With at least 3 of the larger non-league clubs in the county having major financial difficulties, and in some cases 'dodgy' ownership. I was wondering if people thought that high level non-league football was still viable and what the furure was for the clubs n the county?

It depends what you mean as high-level. Conference Premier football is full of clubs paying silly money to chase their dreams. My team, Stafford Rangers, were promoted and nearly paid the ultimate price as football at that level was unsustainable. Unfortunaely, as you drop down, their are many clubs struggling to make ends meet. In the Conference North there are 5 or 6 clubs with playing budgets of £1700 per week or less. The rest vary upwards to a staggering £10,000+ per week paid out by Fleetwood Town.

Stafford have cut their cloth to survive and it has meant that the higher paid, higher profile players have had to leave. Only one player is contracted which has meant the vultures circling from time to time and stealing the best talent. However, this is a small price to pay should the club survive, which I believe firmly that it will. A number of clubs will go the wall either before the close of the season or during the summer and hopefully, this will force clubs into re-evaluating their position. Footballers at this level now need to understand the days of big contracts are gone. Get back to playing for the love of the game.

Hadn't the clubs at Conference Premier level budgeted for 'good old' TV money from Setanta? When they went belly-up that left a whole of up to £80k for many, I believe.

You are right, some clubs have got into a mess chasing a dream, in the case of Worcester City, it is a nightmare from the appalling mis-managent of the club. The exalted groundmove by the misguided characters at the helm was their sole focus, and with that stalling, they have in the main jumped ship, or been made to walk the plank!

There has been a call for the Worcester public to return now that the clowns have gone, but it may be too late. There is consideration to a change of constitution to allow investment from a benefactor/s in the summer, but by then they will probably be in Administration.

Looks as though most clubs at all levels chase the dreams at the expense of good business practice. Sadly, cricket might not be too far behind.

Saw an interesting article the other day about Leyton Orient, stuck in League 1. One of the few clubs to actually make profits year after year because they're sensible. The chairman is Barry Hearn (no less) and he said that any club that spends beyond their means is actually cheating. Can't disagree with that.