Darlington FC 1883 lodge FA appeal (From Darlington and Stockton Times)

Darlington FC 1883 lodge FA appeal

8:30am Saturday 2nd June 2012 in Darlington FC By Joe Willis, Regional Chief Reporter

THE Quakers have lodged an appeal with the FA over its decision on where the team will play next season, despite former chairman Raj Singh failing to respond to a plea for help.

Community company Darlington FC 1883 yesterday submitted an appeal requesting that the FA reconsiders its decision to place the club in the Northern League next season.

The FA is also being urged against treating the club as a new entity – a stance that prevents the Quakers playing in national FA competitions next season, and may mean the club has to change its name.

One of the reasons the FA took that view was because the new owners were unable to transfer the old football share – the club’s membership to the FA – which remains with former chairman Raj Singh.

It has forced DFC 1883 to apply for its own membership.

The new owners said they had contacted Mr Singh again this week asking if he would be willing to sign over the membership to aid the appeal, however he failed to reply.

The Northern Echo has also tried to contact Mr Singh to discuss the issue, but has been unable to speak to him.

DFC 1883 project manager Craig McKenna said: “We have submitted the appeal and the FA have confirmed receipt.

"We feel we have very strong grounds and every reason to be confident that we will get a favourable result.

“It is a little bit disappointing that despite assurances from him and requests from the local media, Raj Singh has refused to enter into any dialogue or provide the documentation which could have made the difference to the appeal.

"We can only hope this is not viewed as detrimental by the FA.”

Darlington MP Jenny Chapman, who yesterday pledged her support to the DFC 1883 appeal, said: “This was an opportunity for Mr Singh to show his support for the fans of the club and put his words into action.”

Although DFC 1883 said it was unable to discuss the grounds for appeal in detail, Mr McKenna confirmed there had been input from the police.

He said officers were concerned that some Northern League grounds could have difficulty coping with the potential volume of Darlington fans next season.

A police spokesman confirmed preliminary discussions had taken place about next season.