New United Boss Sends Olive Branch to Council
Documents filed last week at the Companies Registry on behalf of Hastings United Football Club Limited have shown that the majority financial interest in the club is now held by Ben White, son of Dean White, through his 100% holding in a newly formed company, Aspire Hastings Limited. Directors of Aspire are Ben, Dean and two less well-known local businessmen – Metin Davudovic, who owns a number of fish-and-chip shops in Kent, and Marc Gall, director of the Hastings Sofa Company.
All have had previous involvement in aspects of coaching at the club’s academy.
Former majority owners of the club, Daren Burney and Peter Sherlock, have resigned their directorships, but other directors – Dane Martin, Craig Barrow, Hayley Clout and David Ormerod – appear to be staying on.
In a statement issued just before the August bank holiday weekend, Dean White indicated that the club will seek a better relationship with Hastings Borough Council. “Only time will tell if the refusal of the Tilekiln relocation is a missed opportunity for our club and football in general in the local area”, he wrote. “Although we are aware of upcoming challenges ahead, particularly around the Pilot Field, we are encouraged by the Council’s public stance that they are committed to supporting the club redevelop the site, and we are looking forward to forging a strong relationship with them in the future, ensuring that our community can have access to facilities that it deserves, as well as a hardworking and inclusive football club it can be proud of.”
Chris Laverick, host of the Sussex By The Sea podcast which provides both on-field and off-field coverage of the club’s fortunes, is encouraged. “The Whites are straight-talking genuine people that live and breathe Hastings football”, he says. “They are open to dialogue with our fan base and, it would also seem, with our local council. I personally am very positive about the future of our club under their stewardship.”
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