Swindon Supermarine are targeting Conference football in the next ten years as they begin their search for a new chairman. Cliff Puffett has stepped down after three years at the Hunts Copse helm to focus on developing the youth side of the club. And on the back of Marine’s best ever season - a twelfth-placed finish in the Premier - vice-chairman Steve Moore (pictured) is hopeful of finding someone who can fill Puffett's shoes and drive the club forward.

Moore revealed that the board are hoping to have some new faces in place by the start of September, and added: "We are looking for new directors to come in to bolster the skills of the current board. "The person or people must have the ambition and drive to improve Swindon Supermarine both on and off the pitch. "We want someone with a business network capable of bringing new skills and abilities into the club. "Importantly, they need to have the financial capability to improve the playing staff.

"A new consortium should start with a view that they won't get much change from £25,000 a season. "It's like seeing a set of clothes in a shop window but there's no price on them. People need to know what sort of money we're talking about. "The investment that someone puts in will be to strengthen the club rather than replace what is already there. Our ambition is to build the club up rather than to stand still. "It is a very attractive proposition. What we've achieved in the last ten years has been significant, and it's important that we continue to transform the club in the next ten years again."

In their first season in the Southern Premier Division, relegation favourites Supermarine defied all the odds to clinch a comfortable mid-table finish. And while they may be on the lookout for new blood at boardroom level, Moore is determined to keep hold of their highly-rated managerial duo. He said: "In Mark Collier and Ian Howell, we feel we've got as good a management team as we could possibly get. "Any new chairman coming in would have to be committed to building the club with Mark and Ian as their managers.

"We're a family club with a lot of values and they are a great example of the sort of people we want at Supermarine. "We've always said that we believe the town of Swindon could support a Conference football club as well as Swindon Town. "Looking at our gates that is some way away. "But five years ago we were in the Hellenic League, so you should never say never. "You shouldn't rule it out - a lot can be done with hard work. "We need to become a power in the Southern League. We've done extremely well this season and half way is just the start."

Posted Friday May 2nd 2008

back to main page