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The move, aimed at “moving the club forward to compete with the likes of Burton Albion Ltd and Derby County plc” was announced at Rovers’ annual meeting at the Moat Ground last night.

Gresley’s development officer, Frank McArdle, told around 50 members: “We need a lot of money – more than we’ve got. We’ve spent 30-odd thousand pounds on the ground and to go on and progress we nee that £30,000 again.

“I’m going to propose to the committee that during the next two to three months we will turn the club into a limited company – the club will have directors and shareholders.

“It’s going to move forward and compete with the likes of Burton Albion Ltd and Derby County plc. We haven’t arrived; we’re on our way. We’ve moved from the slow lane into the middle lane – assume we’re going to move into the fast lane.”

McArdle said afterwards that the club’s advisors would be preparing a financial profile to determine the best time for the move to go ahead. It’s necessary to keep pace with the fans and avoid the situation where the club is doing better on the field than off it.

“It will ensure that the fans are watching a standard of football they deserve and have deserved for several seasons. It will be a private limited company, a family concern in the way that it is now. As to who will become directors, that will be debated and determined by a financial appraisal determined by the club’s accountants. The package as a whole will be put before the club’s committee.

“It’s hard to say what will happen – we will be advised when it’s prudent to do it but it will be before the end of the season and that’s most important. A number of shares will be created. The committee as it stands will form itself into the nucleus of a company.”