PAUL Maitland has explained his decision to seek a place on the Weymouth board of directors later this month.

Maitland, currently the Terras' CEO, is along with financial advisor Simon Etherington looking to take a seat on the Weymouth board following an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on Tuesday, May 30 (7pm).

The duo’s announcement comes amid plans for significant changes at Weymouth.

These include increasing share capital to 5,000,000 at 50p per share, a revised 15 per cent shareholder limit and dropping the minimum number of directors from six to four.

READ MORE: No takeover planned at Weymouth, says Paul Maitland

After stepping down from the board in February 2022, Maitland came back just six months later to help the Terras navigate their way through a financial crisis.

He had previously publicly stated his intention not to make his commitment a long-term one.

Quizzed by Echosport on his change of heart, Maitland said: “Clearly, since Simon and I came back to the club, it feels like the confidence has been reinstalled in terms of trust of supporters, shareholders, everybody.

“It seems to be building back. I can’t speak for Simon but we both feel now is the right time for us to join the board.

“We have been looking at the structure and make-up of the board and how it will look underneath it.

“We feel we’re probably the right people to lead that. Hopefully, everybody else does as well.

“We’ve put a lot of time and finance into rebuilding the place. We now want to carry that work on.

“If we’re going to carry on doing the work we’re doing I think we both feel we, alongside the other directors, should be in the position to control the future and destiny of the club.

“We’ve got aspirations to build and improve the whole thing. Now’s the right time for us to lead from the front.”

Weymouth fans will first have the chance to put questions to board members at a fans’ forum on Monday, May 22 (7pm).

Shareholders will then convene eight days later to decide on the proposals.

Since the Terras announced plans to erase the current 7.5 per cent shareholding limit, opening the door to a future takeover, the club has revised the threshold to 15 per cent.

The move, backed by the club trust, is seen as a gesture of security after concerns were raised from supporters given the club’s recent financial struggles.

Commenting before the amendment, Maitland said: “I think (the Trust) can see there’s a need for change.

“It’s worth mentioning that the Trust, Supporters’ Association and the current board have all been in consultation.

“It’s not something that’s just been decided in five minutes. There’s been a lot of discussion about it and what it would look like.

“With our looking at restructuring chunks of the club and how the daily operation is run, as well as how the club is financially managed, change is afoot.

“Clearly that had to be because of where we were. The lesson from the National League is if we managed to get back there, we would need investment.

“I don’t think there’s anybody that would disagree with that. What we’re hoping is to have the ability to attract some (investment).

“If it looked, halfway through next season, as if we were going to go up, then it gives us the potential to maybe go and find the right investment.

“I don’t think there’s a great rush. There’s no urgency for us to get investment.

“We’re not doing this because we’re desperate for money, it’s because it’s the next step for the club’s recovery and also progression.”