One of the clubs tipped to be in our League, if there's 6 at the next level, are deep in the doo. Underlines yet again the importance of us all getting actively involved in fund raising.
This press release came out today:

CARROLL QUITS DUCKS
(TUESDAY, MAY 9, 12.13PM) DUCKS owner Bill Carroll has, in the last half hour, announced he intends to quit the club.
In a candid statement to The Bucks Herald Carroll admitted the club will lose its lease to the stadium and be left with debts but insisted he will 'not be around to bail out the club out this time'.
The decision comes after the Football Association refused to allow games to be played on an artificial surface, dealing a blow to Carroll's plans to create a fully-fledged soccer centre at Buckingham Road over the summer.

He said: "I am ending my direct association with the Club - the attached Press Release, which is going National, explains the main reasons. Once again, the FA has let down lower league clubs and the future of grass roots soccer.

I also clarify (yet again) a few issues:-

a) I am heartily tired of fans alleging that I am either taking money out of the Club or have been working to destroy it. There have been several occasions when I could have let the Club go broke – if that is what I wanted, so why would I have kept pouring money in to save it?
b) Every time I have let others run the Club, including the 2003/4 season and the season when the fans via 21CD were involved the Club finished with large losses and increased debt.
The year in which 21CD were involved unfortunately was the most disastrous ever, producing a huge trading loss. I say unfortunately because in principle I welcomed their involvement.
c) I have publicly advertised the Club for sale but have not received one serious offer. So, I have not refused offers!
d) I tried to produce a local fund to acquire the Stadium site which would have helped to sell the Club – that initiative failed.

It is now impossible to run a semi-pro club from an expensive stadium - especially with the small fan base it now has. Witness other clubs, Thame United, Chesham, Aylesbury Vale, and Berkhamsted – just to mention our region.

Clubs can only last so long with a "sugar daddy" and must at some stage be the product of local fans and supporters – the most recent example is Canvey Island FC and before that Hornchurch FC

We know the answers:-
- a new income stream from all weather surfaces and new training facilities
- a detailed 5 year Junior Development Plan to produce a locally based team and to build a new supporter base.

I have worked extremely hard to produce these solutions, but the general lack of support from fans and the Town in general has been extremely disappointing. Some local opposition from neighbours to my plans but not much public vocal support for a great new facility which would have safeguarded the future. How many have come forward to help? A petition etc from fans supporting the planning application would have been helpful and encouraging, but only some 15 fans turned up in December to hear details of these plans (and a full explanation of the Club finances).

Graham and John, with help from Richard Shepherd, have produced non-football income on budget for this season but the fans have not produced the budgeted gate income. Result – smaller playing budgets and year end debt. Obviously, we cannot expect fans to continue to attend matches if the product is poor – but for this one key season it was hoped that fans would rally around the Club and produce the required gate income. Failure to maintain our league position (by one victory) is a massive double blow.

A few volunteers have bust a gut to keep the Club going, e.g. Ken Turnbull, Chris Dann, and Ron Schmidt, backing the long hours put in by Pete Ash and Di Miles – but it is simply not enough!

The planning process for the change of pitch surface has cost me some £30,000 and taken its toll on me in terms of stress. It is not the Council's fault, but the process has been crazy - a full planning process eventually lasting six months for basically a simple change in surface. We are not building anything!

An earlier resolution of this issue may have left me with enough time to work on the FA and the Southern League to produce a more favourable response. The Southern League seem to think that there is a chance of a different result next year but the problems are here and now.

Now the Club will lose its lease to the Stadium (which, in any case, it cannot afford) and has debts which must be paid off if it is to survive. I will not be around to bail out the club this time."

In a seperate statement, Carroll confirmed the refusal of permission to play games on the synthtic surface. He said: "To be fair to the Southern League they are not experts in this area and sought guidance from the Football Association. No such guidance was given. The FA Cup Committee was recently asked to approve the playing of preliminary FA Cup ties, up to the First Round Proper, on such pitches, that Committee rejected the proposal and it is that rejection which has influenced the Board of the Southern League.

"However, the disappointing aspect of the Southern League's decision is that this was also based partly on the basis of assumed delays in the installation of the new pitch and a mistaken belief that an inferior construction of the sub-base would underlay that pitch. The Chairman of AUFC had asked to attend a Board meeting so that he could explain in detail the design, the funding and the time-table but no invitation was forthcoming."