Crawley Town to cut costs as Setanta goes under

Crawley Town chairman Vic Marley admits the club will have to rethink its budget following the collapse of Setanta Sports.

Marley says there is no danger of the Reds following the troubled Irish broadcaster into administration but conceded the club would have to significantly tighten its belt over the coming months.

Speaking to the Crawley News he said: "Like all the clubs in the Conference we are concerned but fortunately we didn't rely on that money 100 per cent.

"The amount involved is not massive in the grand scheme of what we do but it is enough and all sources of income to us are vital.

"We'll have to make savings as a result of this and we'll look at all possible ways of doing that, but the obvious solution is reducing the playing budget."

The Football Conference was just two years into a five-year deal worth £2.5m with Setanta.

Blue Square Premier clubs benefited from the deal to the tune of at least £82,000 each last season, but there is no guarantee they will see another penny after the network went off air last week.

The loss of money has already stopped manager Steve Evans from signing two players, and further deals are now in jeopardy.

It is a further blow to the Reds' boss, who has already had to accept a 20 per cent cut in his playing budget this season owing to the recession.

Marley added: "We don't want to reduce our budget as we are trying to build a squad capable of getting promoted to the Football League. We feel it is fairly strong already but had hoped to make it stronger.

"But you have to remember that all clubs are in the same boat and our squad is quite strong already. This will hurt some clubs a lot harder than Crawley Town."

Marley is hopeful that the Conference will be able to find another broadcaster to take on the rights in time for the new season, which kicks off in less than six weeks.

And Brian Lee, chairman of the Blue Square Conference, believes the non-league product will be attractive to other television networks.

"Recent viewing figures are comparable with the Scottish Premier League and clearly show that we have a competition which is of major interest to subscribers who hold the sport so dear to their heart in this country," he said.

"We may be considered to be a minor player in the demise of Setanta but we know we have an excellent marketable product and would like to think that we can, amongst the debris, find a new broadcaster who values what the ordinary supporter wants from the game."

Sir Robin Miller, chairman of Setanta, apologised to fans for the situation but said the recession had hurt his business too hard.

He said: "This is a sad day for all concerned. Since its inspired inception a number of years ago, Setanta and its financial backers, have invested hundreds of millions of pounds buying UK and international sports rights. "Unfortunately, in a difficult and highly competitive market, and despite strenuous efforts by the board and management, it has not been possible to find sufficient additional funds in the time available to ensure [Setanta's] survival."