Didcot have today published an open letter to the Southern League asking it to support requests from clubs for earlier Saturday kick off times this winter.

The letter is transposed below:

To Whom It May Concern,

Didcot Town FC is one of a growing number of Clubs that are becoming increasingly concerned with the impact of the unprecedented energy crisis will have on both the its ability to operate or even be a viable concern within 18 months.

I’m sure that the Southern League is wholly aware of the situation, and indeed may also have similar concerns for their associated Club. So our question is, quite simply, does the Southern League have any strategy in place to support Clubs that will without doubt find themselves in crisis with this coming season?
The decision to abandon the League Cup for this season was a wise one to take, but is only part of a wider situation all Clubs find themselves in.

At present, Didcot Town FC’s energy bill is circa £1,250 pcm, but given the anticipated increase, this would rise to circa £5,450 pcm! PCM!!
This is categorically unsustainable for a Club of our size, and I anticipate many of the Clubs in our associate Leagues are going to be similarly affected.

One obvious counter-measure would be to provide the option to kick off earlier, negating the necessity of floodlights, which is widely understood to be the largest contributor to energy usage for all football teams.
With this one simple action, Didcot Town could reduce its outgoings by 30%, which goes some way to mitigating the inherent energy rise, and at least contribute to making the future Club existence more achievable and sustainable thereafter.

Please can you urgently consider this option as the first steps in what will be an ongoing battle for sustainability and ultimately the integrity of the Leagues going forwards.

Sincerely

John Bailey
DTFC Chair

Paul Chalk
DTFC Vice Chair