Buckland resigns as Worthing managing director

Buckland began the role in April, 2015, shortly after George Dowell took over as owner and chairman at Woodside Road and quickly became a familiar face to the club's supporters.

Worthing were promoted from the Ryman League South Division through the play-offs in the 2015/16 season, before finishing 14th then 16th in the following two Premier Division campaigns.

They sit third in the Premier Division this season after four league games.

In a club statement this morning, Worthing owner George Dowell said: "We can confirm that Calvin has decided to step away from his role at Worthing Football Club and Worthing Football Centre, as of 4pm today.

"Having initially resigned from the club last week, I had hoped that we could come to a workable arrangement that would suit everybody. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to do this.

"Since I took over the club in March 2015, Calvin has been by my side, and his commitment and hard work have been integral to the rebuild of Worthing Football Club ever since. Without him, the club wouldn’t be where it is today and for that I will always be immensely grateful.

"Calvin has truly earned his place in the history of the club, and I hope we see him back soon as a supporter having a beer and enjoying the football.

"Thank you Calvin, for everything.

"All the best, George."

When contacted by the Herald, Buckland said he was proud of everything he had achieved at Worthing but said the situation was too raw to speak about at the moment, after resigning yesterday.

One immediate priority for Worthing is to add more people to help support the club behind the scenes.

Chairman Pete Stone said: "As the club carries on its upward curve, we need more people involved.

"I've said before we need an army of volunteers and we're looking at a number of ways to get people involved.

"George and I are also working out what paid roles we need to have around the club.

"We look at other clubs - not just from a football perspective but how they operate - and there's quite a gap.

"Our vision is to be a National League club - but that's not just about what division you play in, it's about the whole football club and how it operates.

"Things are going well on the football side at the moment but if we get to National South in the next year or two, we need to be able to support it.

"We're continually looking at how we can operate as a big club with National League standards.

"What the club will miss is Calvin's loyalty and commitment but we're always evaluating and the immediate thing is to get more volunteers in to help.

"We need to be capable of growing and supporting the football team off the pitch. We're getting 1,200 crowds and want to build on the buzz around the club."