Chorley FC chairman Ken Wright says the club will NOT go full-time when they kick off as a National League club next season

Chorley chairman Ken Wright says the club will NOT go full-time when they kick off as a National League club next season.
Ken Wright lifts the trophy with captain Andrew TeagueKen Wright lifts the trophy with captain Andrew Teague
Ken Wright lifts the trophy with captain Andrew Teague

The Victory Park outfit secured promotion to non-league’s top tier after a 4-3 penalty shootout win over Spennymoor Town on Sunday.

After missing out on the National League North title by one point to Stockport County, Wright says it meant everything to finally clinch promotion through the play-offs.

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Now the Magpies are actively looking for sponsorship to aid the increased financial pressures promotion will bring.

It will be the first time in 29 years that they will back in football’s ‘fifth tier’. The last time was in 1990 – when Wright was the manager!

He took over as chairman in 2003 and, along with Graham Watkinson, took on the ownership in 2017.

“It has been a driving force for me personally to take the club back to where it should be,” said Wright.

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“We have a great fan base now. – we need to move forward again.

“It will not be easy next season. We will not be going full-time – the reality is that most of the clubs in the National League are full-time.

“It is a disadvantage to start with but we will deal with it.

“We have a squad of players that Jamie Vermiglio has put together. They are a good squad.

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“I’m not suggesting we are going to go up and win it but we will be there and compete.”

Increased travel will be one of the big expenses in the higher division.

The Magpies will now face teams as far afield as Dover and Eastleigh.

Wright says the club will look at their structure to find a way to deal with the new pressures.

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He said: “Obviously we will be travelling all over the country. With that comes additional expense.

“Similarly, players who are expected to travel expect to be paid a bit more money – that is the reality.

“We will have to look at our structure, look at where we are as a football club, see how we can improve our own situation in terms of who we have working on behalf of the club.

“We’ve got to look at all sections of our operation.”

The club’s Victory Park base is owned by the council and Wright says finding a new sponsor for the ground is top of their agenda, though the stadium itself needs no work to comply with National League requirements.

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Their current deal with the Chorley Group is set to expire and Wright called on local businesses to get on board.

“We do need new investment at the football club to enable us to move forward,” he said.