Torquay United latest non-league club in trouble

This week, Torquay United have signalled they may be heading into administration becoming the latest non-league club to face serious problems in recent months.

The club’s owner, Clark Osborne, said he could no longer support the club financially. The Gulls, who are 11th in National League South, have been owned by Osborne since 2016 after he bought the club from a fan-led consortium.

“It is with sincere regret that I advise that circumstances beyond my control during the last five weeks have brought me to the position that I an unable to continue financial support for the club and I have today filed on behalf of the directors an intention to appoint an administrator for the club and company,” Osborne said

Torquay United are the latest in a recent run of non-league clubs experiencing serious difficulties – following on from the likes of Nuneaton Borough who withdrew from Southern Central Premier League back in January and North Shields who were fightinfg for their future over Christmas.

Rochdale AFC are also facing the threat of liquidation unless £2m investment is found – the National League club say that they have launched a desperate plea for investment as the club tries to avoid possible liquidation by the end of March.

It’s sad to see these historic clubs teetering on the edge – our football pyramid is special and fans deserve better. We’ll be supporting our member trusts at Rochdale and Torquay, and it once again shows the need for better regulation.