Ladak steps down from role as Poppies chairman

January 12, 2010—

Kettering Town owner Imraan Ladak has announced he will step down as chairman of the club after expressing frustration at failing to secure a ground when the current lease expires in 2013 at Rockingham Road.

The situation has been ongoing since the ground was sold in the mid-1980's and the club has been a tenant of the owner (local farmer Ben Pickering) ever since. Despite numerous attempts by previous chairman the ground situation has never looked likely to come close to reaching a successful conclusion and the problem remains under the club's present owner Imraan Ladak.

The effort to secure a location within the borough of Kettering has been the stumbling block which has thwarted all efforts up to and including the present day and the Council itself is seen by the club and it's supporters as the biggest hurdle that they have yet to overcome.

As each season passes it seems the solutions put forward are all doomed to failure as each successive council has seemingly grown further away from reaching any kind of agreement that would allow a new football stadium to be built within the borough.

"At the moment there isn't a real future for the football club." Ladak added: "There is nothing more I can do. It's impossible for us to build a stadium before our lease runs out now. I'm devastated about that."

Although Ladak had announced his resignation as chairman he has re-iterated his support for the club and will continue as owner, albeit with a reduced financial input available for the manager to bring in new players.

"I'm not pulling the plug," added Ladak. "But I'm not going to be putting as much money into the playing squad, because it's illogical to do so. Spare cash is to be saved or used for trying to secure future for the football club."