AFC Bridgnorth in plea for support

The West Midlands League Premier Division side are currently planning for next season but find themselves at a crossroads for their future.

After a year largely dominated by tight coronavirus pandemic restrictions, the club’s bar, which is their main source of income, has been closed for several months.

Now, Bridgnorth are calling on local businesses or individuals to provide sponsorship or financial help to aid their survival.

Weale said: “We’re no different to any club or business, who have all taken a massive hit. But we’re not in it to make profit, we’re here to provide the town with a football club.

“We have volunteers who put in an extraordinary amount of time and effort to keep the club afloat. Everything has a cost implication, we have to pay for all the equipment and the day-to-day running of the football club.

“We’ve been able to survive because of some grants we got from the government and council, which has softened the blow.

“We now start next season without a substantial capital in the bank because we’ve been using it to survive and we haven’t got any money.

“Our money is made from the bar, which has been closed for the best part of 12 months. It’s hit us extremely hard.

“We’d like firms to sponsor us to help us survive. We also have website, matchday and match programme advertising, and we want to get the message across to local business who might be able to help. We are willing to talk to anybody about any help they can give us. This is crucial to our survival.”

Not only is survival on the club’s mind, but they are also determined to make the team a success and need help to make that a reality.

Weale added: “We have a town that is very giving and have supported good causes, so I hope people out there support sport and see this in the same way.

“If they can contribute to keep our heads above water, it would mean a lot.

“We want to move to another level and give the town a football team to be proud of. The ambition is to be a proper club with a junior section, which is a lot of money to set up. We have big plans but Covid has been a disaster.

“We want to be at the heart of the community, we’re all in this together. Bridgnorth is a town that supports each other. This club has gone bust before and we don’t want to go down that route again.”

Weale is calling on anyone interested in supporting them to contact the club immediately as they welcome any support available.

“We have a website and a Facebook page for people to message if they’re interested in helping,” he added.

“We welcome anybody who wants to, to come and have a chat with us and look at what we’re trying to achieve.

“If they feel we’re the right people and they want to support us, that is fantastic.”