RMI search for new investment

By Matt Lawton
May 15 2003

Leigh RMI chairman Alan Leach has appealed to the football-loving people of the North West to come forward and support the club at all levels, from the boardroom right down to the terraces to secure the club's future.

Leach said in a club press released, "We’re about to start our fourth year in the Nationwide conference and we’ve a 12,000 seat shared new stadium in the pipeline. However, we need fresh blood at all levels in the club to ensure that it can continue to survive at this level."

The club is looking for people with business experience, energy and enthusiasm to join the board of directors, volunteers to help behind the scenes and a larger supporter base to boost the gates and to generate more income.

Alan Leach continued, "This season we had the smallest gates in the Conference. If we are going to survive, let alone be successful in this league, we need a cash injection, backers to sponsor us or more fans to come and support us. I’m appealing to people with ideas, time or resources to come and help us turn the club round."

Although Leigh RMI only ensured its Conference place on the last day of the season the club won the Lancashire FA Trophy and has a thriving junior setup. Since taking over in January, manager and former Bolton, Preston, Blackburn and Sheffield United player Mark Patterson, has achieved results that would have seen the club in mid-table if they’d performed like that from the start of the season.

"We’ve got the core of a successful team," said Mark Patterson. All I want now is the chance to build on this and we could be challenging for the play-offs and a place in Division 3 next season."

Club chairman, Alan Leach commented, "We’ve given Leigh a football team and brought football league teams to Hilton Park that no-one would have dreamed possible ten years ago. But now it’s crunch time. We can’t thrive in the Nationwide Conference on a shoestring. Either we get new backers, sponsors and supporters to build a solid future or we sink progressively into the obscurity of the amateur leagues. The choice is as simple as that.

"I would hope that there are people in the Leigh area, Greater Manchester, Lancashire or north west England who are prepared to join us and give this club a great future."