Fans ensure club makes the grade

Robins officials sent their thanks to supporters after the EVO-STIK NPL Premier Division club was awarded its latest 'C' grading for Hurst Cross to host football at Step 3 of the Football Association's National League System.

Fans and volunteers ensured the club made the grade by carrying out remedial work highlighted in a recent three yearly ground inspection by the FA and representatives of the EVO-STIK NPL's management committee. Under the stewardship of Andrew Evans and Andrew Finnigan, volunteers carried out a number of tasks including the installation of a new row of seating at the front of the main stand.

The work certainly needed to be carried out. In a statement on their website, officials pointed out that failure to maintain stadiums to the required standard can result in a number of sanctions being imposed by the FA and LMC including relegation and withdrawing a club’s licence to trade.

Ashton United director John Milne said: “Competing at the standard we do is not simply a case of finding resources for the first-team. We have to maintain the infrastructure of the club too and specifically our home stadium.

"Getting the balance of finance between the two is vitally important but the burden is made easier through the time and effort committed to the club by our volunteers. Achieving the requisite grading is entirely down to their efforts and I would like to say a huge thanks on behalf of the directors.”

Image courtesy of Ashton United

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