Chalvey could be 'crippled' if fans can't return to matches, says boss Young

Chalvey Sports play their home matches at Arbour Park (above)

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Chalvey Sports manager Matty Young says his side could be financially crippled if fans continue to been prevented from attending games in Slough after the Government review on December 16.

The Stabmonks, who groundshare Arbour Park with National League South side Slough Town, will not be allowed to welcome supporters at their matches when their season resumes on December 12 after the Government established the borough as a tier 3 region.

Slough-based Langley FC will also have to play their games behind closed doors.

Both Chalvey and Langley compete in the Hellenic Division One East and are the only two sides in the division under tier 3 restrictions.

Given the restrictions, Chalvey boss Young is worried about how his side will survive at their level without matchday income from supporters.

“The fact we’re not allowed fans in our games is going to be crippling,” said Young.

“Playing at Arbour Park isn’t the most cost-effective and even more so without having fans there. It costs us between £450-500 a game. We probably only get an average of 50 to 60 fans on a matchday in but it does help.

“We compete in a great league. It’s well organised and we’ve played there for many years but in order to progress, you need certain facilities.

“The problem is that there is nowhere available for a club of our size to play football in the Slough area.

“If we want to play progressive football, our only option is to pay through the nose at Arbour Park. It’s not going to be sustainable to play there without the help of supporters and if something isn’t sorted or adjusted, we’re really going to struggle.”

Chalvey are set to get their season back underway later this month but if Slough remains at tier 3 when the Government review the tiers, their season could be temporarily brought to a halt until the level is reduced.

“Preparation for the restart of the season is proving to be very difficult,” added Young.

“We were due to play a team this weekend but they’re not happy to be playing against a team from a tier 3 region so they’ve cancelled that fixture.

“We were also due to play Penn & Tylers Green at the restart of the campaign but that has now been changed.

“I think teams are a little bit wary of playing against others in different tiers and it’s proving very difficult to get things organised.”

Young added: “Our club is a very well run club.

“We have a lot of volunteers that put a lot of effort into it. But right now, everyone is at their wit's end.

“My brother has been a volunteer, the chairman, the manager, the secretary etc. He's done many different roles for the club over the years.

“But this season alone is so admin-heavy he's almost at a point where he's going to walk away from something he loves doing because it's so difficult to get things done.”