Chesham United Football Club

It’s a while since my last report – my apologies. A lot has been happening, much of it publicised along the way so I hope you’ve not been too much in the dark. This is a distillation of some of these happenings.

Finance

• General

I will put 2006/7 down to experience on a number of fronts. As expected, the club finished the season having required a lot more financial support than I had envisaged. This support was provided by Mike Dickson and I, along with a new shareholder, Mike Cant, a local businessman who I have known for a number of years. The main cause for the deficit was player wages. We paid too much for our players last season, which is a lesson well learned; it won’t happen again. And we didn’t achieve our footballing targets, which is annoying. Our 2006/7 accounts will be available at the beginning of September and I will publish a summary then. Meanwhile, here is a summary of the last two years and our budget for next year:

You should understand that I try to budget conservatively to avoid unpleasant surprises. If we can raise more revenue or save more money and cover our costs, any surplus will go into the team.

• Cost Savings

David Stanley has left the club and our new manager, Andy Leese, has a tight budget that can only increase if there is prize money or our other revenues increase.

• Ground Share

As you will know, we have agreed to allow Aylesbury United’s first team to use The Meadow again next season.

• Loans / Shareholdings

Mike Dickson and I loaned the club various amounts of money through last season, most of which has now been converted to voting B shares. Mike Cant has been allotted B shares for his investment, and the Supporters Trust has purchased further shares, its investment being used to fund the re-roofing of the Chess Suite.
 
Loans in the amount of £10,501 each remain outstanding from Mike Dickson and I. The current voting shareholder structure is:

Although slightly diluted, the Supporters Trust remains the largest shareholder. I anticipate an increase in the Supporters Trust’s shareholding over time, as it invests further cash that will be used for additional capital projects.

• Advertising / Sponsorship

HCC International have renewed their shirt sponsorship for 2007/8, as have Beachcroft LLP renewed their sponsorship of the Youth Team. We continue to look for more advertisers / sponsors and any help will be appreciated. Whilst we are not budgeting for a loss this year, there is no real fat in the budget and every additional penny helps.

• Chamber of Commerce

We have joined Chesham Chamber of Commerce and I gave a talk to a number of their members in May, which seems to have been well received.

Football
I don’t want to look back but forwards. Last season was unsatisfactory on a number of fronts. We put a lot of effort into selecting our new management team, Andy Leese and Jon Meakes. They have already begun to make a difference and their work ethic and professional approach is apparent. They want to go places and so do we. I can’t wait for the season to start.
We were moved to the Midland Division, somewhat bizarrely. There is no formal appeals procedure but, after discussion with Andy Leese and the board, and after a number of conversations both with our league chairman and the FA, I wrote a detailed letter to the Leagues Committee at the FA in May, before it was too late, asking them to reconsider. My reasons were:

• The dramatic increase in our annual mileage. The general relocation rationale was previously stated to be to avoid this.
• The increased mileage will dramatically increase our travelling costs. Our visitors will suffer too. So it will affect every single Chesham United match.
• Because we are located where we are, we will need to travel through significant travel hot spots, which will mean a need to allow more contingency time, given the distances involved. Even the M25 is easier. Our fans, players, management and officials will be facing very long Saturdays.
• We will lose players and have more difficulty in recruiting quality players unless we pay more.

My request was discussed by the committee. The problem is that reversing decisions already made, no matter how bizarre they might be, and without the support of our league, is very difficult, not least because of the knock on effects elsewhere. You know the result. We are where we are and must move on. I’m sure we’ll meet some great people and make many friends in our new league.
Our Academy seems to be taking shape. There has been considerable interest but there are still some places remaining. We hope to have this commence in September.
Chess Suite
I am hoping that work to re-roof the remainder of the club house will commence shortly.

The Ground
We have been inspected by the league’s / FA’s ground grading team, the Fire Brigade, Health & Safety and our Insurers. I am pleased to say that they found only limited things that needed sorting, most of which have been done by our indispensable volunteers. We now have the summer work parties again and I’m sure that the ground will look good when the football starts. I don’t like pointing the finger too often but I would particularly like to thank Mike Warrick, Maverick, Andy and Barry Hart. We can’t do without our volunteers and I’m grateful to all of them.

Groundsman
Len Vockins is keen to show his support to the club through increasing his involvement in the Supporters Trust. From July, Len will focus his energy on the Trust and our pitch is being looked after by CH Grounds Maintenance. I am very grateful to Len for the many hours that he has put in over the years.

Office
Alan Lagden and Neil Calder now manage our office. Alan is the Club Secretary. You will notice the change as soon as you walk into the office. They are doing an excellent job

Supporters Trust
The Trust is our largest voting shareholder and it is vital that it has a thriving membership and active committee / board. They have organised the fantastic comedy nights and are beginning to assist with some of the key administrative tasks, such as organising the annual Guy Fawkes Night event that is so important to our income and participating marketing the club. I am sure that the Trust and the Board will be working more closely over the next year.

James Allen has stepped down as Chairman of the Supporters Trust and I’d like to thank him for his input over the years. He works tirelessly for all things Chesham United – Ladies, Youth and Adult sections and I’m sure he’ll continue to do so but without the added aggravation of the committee.

Tea Bar
Alan and Dee Sherrock have decided to “pass on the reins”. I’d like to take the opportunity to thank both of them for all their hard work over the years. Volunteers are hard to come by so I’m sorry to lose them. The Supporters Trust is exploring options.

In Conclusion …
We have a new management team that have committed for two years, new signings and, for the first time, I’m feeling confident that both the finances and the football are under control. We don’t have as much money as I’d like for the team or for contingencies and so we’re constantly working on increasing revenues. As I said earlier, any surplus will go into the team. We’re in a new league. The friendlies are less than a month away. I sense an exciting time ahead and am looking forward to seeing you back at The Meadow both next season and at the friendlies.

Thank you for your support.

Charles Manchester (Chairman)