Skip to content
Dicky Evans, the owner of National League South club Truro City, is aiming to get them in League Two within the next three or four years.
After winning the Southern Premier League South playoffs, the White Tigers sealed a place back in the second tier of non league for the first time since 2018/19.
Evans owns the club and also controls Cornish Pirates Rugby, but is currently launching a £2.5m crowd-funding campaign to benefit both clubs.
Truro City: English Football League ambition for owner Dicky Evans
— Ollie Bayliss (@Ollie_Bayliss) May 26, 2023
“We’re looking to get promoted as soon as we can,” Evans told BBC Sport from his home in Kenya.
The club plays at Bolitho Park, a ground owned by Plymouth Parkway. Plans are in place to move the venue to Cornwall.
Truro who have reached the sixth division of English football twice before hope to have a new home ready for the start season of 2024-25.
They are planning to expand the pitch so that Cornish Pirates can share it, and to have a base to play in Premiership.
“The minimum budget is £500,000, so if we get some more money out of this crowdfunding then the budget will go up,” added Evans.
“Paul Wotton’s a great coach so we’re looking to get into the English Football League in three or four years’ time.
“It’s two more promotions and do a Wrexham.”
In June 2022, plans for Stadium for Cornwall were got rid of despite being 12 years in the making. It was scrapped after Cornwall Council leader Linda Taylor claimed there was no cash left for it.
Earlier in 2023, the two clubs have now filed a planning application with the local authority for a scaled-down stadium which they hope to build by March 2024.
It’s a 3,000-seat stadium on the edge of the city which be on the same site of the Stadium For Cornwall. See more on this HERE.
“If we get a stadium built eventually the stadium will cover the costs of Pirates and Truro,” added Dicky, who said he has donated around £25m to the Cornish Pirates, and latterly Truro City, in the past 25 years.
He adds that he hopes the cash raised through Exeter-based Crowdcube by the fund he created called Kernow Sports Limited, will tie the two teams over until major new investment can be brought into the club, which he believes could be as high as £15m over the next three years.
On the Cornish Pirates page he said fans’ ownership was definitely the way to go a path to greater investment. He went on, as per CornwallLive: “It has been the honour of my life to take the Cornish Pirates into the top 20 of English Rugby and more recently to ensure that despite no home ground in Cornwall, that Truro City’s team were well funded and able to get promoted. It is a privilege to be a shareholder in these teams, and now that Kernow Sport owns both, I am delighted that it has opened the door to fans and investors to own a part of Pirates and TCFC and be fundamental to their success.
“Fan ownership is a well worn path in other clubs and has given life and security to teams around the UK. TCFC and Pirates under Kernow Sport, are allowing new fan shareholders to come in on a rising tide of sporting success to be a part of an even greater future.”
The fundraising page is available HERE.
This is how fans reacted as the National League South club owner says he’s aiming to get them in League Two within next three or four years...
@TrevB58: Yet another one 😴 From an orderly queue behind Ramsgate, Billericay, Hornchurch, etc etc etc
@a49bullsfan: The irony is for smaller clubs like Truro (and my own) once you get there it isn’t all that! Most get stuck in League 2 for a handful of seasons much of which is spent looking over your shoulder at the drop zone! Main benefit imo is entry into League Cup and Rnd 1 of FAC.
@steveparker007: Although many clubs have said this it would be good to have an EFL team in Cornwall, assuming they go back to Truro. Teams like Fleetwood and Morecambe have come up in an area already well served by teams. Rather Truro.
@gdolan19571992: Had to check the year, sure I’ve heard that before from them.
@MR_WFC: Hard to recruit top talent down there. I would be investing in more good coaches and the 16-19 year olds at the same time – The home grown talent. Will be interesting to see how they fare in the NLS at Home, as they have to make it a fortress.
@joetclarke: They’re at the start of the process, relatively speaking, but @MouseholeAFC are taking this kind of approach and getting some great results. Worth keeping an eye on.
@NCAFCThoughts: I won’t lie, an away day in Cornwall sounds immense. Especially if they finally get around to building their new stadium.
@SImonPegg5: Ah the old ‘Football League in 5 Years ‘ quote 🤣. How many times
@TWS_001: Because it went so well last time they said that in 2008 😬
@plsoj85: Delusional
@IanHooper20: Oh dear. We’ve all been there 😂
@PeteMartin2310: If I had a pound for every time I’d heard this sort of story from them over the last 20 years…….
@mrjacktanner: Deja vu
@wrexhamafc: “It’s two more promotions and do a Wrexham.” Seriously, you only escape the National League by spending millions, there’s a financial glass ceiling and very limited opportunity because of the 2-up promotion places.
@a048mlufc: You just said we need 500k to survive you thick twat hahaha
@pfc_harry: Need a ground first
