Martin Perry has spoken about the tears and sleepless nights during the club’s long battle to secure funding for a new stadium.
Perry retired after 24 years as chief executive and director last month and has talked candidly about his experiences in a podcast which is now available on MyAlbion Audio.
He took over as chief executive in 1999 after a long career in the construction industry, although he had no qualms about accepting chairman Dick Knight’s invitation.
“It was a risky move, but at the time seemed to be the right thing to do and it turned out to be the best thing I ever did, I never regretted that decision.
“But they were difficult times for the club. One week I was in tears because I wasn’t sure how we were going to pay the players. People like Ray Bloom, Derek Chapman and Norman Cook helped us out financially and kept doing so. The directors knew when we called a board meeting that they were going to put their hands in their pockets.”
At the heart of the club during this often turbulent period was the strong relationship Perry forged with Knight, although they often agreed to disagree.
“Dick saved the club. He put in a chunk of money that he was never going to get back in 1997 and if he hadn’t done that it is a plain fact the club would not exist.
“Because of his background in marketing he was brilliant at getting the message across and he had an ability to persuade people to help the club, even when they didn’t want to.
“Dick and I complimented each other in so many ways. Sometimes we did not agree, and our relationship could be fiery. What usually happened was that we would have a robust debate and what would come out would be a solution that neither of us had thought of in the first place!”
Planning permission was eventually secured for Falmer after a lengthy planning and legal process but having spent £7m before putting a shovel in the ground, funding the project at the time of a global financial crash appeared to be beyond the club until Tony Bloom stepped forward.
“I never believed we wouldn’t do it but I did get to the point where I wondered how we would pay for it and at one point my mother in law loaned me money to pay the solicitors. But then Tony stepped forward and the rest is history. Because of his incredible generosity and financial clout, we got the stadium we now have.”
Martin steps down with the club in great shape, despite the difficulties caused by Covid-19.
“My job is done. I am proud of what I achieved. I leave the club in the strongest position it has been in. It is in the best possible hands.”
You can listen to Martin’s podcast in full on MyAlbion TV here: https://share.transistor.fm/s/40e09c41