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Next Game: Pre-Season

Friday, February 26, 2021

Ash Continues His Fight For Barwick And His Board To Resign

Maidstone co-owner Oliver Ash is continuing his fight to get the Chairman, Brian Barwick, and board members of the National League to resign.

So far just one board member has quit, Dover's Jim Parmenter.

"I think ultimately the FA, who are the governing body, despite the fact that they are embroiled in this mess should dismiss the chairman, the vice chairman, the entire board of directors and that should be immediate," said Ash as reported by KentOnline.

"They should supervise the holding of urgent elections for a new board for an interim period of 12 months. (They should) appoint a chairman with an unblemished record of governance of not just football organisations but governance in general and a respect for matters of governance, in fairness and in ethics that have been lacking for the past few months.”

Ash remain furious with how the League has been run this season and in particular with how grants to club were distributed last Autumn.

He also feels that the football family has been split over these issues with local side Tonbridge voting to end the season whilst Dartford and Ebbsfleet wanted to continue.

"Each club operates selfishly and is prepared to ignore principles when self interest doesn’t correspond to them. When I hear ‘football family’ to try and describe clubs as a collection it always grates. We certainly didn’t see much evidence of a family looking after each other when we got screwed by the league back in October with the funding allocation. Hardly any clubs offered sympathy or support.

"A few did and with whom the Stones have developed friendships and meetings of mind and principles in recent months and that includes Dulwich, Telford, Chester, Fylde, Hereford and Dorking among others.

"This is a season where we all lose. In terms of money we have lost £100,000 from the October grant allocation.

“We calculated what the funding allocation would have been had the National League adopted the lost gate receipts basis for a distribution. It is what the government specifically advised. This hurts the accounts.

“We don’t subsidise the club, Terry (Casey, co-owner) and I, we only loan the club money under exceptional short-term circumstances so we are £100,000 down.”