BY CHRIS MCNULTY

FINN Harps Football Club held a public meeting on Friday night last where they admitted to supporters that they find themselves in a 'serious financial situation' with just three weeks to go in the season.

The club informed a gathering of around 50 supporters at the Finn Valley Centre, Stranorlar that a 'cash flow issue' has come about at the club and with no home game until the final week of the season, Board members have appealed to fans to assist their fundraising endeavours over the next month.

Acting Chairman James Rodgers informed the meeting that the club needed help "to honour a budget that was approved around 10 months ago" and responding to a query from the floor he added that, at present the club had managed to raise "80 per cent of the budget."

While the Board would not disclose exact figures to the meeting, it was put to them that the figure could be close to ¤200,000 - after Directors revealed at a recent meeting with Co-Operative Society Shareholders that they had targeted that figure to be raised in a fundraising draw.

The Donegal News understands that the club needs to raise in the region of ¤70,000 by the end of the playing season to ensure all contractual obligations to playing staff members are met.

It is also believed that figure could be increased to around ¤160,000 to enable the club to clear all creditors by the end of the year and ensure they go into season 2009 on a clean slate.

Responding to a question from the floor on the issue of the club possibly losing points for wages issues, James Rodgers said: "There is a possibility of the club losing points if the players were to react in a negative manner. But we have made adjustments to the wages off all staff at the club and people have been very good and have reacted positively."

Treasurer Patsy Lafferty added: "The nbext two gfames are away from home so for the next three weeks there will be no gate receipts. We would appeal to people to sell these tickets and try to get them in within the next number of weeks."

He mentioned the ¤100-a-ticket appartment draw as being 'key' for the club, although the draw came in for some critisicm from the floor. It was suggested from the floor that the club would have been better putting the ¤50,000 (that the apartment in Bulgaria which is the first prize) as the first prize.

Another slammed a draw claiming that people had to "look at a bloody map to see where your prize is," while it was noted that "It is very hard to try to sell tickets to people who don't go to Finn Park regularly and it is hard to get money off them at the present time."Director Louis McNern responded that he had felt positive feedback from his experience of selling the tickets. "The cost of the ticket can be spread out and overall it isn't a lot of money," he claimed. "I think this can be a success and people can also sell them on a commission basis."

Patrons also have the option of purchasing season tickets for next season, which are available at discounted prices if bought before the end of the current campaign, while a night at the races in aid of the club is being held on November 14th.