Matchday cash is never enough, warns Padiham chief (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Matchday cash is never enough, warns Padiham chief

2:10pm Wednesday 1st February 2012 in North West Counties By Matt Donlan, Sports reporter

PADIHAM secretary Alan Smith believes non-league clubs must work off the field to generate as much revenue as they can if they are to make progress on it.

With the recent bad weather leaving many teams struggling to get matches in over recent weeks and there have even been suggestions in some quarters that non-league should perhaps look to summer football.

But the long-serving Smith would be against such an idea and instead says it is important that other revenue-raising ideas are thought up.

“The weather and postponements always will be a problem at our level of football,” said Smith.

“I think that non-league football has to be as much away from the game as about the game.

“I know that we all work hard to get the games on – but it is difficult at this time of the year and we have to look into different ideas.

“If we are going to relyy on what we get on a match day we will not survive as clubs.

“We have a pitch and we have a clubhouse and we have to be creative with our facilities.

“At this level you have to look at that clubhouse to take your money.

“You are never going to be able to survive on what you take on football.

“The income from football, apart from what you can take over the bar, will never keep your club going.

“You want and need to be a community club with four, five or six teams. You have to be part of that community to progress.”

Padiham have not been hit as hard as some in recent weeks with the weather – but their hard work in getting Saturday’s North West Counties League Premier Division game against Ashton Athletic after temperatures plummeted on Friday night went unrewarded.

Athletic, now bossed by former Padiham manager Steve Wilkes, won the game 2-1 thanks to a stunning stoppage time free-kick.

Meanwhile, Padiham Ladies got back to winning ways on Sunday, beating Springfields 8-2 in the first round of the NWWRFL Cup to earn themselves a home draw against Bolton Wanderers Ladies.

It was an incredible game and the scores were level at 2-2 on 59 minutes before Padiham scored six times between the 73rd and 87th minutes to reach the second round.