Another week passes with no live football to enjoy, but a hectic week at the club nonetheless!
Many of you will have seen the club statement earlier in the week regarding the discovery that one of our members of bar staff had been diagnosed with COVID-19 shortly after working at the Whyteleafe game. I don’t mind admitting that it gives a short sharp reality check of the responsibility you take on when becoming a Director, and especially Chairman, of a football club. Thankfully as a result of the PPE supplied to our staff and the strict procedures in place on a matchday we are confident that any risk of infection was completely minimised if not eradicated, however I felt it important to publicly declare the situation as soon as I became aware. We have consulted closely with Public Health England who advised us that as it is more than ten days ago, there is no need for anyone to self-isolate and fortunately, we have not been aware of anyone else at the game that day having shown any COVID-19 symptoms, but if you were in the clubhouse that day and have any concerns, please feel free to contact me directly at chairman@cheshamunited.co.uk.
On a cheerier note, we continue to make plans behind the scenes, and I would like now to formally invite entries to our ‘Design our Kit for 21/22’ competition. Entries can be from individuals or groups and I am also encouraging our youth teams to enter, as a collective age group, with book token prizes for all the players in the best youth team submission; with an original First Team shirt of your design, as the prize for the overall winner.
Entries can be either graphically designed using computer software or they can be a drawing/sketch using traditional methods of pens and pencils, either emailed to the club shirtdesigns@cheshamunited.co.uk or posted to the club address (marked as Shirt Design Competition) if you prefer. Time to get your thinking caps on and creative juices flowing, we are looking for a design for the home shirt, and to enable you to make use of the Christmas period we would like all entries received by Friday 8th January for us to begin judging.
We are also working on setting up a Zoom Questions & Answers session with the management team towards the end of the month, I hope to have details of this, and how to join the meeting, very shortly.
As with every other industry, we are left waiting to see how effective the latest lockdown is proving to be and to see when we can resume our business once again. The team are very much staying in touch with each other with the squad put on a strict fitness regime over the period with every player weighed immediately prior to the season coming to a pause, and they will be assessed again immediately after to ensure they have followed the training guidelines stringently. They have to report in every day confirming and showing the exercise undertaken and transferring this information held about the tasks undertaken to modern technology like fitness watches etc.
In the hope that things do start on a path towards normality after this latest lockdown, the plan is for the squad to resume full training on Thursday 3rd December and again on the following Saturday, followed by a provisional friendly against Royston Town on Tuesday 8th when we hope to be able to have a crowd at the game with the bar open. Entry will be £5 for adults, £3 for concessions and free for Under 12s. All of this is of course subject to confirmation, and with the hope of the league season resuming on Saturday 12th December. We will wait and see what happens, but the most important thing is that we all stay safe.
Finally, on a humbler note, it was a great honour to represent our club and lay a wreath at the Chesham War Memorial on Armistice Sunday and Armistice Day to remember all those that have fallen in defence of our country and democracy. It is good to occasionally take the time out to put everything that is going on into perspective.
Stay Safe – Stay Well
Peter Brown, Chairman
Chesham United Football Club
