Rochdale owner Simon Gauge has announced that club faces liquidation unless the club can find a buyer by March. In this latest article, we will be detailing why Rochdale find themselves in this situation and what the future potentially looks like for the club.
History of Rochdale AFC
Rochdale AFC were founded in 1907 and joined the Lancashire Combination League in 1908, success in this division led to the club being invited to the Football League in 1921. In 1962, the club reached the League Cup final led by manager Tony Collins, this was the first time a club from the bottom league division had reached a cup final, Dale would be beaten 4-0 by Norwich but it was a day to be proud of for the club. Success would follow for the club and in 2010, under the management of Keith Hill, the club were promoted to League One. After three years in the division, in which Dale would come close to the playoffs, they were relegated back to League Two in 2013, however they would achieve promotion again in 2014 returning to League One at the first attempt. Success would follow for Dale as they would go on famous cup runs in 2018/19 and 2019/20 as they forced replays against Tottenham and Newcastle in the FA Cups and taking Manchester United to penalties in the EFL Cup. However the club were relegated back to League Two in 2021 following a period of failure in the League. After finishing 21st in League Two in the 2021/22, the club were relegated from the Football League in April 2023 following a disappointing season. This would be the first time the club has played outside the EFL since 1921.
Why Is The Club Close To Liquidation?
Simon Gauge took over the club in 2021 shortly after the club were relegated from League One, and after a series of failures the club finds itself in Non League football. The problem the club finds themselves in is the fact the club are still playing costs that are expected by a League One club. Now as a Non League club, they simply haven’t got the funds or the resources they need to pay these debts and therefore this is why they are struggling financially. Gauge explained in an interview with local media that he has loaned £566,000, to the club in order for their survival. However despite these loans, the club haven’t improved their financial situation and therefore this is why they are close to liquidating in March.
What Is Next For Rochdale
The answer is simply really, the club need to find a owner who is able to pay all the debts off and are able to reunited the players and the fans, the club haven’t been successful over the last 6/7 years and this has caused many people to turn their backs on the club, it is critical that the owner builds a togetherness between the fans and the players and help make the fans feel like they have their club back. If the club aren’t able to find a new owner, then sadly the fans may have to set up a phoenix club that would insure that Rochdale would still have a football club in their town but the club may have to start in a lower level and work their way back into the leagues. Another potential option is a points deduction which could see the club being relegated to the National League North, however the fans won’t care what punishment they could face, they just want their team to survive and playing week in week out.
Finally Thoughts
Overall it’s worrying times for Rochdale. The club who have been a heartbeat for a community could be completely ripped away if they are unable to pay their loan, as someone who has visited Rochdale many times as an opposition fan, it is heartbreaking to see what has happened to them and I hope that they can be saved and can get back to the Football League in the near future.