'Will you develop Roots Hall and not worry what happens to my team?': Letter to Sainsbury's

Southend United Football Club

Does Sainsbury's care about my football club?

Your company has agreed to buy our football ground, (Roots Hall, Southend-on-Sea), but do you care that there may soon be no team left to play there?

Is it Sainsbury's plan to develop Roots Hall and not worry what happens to my team?

Did you know that my club has only 9 contracted professionals reporting back for training on Thursday, and many of those have made it clear that they want to leave, as they have regularly gone without their wages over the last year?

Our first league match of the season is on Saturday 7^th August. At the moment, my club cannot sign any new players as there is a transfer embargo arising out of an unpaid loan made by the PFA. The club has thousands of supporters and is a focal point in the local community, but there is real concern that we may not have enough players to play the first game of the season, let alone properly compete or finish it. Disaster looms!

I have read in the Echo (our local newspaper) last Monday 28^th June 2010 that Sainsbury's effectively control the majority of shares in SUFC. The in-depth article on the club's and current owner's finances painted a very bleak picture for my club's future. Despite lots of talk about the new stadium, we seem no nearer to moving and in the meantime my club does not even seem able to afford a football team.

I am therefore writing to urge you to take over full ownership of the club and transfer those shares to supporters who have the ability to take the club forward. I am told that my club will need 2 seasons to move and your company can then move ahead with the new supermarket.

The move to a new football stadium has the wide backing of the fans if it is in the club's long-term interests. Please can you therefore ensure that my club is run by people who can give it a secure long-term future. For that, I and many others in the community will be forever grateful.

Please give this matter your urgent attention to keep my club alive.

Yours sincerely