FORMER Dover Athletic chairman Jim Gleeson has written off debts owed to him by the club, writes Justin Allen.
 
Gleeson, who invested nearly £90,000 in Dover Athletic during his tenure in charge, is owed around £18,000 - a figure that is included in the total CVA debt.
 
His gesture of goodwill means that the club's CVA payments could end nearly a year earlier but it does not mean the club's immediate future is yet secure. The Inland Revenue, the main creditors, could still insist that the club must find £23,000 in a matter of weeks.
 
However, Gleeson's generosity does send out a clear message that now is the time for local businesses to get behind the Whites and help the club get back on an upward trend.
 
Delighted director Steve Cattermole said: "Jim's gesture is very generous. His accountant got in touch with me, confirming that he will not be pursuing the repayment of the considerable amount of money he invested at Dover Athletic.
 
"Although Mr Gleeson would only receive a dividend on the near-£90k that helped fund the club during the latter stages of the Conference years, he is still writing off a considerable amount of money in most people's terms.
 
"He is not seeking any publicity whatsoever but this does reinforce his continuing support for the club, for which he is owed a great debt of thanks.
 
"It's hoped that other businessmen and women in the town will view Mr Gleeson's generosity as a sign that local businesses should be backing the club during a time when fortunes have seldom been lower.
 
"We hope that our fans will thank Jim for doing this. It's a superb gesture."
 
Supporters Trust chairman Simon Harris welcomed the news and congratulated Gleeson for showing his support to the club at this critical time.
 
He said: "At a time when Dover Athletic is struggling to meet the onerous demands of the government agencies, who are clearly trying very hard to ensure its demise, this extraordinarily generous offer from Jim Gleeson restores a great deal of faith in our ability to eventually win this battle. 

"While we still have the short-term need to find £23,000, contributions like this to our long-term future can only reinforce the fact that the community of Dover not only wants to see its football club survive, but is willing to help it do so.

"The Trust is working very hard to ensure that the club continues to exist. We now hope that the example set by Mr Gleeson will be followed not only by other individuals and businesses involved in the CVA, but also the rest of the business community in Dover who can offer support by way of sponsorship and advertising.

"It has been said before and it will be said again, and again, 'a football club does not belong to any individual, it belongs to its community'. I cannot thank Mr Gleeson enough."