West Allotment Celtic note, with profound regret, the imminent resignation from the Northern Alliance of Percy Main Amateurs. Worse still, the decision also appears to be a precursor to the folding of the club.
It is upsetting to see any local club at non-league level struggling but, in this particular case, it is even more distressing given the long and eventful rivalry between Allotment and our near-neighbours in Percy Main. Over eighty years, the two clubs have battled one another on more than one hundred occasions across a wide array of competitions. Although encounters on the pitch have been limited in recent years, everyone at West Allotment has always maintained a genuine respect for the Villagers and kept an eye on the club’s progress. Many players have turned out for both clubs and it is extremely sad to think that there might be no more doing so.
Allotment know the pain of struggling to keep a club going in exceedingly trying circumstances; it is only four years since we almost went under too. Fortunately, the club was saved and we sincerely hope that the Villagers can find similar success. That said, we are aware of the huge challenges that must be overcome.
Percy Main’s potential demise really should open up a wider debate about how to get more people involved in running local clubs. Far too many clubs have had to do far too many tasks with far too people for far too long. Percy Main’s problem in attracting fresh volunteers is a chronic complaint within local football but it really is time that something was done about it on a collective basis. A look at a random league table from a Northern Amateur or Northern Alliance season when both Allotment and Percy Main were competing will show starkly how few of our fellow clubs have managed to survive. If Percy Main are to go too, then a really long-standing prop has been removed from local non-league football. Hopefully something positive will occur but, if not, then the loss of the Villagers really should be a trigger for wider action. We wish them well.