It’s here at last! The start of a new season that we all hope will reach a proper conclusion in what will be a very tough league. My final job of the day will be to set my alarm clock for the morning as the team bus sets off at 8am for our 1.30pm kick-off in Tiverton!

The sad news in that our Kit Man unfortunately let us down this week at short notice and has moved to Wealdstone to take up the opportunity of a job at a National League Club. We wish him all the best in that role, you never know though, if we get promotion this season and Wealdstone live up to their odds as relegation favourites, we could be meeting up again in the league next season! I obviously wish Wealdstone all the best but do feel disappointed that the longer-term potential at Chesham United was not recognised.

So, as a result this part time Kit Manager job is up for grabs, anyone available and interested, please do get in touch.

In more unfortunate news, our recently appointed Catering Manager and cook is suffering from long Covid, yes it does exist to those that continue to not believe, and therefore she is unable to take up her role at the club any time soon. We wish her a speedy recovery.

The good news this week is that we have appointed three new members to our backroom staff, firstly a new Catering Manager in Lee Bulpit who starts on Tuesday next week for the players and boardroom requirements. We also have a new PA Announcer for the Tannoy system in Jordan Blackman, a goalkeeper in local soccer but someone who also wants to get behind the microphone and be your matchday host at The Meadow!

Finally on the vacancy front, we welcome a new Commercial Manager, Michelle Brooks, who will be working very hard for the club over the coming year to increase our commercial activity and build new relationships with the local business community. She has lots of experience and is looking forward to working for the club. A big Chesham welcome to Lee, Jordan, and Michelle.

What this does of course mean is that I have now lost three of the jobs that I had been fulfilling up until now – Thankfully!

I must also thank Gavin Jones for getting the adverts out there on all our social media sites which brough our needs to the attention of the local community and enabled us to fill the roles so quickly, much appreciated. We still have vacancies so please volunteer yourself if you do have the time and would like to be a proactive part of the club.

So, with three in and one out, it also means that I now have an extra job as Kit man (unpaid) until we appoint someone to this task. Please have a ask around and see if you can help to find someone to fill this role, it is part-time and there is a financial package available to the correct applicant.

On Tuesday, as a one off for our game v Farnborough, we are wanting all spectators to purchase our new programme, designed, and edited in house and printed by Ink Link, a Chesham printing company. We want to support as many companies as we can within our community so that we all survive stronger and better. Another step for us supporting our community.

I am confident for this, our first home game of the season, that EVERYONE should be able to buy a programme as they will be on sale for just 1 shilling, 5p. Why might you ask? Quite simply as this was the cost to the owner of InkLink when he bought his first Chesham programme at Wembley for a special FA Amateur Cup Final in 1968! Of course, any donation you make towards the new programme will be gratefully accepted. Brilliant work by Alan Calder for getting this sorted.

For all home games this season, make sure you bring plenty of £1 coins with you for as Billie will be selling 50/50 draw tickets and this extra money generated will be used to enhance the club either on the pitch or on the stadia…plus of course it gives you the chance to go home with more money than you turned up with! (Unless we can tempt you to spend it in the bar or the Supporters’ Trust hut). So please support this, as an example, if we sell 200 tickets then there will be prizes of £70 and £30 available to the first two numbers drawn after Half-time!

Elsewhere around the ground, plans are afoot for the design and build of a permanent outside bar where we had our temporary outside bar for a few of the pre-season friendlies; this bar was a huge success and we have had many excellent comments from supporters that benefitted from it. So, we listened, and we will design and build one for our wonderful supporters! Any carpenter/builder/architect that wishes to help in the design and build please contact me asap!

Plans are also ready to build a new structure at the club today and Monday and we hope to be in use on Tuesday or if not definitely on Saturday for our game against Merthyr. Come and see it, it will definitely add to your enjoyment of the game.

For those of you who have purchased car parking for the season your spaces are now marked in the Directors Car Park with white circles and are numbered. Please make sure that you arrive before 2.45pm on Saturday games and 7.15pm on midweek fixtures. There will be restricted parking on the Saturday game v Merthyr as there is a minor counties cricket game also being held on the cricket club ground. We have sent an email to the cricket club reminding them that our parking spaces will not be available to them and are needed for the match, however, if you can, please park on The Moor and use the car park at the Germain Street end of the town.

Season tickets and car parking tickets have been available all week for supporters to pick up, they will be in the Bar on Tuesday Night for collection after coming through into the ground via the turnstile applicable. It’s finally back folks, I can’t wait to see you there.