Crawley Town Football Club have been taken over by a Sussex-based company and promised £2 million over the next three years.

The SA Group, who run media, publishing, hospitality and retail businesses in the Crawley and Brighton areas, have bought the club from owner John Duly.

They have a reported annual turnover of £50 million and have indicated their intentions to take Reds full-time within two years.

Spokesman Paul Hobbs said: "We are looking to do great things with the club.

"It has progressed well over the last couple of years and we now want to take it to the next level.

"We got involved because we feel it has a lot of potential and we want to bring it to the forefront.

"We also want to try and get the local community more involved with the club.

"Going full-time is a route we are looking to take the club in the future, probably not next season but maybe the season after."

The SA Group's statement of their long-term plans for the Nationwide Conference outfit include investing in the squad, further integration of the club in the community through local schools and promotion of hospitality suits, corporate business and sponsorship.

The take-over ends Duly's successful six-year spell at the club.

His financial backing helped Reds out of administration and was instrumental in bankrolling their Dr Martens premier division title success and promotion to the Conference last year.

Managing director Steve Duly, John's son, insisted last season that the club could not go full-time due to their financial constraints and appealed for more investment from local businesses.

Hobbs says the take-over does not mean there will be immediate changes behind the scenes at the club.

He said: "We don't plan to make any changes. It has been a successful club, so we will let them carry on doing what they have been."

Steve Duly was unavailable for comment yesterday.

Crawley's Conference trip to Aldershot has been put back to Monday September 5 because it will now be shown live on Sky TV.