'Good work' of departing Worthing chairman Pete Stone praised by owner George Dowell

The club confirmed in a statement that Stone will leave the club in the next week.An ‘increasing workload’ has been cited as the reason for his departure.

Stone had been involved with Worthing for a couple of years prior to his appointment as chairman in March 2018.

Majority shareholder and owner Dowell brought him on board for his expertise in running a business and to provide additional help overseeing off-the-field matters.

However, Stone has now been forced to step down from his role as chairman.

But it’s a decision Dowell finds ‘totally understandable’.

He said: “I’m not sure of the full details of his work, but as I understand he’s going to have a lot more international travel with work.

“He just doesn’t feel he’s going to have the time or give the full focus that the club needs and deserves with his other job.

“It’s totally understandable.

“The club is largely run by volunteers and if the work/life balance changes then they are not always able to continue helping.

“It happens, it’s unfortunate but totally understandable.

“Career and families and got to come first.”

Dowell believes both he and the club have benefited from having Stone on board.

His background in business has allowed the Worthing owner to get a better understanding of that side of things.

And Dowell hopes he can take the extra knowledge forward now.

He added: “He has definitely helped in the areas that he’s been involved with, for sure.

“He’s an experienced businessman and I’ve learnt a lot from Pete.

“Hopefully that can now be taken forward.

“I’ve still been involved with the club as much as ever, just not with the title of chairman.

“I’ve definitely learnt a lot from Pete, he’s been good in the year as chairman.”

Dowell remains unsure what the next step will be following Stone’s departure.

He plans to hold discussions with the board to get a feeling of what is best for the club moving forward.

“We’re going to put up a board of people to come up with the next step,” Dowell said.

“We’ll work out responsibilities amongst the board and in due course find a replacement for Pete, we’re not going to rush anything.

“It could be something I do in the short term and then potentially bring in a bigger team around me then what I had before of people that I trust.”

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