Text at top (next game etc)

Next Game: Rushall At Home In The League On Saturday 30th November At 3.00pm

Friday, November 10, 2023

Homeless Nuneaton on verge of collapse and could play last ever match tomorrow

Nuneaton Borough have been locked out of their Liberty Way Ground and are on the verge of folding again
Step three Midlands side Nuneaton Borough are still locked out of their ground and have said this weekend's match could be their last.

The gates were locked last month over unpaid rent, with the club behind with payments since 2019 - when an appeal was launched to save them as they owed thousands to the HMRC.

In a statement at the time, the club, who were relegated from the National League North in 2019 when Hereford finished 17th, also cited the Covid pandemic as an issue when seasons were cut short and games played behind closed doors.

Now, they're playing at Stratford Town tomorrow. The club thanked Stratford owner Jed McCrory, who's formerly of Swindon Town and who reportedly was interested in buying Hereford United in 2014.

He is letting the club use the pitch free of charge against Alvechurch tomorrow, "a magnificent gesture in our hour of need".

Despite that, a statement warned: "We are working extremely hard to rectify the current situation but this may sadly be the last time that Boro play."

The club has already reformed twice in the last 32 years and now it seems they're on the verge of folding again.

In October, the club said staff turned up to work to be met with a notice of re-entry. This left the club in a "critical situation".

Landlord Arden Tigress had taken back possession of the Liberty Way Ground with no prior warning, meaning that evening the club had to hastily arrange a groundshare at Hinkley Leicester Road.

The club said they were told it was because of an admin issue as they had not received an email from the club advising of future payment schedules - and the club claimed they had been working their way out of the debt. All unpaid rent, and a further six months' worth, was also offered to the ground's owners but this hasn't resolved the situation.

As reported by CoventryLive, the letter, from Shergroup enforcement in October, on the entrance to the stadium, said: "The landlord of these premises hereby gives you notice that he has re-entered this property on 24 October 2023 at 06.00am under the terms of your lease and has taken back possession of them."

The ground is owned by a third-party group, steered by Neil Robinson, a former long-standing Nuneaton Rugby Club sponsor, ex-Nuns committee member and former player. It was bought from Coventry-born businessman Norman Smurthwaite back in October 2019.

Smurthwaite had bought the ground in 2018 to help 'safeguard' the future of the football club's use of the ground.