GRAVESEND & Northfleet are seeking a new main sponsor after the shock withdrawal of Gladwish Land Sales from all semi-professional football.

Fleet chairman Brian Kilcullen received the news on Monday.

Victor Gladwish, the 61-year-old Sussex multi-millionaire and football benefactor, pumped more than £1million into the non-league game. His decision followed a spat with one of his sponsored clubs.

The ramifications will send a shudder throughout non-league football. In Kent alone, he also sponsored Chatham Town and Whitstable.

His three-year agreement with Gravesend has a year to run and the Gladwish name will remain on the shirts for this season.

Mr Kilcullen said: "This is a big, big blow, not just to Gravesend & Northfleet but for the non-league game as a whole.

"I’m not prepared to say how much the sponsorship deal is worth to us, what I will say is that it was up there with the best in the Nationwide Conference."

He added: "I don’t know the name of the club Victor fell out with, what I do know is that he will always be welcome at Stonebridge Road.

"We treated him with the respect he deserved as the main sponsor. I cannot imagine any club treating him anything less than cordially because his contribution to the non-league game was immense."

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