Carshalton Athletic have released a statement outlining changes to the club's funding and first team structure.

Highlights include:

- We [the board] have agreed a change to the way we fund, recruit and develop players for the first team.

- The external funding for the first team budget will be phased out over the next three months.

-  Tom Bird, Paul Vines, David Ray, Ashley Carew, Wayne Gray and Jack Clark have had their contracts cancelled.

- Tommy Williams will take over as caretaker manager until a new manager is hired.

- "It’s fair to say that the first team has not matched the success of other areas of the club".

The statement in full

In recent times there has been a dramatic change in all aspects of the club. The stadium, club house and general condition of the facilities have vastly improved.

We have gone from a club with a first team and a couple of junior teams to an award winning FA Charter Standard Community Club with 45 teams whose efforts in improving the standards of the game have been recognised nationally.

As a business we have been equally successful, over the years we have introduced and grown numerous new income streams, increased our turnover and profitability to a situation where the club is financially stable, well run and has no external debts.

The income the club receives goes to pay the staff wages, rent, rates, light, heat and running costs of the ground and the services we provide to the local community. 

The success above has been largely due to an enormous amount of hard work by some very committed people and of course the support from all our club members who have attended matches and club functions etc.

It is all the more credible that we have done this at a time when the county is in the grip of a financial recession and it is for this very reason the board of directors have seen it a suitable juncture to review our financial circumstances at the club.

It’s fair to say that the first team has not matched the success of other areas of the club, despite our commitment and having invested significant sums over a period of four years with four different managers the costs of trying to achieve success have been much greater than what we have actually achieved.

At the end of every season there has been a high cost to running the first team without much to show for it. This in itself is neither new to this club or football in general but it is something that when we looked at securing the long term sustainability of the club we realised would need to be to be addressed.

Carshalton Athletic have been very fortunate and are enormously grateful that Paul Dipre has for the last four years has worked almost full time at the club and has made the investments that have afforded us the platform to develop so successfully.

The club is now in a position where it needs to make that final step to self-sufficiency and not rely on external backing.

Taking into account the views of the club management, shareholders, staff, fans and club members we have reviewed the ambitions of the first team and we have agreed a change to the way we fund, recruit and develop players for the first team.

This effectively means the club will return to a more prudent operating method where the first team wages but will be set by what the club can afford.

The external funding for the first team budget will be phased out over the next three months at which point and then moving forward it will be set by the board of directors at a level the club as a business can sustain by itself.

This will put the club on a sound financial base and maximise the clubs security and stability for the long term.

To meet this target there will be a significant cut to the first team budget which will result in some players leaving the club.

This process has started already, and as you may be aware contract cancellations have been agreed with Tom Bird, Paul Vines, David Ray, Ashley Carew, Wayne Gray and Jack Clark.

We have also made some operational changes to maximise profitability in order to support the budget to the highest practical level. We believe that, despite losing some players we will retain a good squad of both experienced and younger players which is capable of competing in the Ryman Premier division.

As you are aware we are currently without a first team manager, there has been a huge interest from a wide variety of applicants.

The board has made a shortlist and is working hard to secure the right person for the role. At the moment Tommy Williams continues as sole caretaker manager with Ian Hazel returning to his ever pressing Carshalton Athletic academy duties.

It is hoped that an announcement on the new manager will be made in the near future.

The board are conscious that many will view this action by the club in a negative light. This could not be further from the intention of a very committed board who have the taken these bold steps after long deliberation and with the sustained future of the club in the forefront of our minds.

To secure the future of the club and to avoid a return to previous era’s that threatened the clubs very existence we need to be run on a more prudent self sustainable fashion.

We strongly believe this is a positive step forward, we have a thriving youth system, a youth academy the envy of many and a strong reserve set up.

We do understand that there will be a period of change in the 1st team playing staff and that we will have to have a blend of youth and experience.

That said I can assure you the management team & staff will all be working hard to ensure we can have the most competitive budget we
can. We would ask that you are patient with us through this transition period and that you get behind the new manager when appointed.

We will need your help and support to make this work. It’s only by working together will the club achieve sustainable long term success and continue to be a feature in our local community and beyond for a very long time to come.

The Board of Directors