 How would you like to become a a board member of a football club?
CD Jávea club President, Mark Catlin, this week issued a rallying cry for capable people to become members of the ambitious clubs board of directors. Mark spoke openly to us about the problems the club faces, but the exciting rewards it can also bring.
“Historically the club has been run by ‘locals’ that have, and continue, to work hard for the club. Clubs in Spain have, to a large degree, relied on funding from the local council to survive, but times move on and as the councils generally in Spain start to withdraw funding for football clubs then there is becoming more and more a need for ‘professionals’ to come onto the boards and help raise finance for the clubs via external sponsorships and donations.” Last season CD Jávea themselves experienced financial difficulty, and this season there has been a growth in clubs that have gone out of business. Most recently Calpe have found themselves in trouble and rumours are that they themselves are on the verge of collapse. “At CD Jávea we have a board membership of 8. We desperately need 2 more ‘professionals’ that can go out and raise sponsorship for the club and open up new opportunities for us. None of us on the board receive a penny for the work we do, BUT long term, if the club progresses up the league system as hoped, then obviously the board members will need to spend more time at the club and we will need to become professional along with the players.” So what qualifications are needed to become a board member at CD Jávea? “No real qualifications, only a love of football and the time and ability to work hard for the club. It has to be a ‘labour of love’ and someone that is ambitious for themselves and the club to succeed. To be able to speak Spanish is an advantage but not a necessity. The advantages are that, especially if you are in business, your Spanish will improve and the club has many ‘high level’ contacts that can potentially help your business grow into this market. By becoming a board member you will instantly gain respect from the Spanish community but above all you will be doing a great thing for the people of the area….If you include players, trainers and kids in our youth system then we have over 500 people that are members of the club!” Mark can be contacted via the clubs website on www.cdjavea.com or on (local rate) 901 888 666 |
