The end of another busy week at Chesham United, with the weather being as it is it does not feel like the middle of May, but don’t let that stop you coming down to The Chess Suite this weekend and enjoying a drink served on the terraces before we are finally allowed to open indoors after Monday. A sense of normality is slowly returning!
This week saw our latest management meeting at the club involving all sections of the club. These are definitely bringing benefits to the management of the entire club and is bringing the group closer together, and as we get to know each other better, I am confident that we will build relationships to get us all working together for the mutual good of all.
One positive to come out of the meeting was the agreement to provide season tickets to all of our youth section players and on the back of this the Supporters’ Trust have said they will look at working with the Youth Section to put together a Welcome Pack for each of the players to go with the ticket – This will be a great way to help us to get more and more youngsters along on matchdays and feeling like a part of the club, with plenty of opportunities to be mascots and ball boys as well.
We were also presented with feedback from the Supporters’ Trust with regards to the new third kit and the suggestion that there is a sense of supporters preferring to have the claret and blue as the first team kit. I can assure you we do listen to the feedback and we do understand the reservations, however for the reasons previously discussed regarding the lighting, and the fact that we have already submitted our colours to the league, and as we have kit that has barely been used from last season, we will be using the white kit as our main shirt next season, but will look at using the claret & blue in cup matches, and potentially from time to time mixing the claret shorts with white shirts.
This is also a good time to mention that you can currently order the claret & blue alternative kit at a discounted price of £32 adults (instead of £35) or £25 for Youths (usually £27) until the end of May from our online shop.
At the meeting we also had a chance to view the technology that would drive the previously mentioned scoreboard which can all be operated from a phone or laptop. Our wish is to be able to install this additional facility that will add to the matchday experience, as well as providing us with many commercial opportunities through advertising and improving the matchday sponsorship packages, without using any of the club’s planned budget. I currently have three individuals prepared to pay £1,000 each towards the cost and am looking for options to find the remaining £3,000.
As you may be aware, I had previously approached the Supporters’ Trust about funding the difference and the immediate reaction was that it is not the kind of thing they had in mind for funding in the current circumstances, although they had to consult members as I appreciate that the committee cannot make a decision on spending that sort of money without agreement from members. Naturally I would hope that, given the chance to see the true benefits as commercial as well as a nice to have luxury, there will be a chance to discuss this further. We will continue to look to fund this venture, and I do appreciate the comments from supporters and the suggestion that they will work with us to help promote the opportunity and raise the additional funds one way or another. It is worth pointing out that the scoreboard would be something that we would take with us to a new ground.
Until we get the move to the new ground we will continue to be faced with maintenance and patching up jobs around The Meadow, and I am very grateful to the volunteers who kindly give up their time. Last weekend Mark Lacey did a superb job of painting the managers’ office, creating the perfect setting for James and Michael to mastermind our promotion push next season!
Elsewhere, you will have seen the statement last week regarding We Buy Any Car and the spaces they are using at the club – This is a fantastic deal for the club and really does have minimal impact. We are going through all the relevant planning requirements, though it does take a bit of time to get all the correct documents ready for the submission. The arrangement has certainly raised some eyebrows, including from other clubs asking me how we came to get such a deal!
Around the ground we continue with some tidying-up, including the car park and driveway being swept this week. Plus, from the 24th May the club will be recycling as much as possible to do our bit to help save the planet, and to do this we are purchasing more bins around the ground for plastic and glass, general rubbish and cans which will be picked up by a local charity to help them raise funds. By doing this we as a club will also save substantial costs. Everyone wins. We ask all supporters when attending the ground to make sure your waste is put in the correct marked bins.
The pitch itself this week had 60 tonnes of special sand and 14 x 20kg bags of grass seed spread over it as well as being spoked and drag matted. Craig, our groundsman, is hopeful that in two weeks the grass will need to be cut on a regular basis.
Despite all this going on, we still desperately need volunteers and will be setting up a separate page on the website where we can keep promoting the roles that need filling, please do keep an eye out for this, and if you, or anyone you know, has some time to spare, we would love to hear from you.
Thanks for your support, stay safe.
