Whoever gets the nod to take on the ownership of Torquay United, they are going to have to make some pretty difficult decisions about the future of the club – and clearly, the biggest one of them all is whether Torquay will become part-time or not.
As supporters of Torquay United, we are aware that this summer will be especially challenging. The largest decision regarding the future of Torquay United will undoubtedly be whether or not the club will become part-time. Whoever is chosen to assume ownership of Torquay United will have to make some very tough choices.
This will save the club money in an era where money is hard-earned and all too easily spent, whether you, me, or your Aunty Jean like it or not. Since the National League South is mostly a part-time league, Torquay should obviously transition to part-time play if they want to continue in this division the next season.
Online, this has not gone down well, with a contentious discussion concerning the club’s part-time status on social media. Consortium leader Michael Westcott, who stated that “fans have to be realistic” in an interview on Radio Devon, offered it as a possibility. However, there is an alternative. a hybrid technique. Not in this way, not in that way.
Torquay has always maintained a balanced roster, with players ranging in age from senior, seasoned pros who offer invaluable knowledge to the team to younger players who are still learning the game and whose lives are less “cluttered” by the ups and downs of family life since they can live further away.
There is a case to be made that Torquay could continue with a small number of professionals and a larger number of part-timers, most likely residing in the lodge and taking pleasure in the thrilling and shared life of playing football at a respectable level. Recent seasons have seen good wages at Torquay, and former manager Gary Johnson wasn’t afraid to admit the team went above and above with offers to retain players like Joe
Without a doubt, players like Aaron Jarvis are paid well for their calibre, but I doubt that the younger players of today are earning the same amount of money as some of their former classmates, even if they have secured respectable employment or are more skilled at building walls than they are at scoring goals.
I’m not positive if younger players’ perceptions of part-time contracts will differ significantly from those of full-time ones. The amount of time spent on the training ground, however, may vary.
While younger players may have endless free time to kick around if they were paid a living wage at the lodge, some players who have been performing well in regional football for teams like Tiverton, Bideford, Barnstaple, and Buckland are in their mid-20s, have stable jobs, or run their own businesses, and would be thrilled to play for Torquay in the National League South. They most definitely wouldn’t be able to train daily.
Thus, I believe that adaptability is key. A players-for-training-pitches and horses-for-courses mentality would make sense in Torquay United’s operations going forward. Anyone who deals with administration finds it to be terrifying; football players are not the only ones. However, not much is different from other seasons as long as the present crop is paid this month and their contracts are honoured. At this level, how many players can truly say with certainty that they’ll have a club by next season?
In football at this level, players frequently disappear into the shuffle and resurface elsewhere, poised to score against you when they come back. Are we unaware of it? But that’s the advantage of living in Devon, Cornwall, or any remote location.
And then there’s the manager question. Would you want to give Aaron Downes another season to show himself, or would you rather not give him a chance to stay? Could the new proprietors pay him what he was paid? Would a new boss work either full- or part-time hours?
I suppose these are the kinds of questions that we will all be thinking about while we wait for news about those new owners—which it appears could be coming fairly soon. The future possibilities and what-abouts for Torquay United. It’s a scary, yet maybe thrilling time to be alive, as there are a lot of significant questions that need to be answered this summer.
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