The Political Economy of Football V2

You get some real ‘characters’ taking over non-league football clubs, none more so than Glenn Tamplin.   His ownership of Essex club Billericay Town was of particular interest to me as I lived there when I was at secondary school. Now Tamplin is a wanted man: he is on the run from police after twice failing to show up in court last year. Tamplin, a born-again Christian who made his multi-million-pound fortune in steel, was due before magistrates last year over allegations of cocaine possession and failing to comply with a community order. After his no-show at the hearings, his mugshot was circulated by Hertfordshire Police on December 14, who said “extensive inquiries” were being carried out to find him. Billericay’s football club were pretty unremarkable (although they did win the FA Vase) bobbing along in the Isthmian League Premier Division (the seventh level of English football) when Tamplin bought them in December 2016, after first trying to take over at nearby Da...

There is a particular type of club owner, often with a rather colourful past, who buys a non-league club in the hope that this offers a relatively cheap route into the Football League. Billericay Town lost £122,000 in the final full year of ownership by controversial Glenn Tamplin, taking total losses to nearly £1.4 million. 'Ricay are currently third from bottom in the National League South. Their average attendance is 773. In the National League, Dover Athletic show that non league clubs can lose money hand over fist too as they rack up £487,000 of losses in 2018/19 and need big director loans to cover the losses. Under threat of relegation to the National League, Stevenage lost £144,000 in 2018/19. The club generated £273,000 from share issues in 2018/19 and have made a further £310,000 since the end of the season.

Controversial Billericay Town owner Glenn Tamplin has 'stepped down' from the club: Statement Quite what this means is unclear. Has he sold the club? Sceptics on social media have suggested he will be back next week.

It's a familiar story. An apparently wealthy individual buys a non-league club and promises Football League status within a few years. Success proves to be costly and the money runs out. The owner sells up and the dream is over. It is what has happened at Billericay Town. The club, which has been running with a reported £22,000 a week wage bill, is set to be taken over by Irish businessman David McCartney, but only if he can make it sustainable by slashing players' wages to £10,000 a week, still a lot for the second tier of the non-league pyramid. Owner Glenn Tamplin has not been seen at the club for three weeks and it is believed that he no longer has the funds to meet the running costs. According to a report in the Non-League Paper some players and staff have not been paid. A number of players have left. Glenn Tamplin bought the club in December 2016 and promised to get them in the Football League within five years. His business career was apparently based on liqu...

High profile Billericay Town owner Glenn Tamplin, said to be the second most powerful man in Essex, sacked himself as manager of 'Ricay after they succumbed to a 2-5 home defeat by Wealdstone in the quarter finals of the FA Trophy in front of a crowd of 1,831. Tamplin has made a number of marquee signings for the New Lodge side and says he has put £2m into the club. The club's wage bill is around £25,000 a week. However, he got the hump when most of the players refused to give up a week's wages after recent performances. He said: 'They are not matching my investment. We are not getting the results for what I am paying, so I am stepping down.' Allegations of threatening behaviour and blackmail against Tamplin are currently being investigated by the police: Gangsters allegation Tamplin is a born again Christian. He is said to be worth about £50m. His steel company was placed into liquidation with substantial debts: Life story Non-league football certainly...