Former Football League club ‘on life support’ with fears of folding after 103 years

Former Football League club Durham City are said to be ‘on life support’ with there being fears from fans of folding after 103 years.

They are currently struggling in the Division Two table, sitting bottom in the current standings, picking up one point from 9 games played and recently sacked and replaced their manager.

On Friday, the league organisation suspended North East outfit for the next 3 games and told them to pay a bond by the 1st October.

LEAGUE STATEMENT:

Following a meeting with Durham City, the league has suspended the club’s next three fixtures.

This decision follows a request from the club to re-arrange its match against Carlisle City earlier this week (Tuesday, September 21). This is the second time that such a request has been made to the league.

The suspension of fixtures is pending a bond being lodged with the league – to be lodged by Friday, October 1.

If the bond is lodged, the fixtures against Horden CW, Tow Law Town and Easington Colliery (along with the fixture against Carlisle City) will be re-arranged. The bond will be repaid at the end of the season if all scheduled fixtures have been completed.

We hope this decision gives the club time to stabilise the situation, particularly regarding players being available to fulfil fixtures, but it also protects the integrity of the competition.

– STATEMENT ENDS –

In light of all this, a Twitter account has been created to highlight the issues, but also spread awareness and the urgency of helping their non league club to survive.

‘Save Durham City AFC’ wrote a series of tweets: “The City of Durham is at serious risk of losing its oldest football club in @DurhamCity_AFC following recent struggles. This cannot be allowed to happen. The club is 103 years old but is currently on life support. Pls follow and share to raise awareness. #savedurhamcityafc

“Where this campaign will go remains to be seen. There is no agenda other than trying to save Durham City AFC, keep Durham’s oldest club on the pitch, and hopefully one day get them back to the city.

“The micro accounts of @DurhamCity_AFC show a debt to creditors of £150,418 as of May 2020 with no current assets listed in the accounts.

“The club has no stadium and no means to generate income and can barely be covering costs.

“

It’s been five days since @theofficialnl announced the suspension of @DurhamCity_AFC and still no statement from the club. Is the bond being paid? Is the owner still interested?”

On Tuesday the 28th of September 2021, they issued a thread of tweets: “Durham City AFC are currently homeless, without a win in two years and suspended from the league after being unable to field a team. It’s a story more than 25 years in the making.

“City played at Ferens Park in the city centre from 1950 until 1994 when they left. The Ferens Park site was sold for housing development as a prime spot close to the city centre.

“The sale of the site will have raised substantial funds which allowed the club to move to New Ferens Park in Belmont ahead of the 1995/96 season.

“In 2008 Durham received some investment that allowed them to bring in some ex-professional players and win the Northern League and then the Northern Premier League North, leaving them three promotions from the football league.

“Early in the 2009/10 season City were told they could not be promoted any further due to their artificial playing surface. The sponsor withdrew and Durham were forced to field youngsters for the remainder of the season.

“City resigned from the Northern Premier League and started the 2012/13 back in the Northern League.

“Durham City were bought by ex Newcastle United defender Olivier Bernard in December 2013. Bernard said ‘I want to make Durham one of the best feeder clubs in the North-East. At the moment, I don’t think the area develops enough youngsters.’

“In October 2015 Bernard announced City would leave their home at New Ferens Park. Between 1995 ownership of New Ferens Park switched from the club to the former owners. Bernard cited differences with the landlord and Durham finished the season ground sharing at Consett.

“Durham suffered on the field and currently ground share at Willington, 8 miles from Durham City, in front of dwindling crowds. They were saved from relegation twice due to Covid-19 suspensions but are without a win so far in 2021/22.

“On 24th September 2021 they were suspended from the Northern League for three games for being unable to fulfil fixtures and the league has requested a bond from the club to be repaid on completion of the season.

“The club has yet to respond to the suspension and a move back to Durham seems further away than ever. It is widely acknowledged that the club have no playing budget and relegation to the Wearside League seems a formality.

“Durham has a bigger population than Morecambe, Barrow, Accrington and Fleetwood, all who sustain football league teams, and seems ripe for a successful team to build local interest.

“As Durham City toil, a number of new clubs have been set up in the city and ply their trade in the Wearside League. Durham Corinthians are the highest placed but there is also Durham FC, Durham United and AFC Durham.

“It seems Durham City, if they survive, will soon just be another Durham team in Step 7, having once been a Football League club in the 1920s.

“Save Durham City call on owner Olivier Bernard to invest in the club or sell it at a fair price to allow others to do so. #savedurhamcity“

Internet users reacted with the Former Football League club ‘on life support’ with fears of folding after 103 years…

@ConsettBlackFC: Where are the rich premier league clubs and the FA to help when this sort of thing happens?

@kaqoo: We need more of the story please…@SaveDurhamCity

@kaqoo: Might be familiar to #buryfc fans.

windydcfc: The Northern League has suspended Durham City for the next 3 games and told them to pay a bond by the 1st October. I know they’ve been mentioned on several threads before, but it looks like it could be curtains for a team with their great history.

Chris_h: Seem like a cat with 9 lives and would not surprise me if someone pays the bond but why bother? Looking likely to go down and how could they even re-build in the wearside league with no ground.

Stoodley Pike: According to a Northern League tweet, all Hall Lane midweek games involving Durham City and Willington, until the end of October, have been postponed. Issue with the floodlight cables.

User666: Been issues with Hall Lane’s floodlights for at least two seasons now. As for Durham I don’t think it really matters, looks like a point of no return for them.

Chris_h: The bond been paid will only prolongue to agony. Not even sure where they could play in the city even if relegated

Claret&BluePixels: The only suitable place is New Ferens Park, but that is now taken up by Durham Corinthians

ComradeBT: Is New Ferens Park still owned by the same landlord with whom Durham City had the tenancy dispute with, leading to their exile out to Consett and Willington? Nobody ever wishes for a club to be wound up but the writing really does seem on the wall for Durham City FC. Perhaps there are factions of the club’s volunteers and supporters who may wish to get into bed with Corinthians and throw their weight behind this club, especially with it playing at the New Ferens Park?