyceltic.com.
A crowdfunder aimed at securing the immediate future of the club has so far raised more than £13,500. The crowdfunder can be found here.
The Celts play league leaders Scunthorpe United at Buxton tomorrow as they look to secure their first win since Boxing Day.