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Nuneaton Borough face closure

Tier 2 non-league side Nuneaton Borough face closure by the beginning of November unless they can find a new investor: Deadline

The ground is owned by Port Vale's Norman Smurthwaite, but he cannot run two clubs under football rules.

In a statement he said, 'The amount owed to existing creditors is quite small, which is unusual in this situation and, in fact, the biggest creditor is Borough Stadium as no rent has been paid, but this would be waived in the current circumstances. The current monthly payroll of the players is circa £25,000 per month but with the gates as they are the monthly shortfall of the club is between £17,000 and £19,000 per month. Here lies the major operational issue of Nuneaton Borough in whatever guise going forward.'

Players have not been paid and any liquidator would have little in the way of assets. Manager Nicky Eaden told The Non-League Paper, 'There are too many grey areas for prospective buyers. I have little confidence of anyone coming forward.'

The club has faced a number of challenges over the year. The population of the town is just over 86,000 which should be enough to sustain a Tier 2 club. There has been considerable new housing development in recent years. Because housing is competitively priced, it is favoured by commuters to Coventry, Birmingham and even London which it is linked with by a fast train service. Over the last twenty years, 1,600 Gurkha families have settled in the town.

However, these incomers may have little identification with the town and could well support Coventry City or one of the two Birmingham clubs. Premier League football at Leicester City is within reach.

The town is portrayed, not altogether favourably, in Alan Sparsholt's recent novel The Sparsholt Affair. There is a description of the central character walking round the town when he returns for his father's funeral.

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