It really is happening! The fixtures are out, and we have had our first home game under the new covid-19 secure arrangements and finally it feels as though football is back!
You will no doubt have seen the full fixture list by now, starting with a tasty home tie against Gosport Borough and finishing with the long trip to Truro on the last day of the season – Which has got to be better than a wet weekend in January.
With regards to friendlies, I am delighted to say that we now have a match lined up against a Wycombe Wanderers XI on Friday 11th September, replacing the game originally planned against Banbury, where we expect there will be a high demand from local football fans to attend. At that time we will still be operating to a limited capacity, probably 600, so we are currently in discussion as to how best to manage operations for the game, including potentially having tickets available in advance – As soon as we have more details, we will let you know.
After an impressive 4-1 win over Northwood on Thursday we are at home again this coming Saturday for a friendly against Biggleswade Town when I hope to see as many of you as possible along at The Meadow. On Thursday night our plans for supporter safety went very smoothly, a big thank you to all of those involved in making that happen. If you are looking to attend the game on Saturday as a first visit there are a few things that you will find slightly different, and a couple of things you can do in advance to help things run smoothly.
Firstly, please be aware that our current capacity is limited at 300 so arrive early to ensure you are able to get into the ground. The Chess Suite and Bill’s Diner will be open for refreshments using a strict one-way system to help with social-distancing, please be respectful of each other.
We are also operating a Track & Trace system which will enable us to act quickly in the unlikely event of anyone attending the game subsequently being diagnosed with coronavirus. To help this run smoothly it would be a huge help if you were to download the EvePass App in advance of attending the match, you will then only need to scan a QR code at the turnstile to register your visit. Don’t worry if you are not able to access the App, paper forms will be available to complete also.
All of this does of course come at a cost, at times when football clubs are struggling as it is, the extra investment is not ideal, but essential nonetheless as making spectators feel safe and secure is paramount to us here at Chesham. We are lucky to be blessed with such fantastic support and a volunteer base that really helps to make these things run smoothly. We have also had record numbers of season ticket holders for whom we owe huge thanks for your loyalty shown. Naturally we are continuing with the offer of all pre-season friendlies as part of the season ticket, however, with the extra cost incurred to make the ground covid-19 secure we will be offering season ticket holders the chance to make a donation when attending pre-season games, just so you have the opportunity to help us out further in these testing times!
Thanks for your support, it is hugely appreciated.
Peter Brown, Chairman
Chesham United Football Club
