by Chris Harris
Greg was beginning to put the final touches to his new Board of Directors, adding the last few names and shaping the structure he hoped would carry Denham Phoenix FC not just through the season, but a successful season. He knew expertise and other skill sets would be crucial to developing the club, even though it would be composed of amateur volunteers. Meanwhile, Economical Tony had thrown himself into the ground upgrades, juggling contractors, timelines and budgets with his usual quiet competence. So much was happening at once that even Greg, normally hyper bullish, was starting to feel the strain of running a large car dealership while also steering a growing football club. Still, he had his date with Lucy to look forward to as he continued the hunt for a finance director. Mind you, she was the only option.
In all honesty, Greg felt a bit of a tart for dating two women in the same week, especially when both outings had the same ulterior motive. The first meeting with Catherine was a failure and, unfortunately, ended up being far more business than romance. Friday night at the Red Lion and the Millennium with Lucy Lotwell, however, was definitely a hot date. In Denham, Greg was considered something of a catch, handsome, successful and the owner of the local football club.
Lucy had spent Thursday night at pre-date drinks with her friends, nervously “talking it through” while also enjoying the attention it brought. They listened, offered half-hearted reassurances, and secretly jealously hoped the date would be a disaster. Lucy, meanwhile, enjoyed the performance of being pretending to be anxious, seeking attention, while holding no real concerns at all.
Greg noticed immediately how different things felt with Lucy. She had already had a couple of drinks, was in high spirits, and he relaxed the moment she greeted him. But it was clear that Lucy was not only interested in him. She was a financial adviser, and Greg sold a lot of cars that required financing. She saw an opportunity. Greg, for his part, still hoped to find a finance director for the club without adding to the wage bill. So although they got on well, there was an unmistakable layer of self interest between them.
Greg joked that he should not get too drunk because he did not want to make promises he could not keep. After Tuesday’s debacle with Catherine, the joke carried a lot more weight than he let on. He even typed a note in his phone and texted Lucy across the table: “Haha, remember I do not mean anything I say!” She replied in their third round: “Oh yes, of course, no worries!” Lol. Soon they were talking across the table while also texting each other beneath it, both thinking they were being charming and funny, though it was drifting into something slightly creepy.
Fortunately, Greg did not wake up to a follow-up text from Lucy listing everything he had drunkenly agreed to. Instead, he woke up next to her. Over breakfast, she read through the late-night messages, confirming she would decide in the morning about becoming finance director and he promised to consider sending business her way. They drank coffee and laughed at how clever they thought they had been, both aware it had been a little underhanded. Still, that was the price business, and that was life, and the truth was they did like each other. After one night of chaos, Lucy Lotwell was now a Phoenix FC director, and Greg would send customers to her for finance.
But when Lucy left, Greg felt a twist of misgiving. He had settled for second best and mixed business with pleasure. Lucy was tough, and although they had agreed it was a one-night stand, he knew he had added a complication to his life he had not planned on.
The first of those complications arrived immediately at the board meeting that Monday. Big Mal, Economical Tony, Lucy, Catherine and Charlie sat around a large table in the Red Lion. It was quiet, being a Monday, with the usual slow afterburn of a weekend still in the air. Greg had never chaired a board meeting before, so he asked Catherine to run it so he could see how it should work. She didn’t know either, but asked Chat GPT for a template. They all knew each other well, so the atmosphere was relaxed and informal.
Catherine went around the table asking each person for a brief update on their work during the closed season. Most answers were vague, except Economical Tony, who seemed to have half a dozen projects on the go and was keen to bore everyone to death about them.
Everything was straightforward until it came to Lucy’s turn. She opened the file Greg had given her on Sunday.
“I am fairly certain your manager has been fiddling the books,” she said calmly. The room froze, the matter of fact delivery not doing justice to the silence and shock.
“I did a quick audit of the accounts. He has been quite clever. The fifty thousand pound budget includes a five thousand pound monthly payment to Adrian Mills. As far as I can see, there is no Adrian Mills at the club. Yet every month £500 has been going straight into his account. The records show that Vincent Hilario has been handling the budget and wages. This sort of thing is common in small organisations. It is up to you what happens next, but if it were me, I would tell him to go.”
Greg felt crestfallen. Hilario had worked for him for three years and had been excellent. But Greg had often wondered how he could afford expensive holidays. Now the answer felt like a slap. He was furious.
‘I would not have minded if he had just asked for another five thousand a year,’ Greg said. He has done a good job, and I would have given it to him. But we need to decide whether we keep him. He is a successful manager.’
Catherine spoke up. ‘Yes, he is successful. But what sort of club are we trying to build? I do not want to be part of a board that keeps a manager who is stealing. He is the figurehead. If he is on the take, it undermines everything.’ Greg waited for more input, but knew he would agree with anything Catherine said.
Big Mal thumped the table. “Get him out of the club. I cannot believe he has been stealing. I have done tens of thousands of pounds worth of work for this club and never taken a penny. To him it is just a hobby and he is well paid. All he does is run a Thursday training session and manage a couple of matches. Get him out.” Greg was shocked, he’d never seen Mal lose the plot. He was impressed.
Greg felt a strange flicker of grim satisfaction. Phoenix FC had clearly moved beyond being a small Sussex League club. The stadium was developing, a board was in place, and now even the staff thought there was enough money around to steal. It was a backhanded compliment, but still a serious blow.
Greg reacted as he always did in business, quickly. He called Hilario there and then. He knew he should probably do it in person, but he had two motives. He wanted to show the board he could act decisively, and he wanted to look confident in front of Catherine.
“Hi Hilario, did you have a good holiday?” Greg asked.
There was a short silence around the table as Hilario’s muffled reply could be faintly heard.
“I was just wondering. Who is Adrian Mills?”
Another pause.
“Sorry,” Greg said. “Did not catch that. Who is Adrian Mills. We do not have a player called Adrian Mills. Go on, who is he?”
More silence.
“All right mate,” Greg said quietly, “You are sacked. Any pushback and I’ll go to the police.”
He hung up.
The next day, he got straight to work. He contacted the Sussex FA, emailed every manager and assistant manager in the county leagues, and reached out to coaches from higher divisions who had recently left their posts. He drafted a proper job description and circulated it across the local football networks.
That Tuesday became the club’s first real taste of life in the higher leagues. There had never been real stress before. Now they had endured a board meeting, a financial scandal, a sacking and the realisation that everything was becoming more serious by the day. For the first time since becoming chairman, Greg felt the jitters. He knew the pressure would rise after the promotion, and he realised, for the first time, how invaluable the new board would be. He’d have just chatted to Hilario and let him off, but thanks to the board, the right thing was done.
In the next episode of Denham Phoenix FC, the new manager search begins, the groundwork is completed, and a marketing director arrives just as the club begins its pre-season friendlies.
NonLeagueFootball #FootballFiction #DenhamPhoenixFC #SussexFootball #SerialStory
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The Rights of Fans. 