TURNING full-time will cost Weymouth an extra £100,000 a year, owner Martyn Harrison revealed today.

After months of speculation, Weymouth directors voted unanimously last week to turn the club full-time from July.

And the Terras chief executive, who owns 81 per cent of the club's shares through his Hollybush Hotels firm, insists the extra outlay is a price worth paying if professional status brings glory to the Wessex Stadium.

He told Echosport: "Turning full-time is something the club has been considering for a long time but we wanted to make sure everything was 100 per cent right before we announced the move.

"Lots of things have had to be taken into account because turning professional doesn't just involve the players, but also our backroom staff.

"We've consulted other clubs who have been in a similar position and worked out all the figures before deciding this is the way to go.

"The conclusion from all that is that it would take an extra £100,000 on top of our current running costs to make it happen."