SEGUNDA B
Eibar & Oviedo inspire Recreativo Huelva fans crowdfunding survival campaign
The Andalusian club have until June 30th to raise the €2 million needed to pay federation fees and wipe staff debts to compete in the 2016/17 season or face demotion or even extinction.
The fact that Recreativo Huelva (Spain's oldest football club) managed to complete their league fixtures in the Spanish third tier (2B Group IV) last season is something of a small miracle and a testament to the resolve of players, coaching staff and club employees who went unpaid for nine months of the season.
With the current majority shareholder Gildoy España SL having washed their hands of the day to day running of the football club, Recre were forced to issue a stark message in March 2016 clamming that unless a solution was not forthcoming the club would be forced to cease functioning..
Local businesses and supporters groups spearheaded by the Recreativo SupportersTrust rallied to generate initiatives such a match tickets for 1 euro that generated enough revenue for the club to maintain paying essential utility bills along with the basics of running a functioning club (referee fees, transport to away games etc.) as Recre were able to fulfill the final matches of their 2B league programe finishing 13th.
A legal process has commenced with the local Huelva government announcing that it plans to take steps to begin expropriation of the 75% shareholding that is held by Gildoy. This action is being augmented by a crowdfunding campaign pioneered by Recre fans to generate the 2 million euro necessary to pay federation fees and backlog of unpaid wage bills for staff and players as clubs with outstanding payment issues are not issued competing licenses by the Spanish FA are penalized with administrative demotion which would see Recre slip into the Spanish third or even regional league.
June 30, 2016 is the deadline to raise this capital with the club taking inspiration from recent crowdfunding campaigns at Real Oviedo and SD Eibar.
Recre Trust spokesman Narciso Rojas spoke to AS and he hoped that the #LiberosDelDecano campaign along with the expropriation of Gildoy's shares would lead a secure future for "El Decano". Failure to secure the funds he feared would lead to demotion to regional amateur league football and that could possibly spell the death knell for Spain's oldest football club.
To find out more about the #LiberosDelDecano visit: LiberosDelDecano.com (English version available).
For more information on Recre Trust visit: www.recretrust.com (English)