BOSSES behind Chester’s new football club - formed after Chester City FC was forced to fold because of crippling debts - have just a month to raise nearly £50,000.
Loyal fans have already helped to raise an incredible £53,000 for the phoenix club, run completely by the supporters, but they still need to find £47,000 to reach their golden target of £100,000.
City Fans United, who now have more than 1,700 members, are keen to raise awareness of their fundraising campaign and help ensure the new club is financially stable for the forthcoming first season.
The cash needs to be in place before the end of June, just over four weeks away.
But Chester chief executive officer, Steve Ashton, said they were particularly worried about raising the remaining cash in time because the Football Association has not yet placed the club into a league, which means they cannot sell season tickets.
He said: “Because the football club is a not-for-profit organisation, we currently have no revenue streams other than donations. This has been slightly exasperated by the decision of the FA over which league we would go into. This decision will not yet take place until the middle of June. Because of that, we cannot issue any season tickets yet, which would be a big revenue stream.
"We now also have a manager and assistant manager in place who have salaries which need paying."
He added: "But we're making plans for the new season. We're going out to local businesses to ask for help.
"We want to put the club on the best financial footing possible to ensure the best oncoming season."
The club has called on fans to make donations via their two sites www.cityfansunited.com or www.chesterfc.com, or by buying a season ticket when they become available at the end of June. They also hope to raise funds through loan notes and the Seals Lottery.
Meanwhile, Chester has launched an appeal against a recommendation by the FA that the club start lower down the non-league pyramid than expected in step five of the National League System.
In addition, on Friday the club appointed Neil Young as first team manager with Gary Jones as assistant manager.
Last season Young steered Colwyn Bay to promotion in the Unibond Premier Division.