For the final time in 2023 I would like to say a very big thank you to everyone who has been a part of Chesham United over the past twelve months, and that includes all our supporters and business partners, whether you are a season ticket holder or a one-off visitor, your support is appreciated.
There has been so much achieved over the past year, both on and off the field, which I spoke about in my Christmas Eve notes and although there is no real measure of success for what we want to achieve off the field, I think the note I received this week from the parent of one of the 6-year olds from the youth set-up tells me that we are on the right track:
Today we were playing football in the park, and he was announcing which footballers he was being in turn – at first, he was Messi, then Ronaldo, then Harry Kane, “now I’m Ricardo German”, and then a bit later “Now I’m Callum Adebiyi”. Having recently read the match programme describing his team’s visit as mascots for the Gosport game, which said how hopefully the boys had found new, more relatable heroes, I can happily confirm that he certainly seems to have done!
How wonderful to hear such lovely words. That, as much as anything feels me with great pride.
After a Boxing Day win at Beaconsfield thanks to a late winner from Ricardo German, we are back in home action tomorrow with a 3.00pm kick-off against Harrow Borough at The Meadow, please do come along and give the team your support. For those of you that did make the trip to Beaconsfield on Boxing Day, we will make sure that there are enough turnstiles open to get you into the game by kick-off and I can assure you there will be hot food available once you are in the ground. I was very disappointed to hear the feedback from our supporters about their experiences at Beaconsfield, having practically zero food available for a 12.30pm kick-off, and only one turnstile open for a local derby with a large crowd expected, is completely baffling and left 200 supporters (mostly ours) missing kick off.
If you are coming to the game by car, please do not leave any valuables in your vehicle, and certainly not visible. A house near the ground was burgled last Sunday night and although we know the culprit did not come via our premises as the police have inspected our CCTV, it is better to be safe than sorry. It goes to show what a good investment our CCTV has been, as has the Premier League funded defibrillator that was used recently, potentially saving a life-threatening incident, and being taken away with the ambulance with the patient to monitor the data.
I am sure than many of you have celebratory plans tonight, so I will not take up too much of your time. Needless to say, that I remain delighted with our merchandise sales (over 1,100 replica shirts sold) and I am excited about what 2024 will bring for our club. Thank you as always for your support, have a fantastic evening and I hope to see many of you at the game tomorrow.
Peter Brown, Chairman