Final whistle for Darwen FC - but new club set to rise out of ashes (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Final whistle for Darwen FC - but new club set to rise out of ashes

6:33pm Thursday 7th May 2009

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DARWEN FC will cease to exist at the end of the season.

Owner Kevin Henry has told The Vodkat League that he intends to withdraw Darwen Sports and Social Club from football related activities.

As a result, the Football Association has informed the Vodkat League Management Commitee that they should make preparations for season 2009-10 on the assumption that Darwen Football Club will not be members of the league, and will not be participating in the league’s competitions.

Dennis Hill, manager of Darwen FC said he “wasn’t surprised” by the announcement.

He said: “We all knew this was coming.

“Kevin told us he would be going and said he would give the lease to me and club secretary Derek Slater.

“We’d have to call it another name –– AFC Darwen –– because that would free us from all the debts.

“It does mean the end of Darwen FC, but it will be all the same people involved in the new club.”

The Anchor Ground club, which was founded in 1875, has been facing a winding up order over a £9,000 unpaid bill to tool hire company ING Lease (UK) Limited.

The ground is currently owned by Blackburn with Darwen Council and leased to Mr Henry. The council have been unable to comment on how the lease would be affected by the club’s closure.

Mr Hill added: “AFC Darwen will be a community-based club. We want to get the kids involved from an under 7 to under 15s level.

“To be honest we’ve done well to get to the end of the season. It’s been dragging on and on. The sooner this is sorted out, the better. We can start getting the new club going and looking for grants.”

Dave Tomlinson, chairman of The Vodkat League, said: “For the avoidance of any doubt, it should be noted that if a new club is formed in Darwen, it will be considered a new and separate entity to the club that has been competing in the league this season.”

That club would need to apply for membership of the local Country Football Association, and apply to the Football Association to join the national League pyramid structure.

This would normally mean that the club would begin competing at Step 7 –– one level below that at which the current Darwen Football Club has been competing in season 2008-09.

Kevin Henry was unavailable for comment.

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Owain Glyndwr, Waunarlydd says...
7:33pm Thu 7 May 09

Very sad to see Darwen AFC go to the wall, Darwen Football Club is one of the oldest clubs in the North West and have played many football league clubs during their long history. As a Welshman and a Secretary, Chairman you name it I have done it even looking after the ground with Morriston Town AFC who played in the Welsh Football League my club was formed in 1898 as a Sunday School Team called St Iltids and is to date is struggling. Local soccer teams are very difficult to run in today's climate, in my day's we played for love of the game, I am afraid that players will only play if there is a wedge (CASH) for playing.
I came to live in Darwen in 2003 I am now back in Swansea, I attended many Daren Games home & away, they were a good team then, I remember but can't name names at the time the chairman & secretary were females, nothing wrong in that but they were running the club on a shoe string, I had an opportunity to join the committee at that, but owing to having ill health (Osteoarthritis I declined but I said I could work behind the background helping in the administration side of the club.

I hope they can continue under AFC Darwen all be it at a lower division in the English Pyramid System.