Source: Northern_Echo
Liddle makes desperate plea to local companies
FORMER Darlington defender Craig Liddle is pleading for local companies to help save jobs in the club's youth setup.[LNB] Liddle has been charged with merging Darlington's Centre of Excellence with the Football in the Community scheme, currently being managed by Kevin Stonehouse.[LNB] The merger is intended to safeguard seven full-time and 20-plus part-time jobs that both departments currently employ between them, but due to Quakers' relegation, Liddle insists more public backing is needed to maintain the funding required.[LNB] More than £200,000 a year is needed to run the club's youth set-up alone, with teams ranging from Under-9s through to Under-18s, while a large slice of funding through grants is likely to be cut this summer.[LNB] It's a precarious situation for us right now, said Liddle, currently the club's head of youth, who played more than 300 games for Darlington between 1998 and 2005.[LNB] The bottom line is if we don't get sponsorship and advertising money from the local business community, jobs will have to go.[LNB] There's only so much money the club can plough into the youth set-up and funding for us and the Football in the Community is set to be cut this summer, which will make life even more difficult for us next season.[LNB] Businesses large and small can all play their part in helping us, with a variety of advertising and sponsorship options available, while donations of any kind are always very gratefully received.[LNB] The Darlington Supporters Trust sponsored two of our teams last season and it's that kind of support which has kept us going. But we need a big push now just to keep everyone in jobs and to maintain the development of our younger players.[LNB] Darlington's first team have benefited from the youth set-up this season, with Dan Byrne, Corey Barnes, Josh Gray, Dan Groves and Curtis Main all featuring.[LNB] Liddle has also set up new development centres in Newcastle and Peterlee, with another to follow in Darlington to run alongside the current centre of excellence.[LNB] The merger will mean the club's youth coaches will also be helping the Football in the Community scheme deliver their projects in Darlington and surrounding areas.[LNB] It will be all hands to the pumps, said Liddle. Our staff have been working flatout but their workload will have to increase and the demands on them will be even greater.[LNB] They're a dedicated bunch of people who love working for Darlington FC and it would be a crying shame for anyone to lose their job.[LNB] Firms or individuals who would like to contribute towards the running costs of both schemes, large or small, can contact Craig Liddle at the club on 01325 387000 or email craigl@darlingtonfc.[LNB] net[LNB]
