Hello all, or should I say Yiasoo?
As you read this I will be soaking myself in sun and water and enjoying some superb food and beer in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. A big clue to where I am is that the great Keo drink is served here, a light straw-coloured Cypriat lager with a thick head, and sometimes compared to a pilsner in taste…sorry, I was getting distracted, back to the football!
We were due to play Amersham Town on Saturday 23rd July for the John Hearn Trophy but have unfortunately had to postpone this as we have an important fixture at Risborough Rangers on the same day for the opening of their new stand and we simply cannot be in two places at the same time. This fixture will be re-arranged for the early season when we will have a settled squad and can hopefully take a good away following with us to Spratleys Meadow.
Tickets are now on sale for our two preseason friendlies at Home to Hemel Hempstead Town and a Wycombe Wanderers XI, the game against Northwood FC on 12th July at Rayners Lane is effectively our home match too, but as you know we are protecting the pitch at The Meadow as much as possible. Entrance fee will be £5 for all and free for children.
I was very pleased to get a letter this week from a long-time supporter of Chesham United, Bob Day, with lots of comments made of our past and who at 74 cannot drive all the way from Kent to watch us play but we are the first result he looks for every weekend.
Bob wrote and had printed the very first book of Chesham United called ‘From Spark to Fame’ with all the proceeds going towards the new stand that was built in the 1980’s following a fire that burned the original stand to the ground. Bob was a part of a team of 12 that paid for the replacement, I am sure many of you will remember Bob, he also ran the club shop in the 1980’s and early 1990’s, pointing out to me that there was one game in the promotion season when the shop took £3,000 – it would be lovely to do that again sometime!
Whilst I am away the pitch does still need watering, I have become an expert in moving the hose and sprinkler, but we do need help whilst on my holiday. Tuesday and Thursday is fully covered, but we need volunteers to move the sprinklers on Monday and Wednesday at 10.00am, 12.00pm, 2.00pm and 4.00pm with them being turned on at 8.00am and switched off at 6 .00pm by our groundsman, Craig. This is of course all subject to the weather, but if it is anything like the weather here in Cyprus they will definitely be needed!
If you can help, please contact Ray Trafford at raytrafford180@sky.com to help to get this vital job completed. Ray is working very hard inside the club with redecorating and a thorough clean of all the changing rooms and shower blocks for the players and in July we are looking to arrange a painting party for the inside of the club house. We are currently looking at Sunday 24th July during the day and I have invited the leaders of the Ladies, Youth section and Supporters’ Trust to pull out the stops with their members to make it a quick, effective and fun day as we add a bit of life to the doors, radiators and walls.
A big thank you to the Supporters’ Trust members that managed to unravel the wiring for the microphone, speakers, TV’s and TV signals to all our screens in The Chess Suite, and reset them. We can now once again get effective speaker coverage through the strategically built speakers in the ceiling – no more shouting for silence in a noisy crowded room.
The players returned to training for a two-hour warm-up on Tuesday ahead of the new season and continued this on Thursday with a more severe two-hour workout. On Saturday they will be put through their paces on a very heavy session to get fitness levels up. I will of course be doing the same from my sunbed…ok, maybe not, another Keo over here please waiter!
Training continues Tuesday and Thursday next week. I am sure the players will be in good shape, unlike 50 years ago when the first few sessions were utter murder for players and referees who had in general done very little to look after their bodies and maintain fitness over the close season – hopefully there will be no stopping halfway through a run to be sick for any of our squad!
Player sponsorships will be fully open next week when after the three days of intensive training the majority of the squad will have signed for the new season, sponsorship is available for home and away shirts. Watch out for signing announcements over the coming days and weeks and please let commercial@cheshamunited.co.uk know as soon as possible as players are being taken up by keen sponsors already.
We have invested in our team for next year with the new kit and all our managers and coaches will have new bench ware as we want the playing staff to look and be a professional outfit. You will have seen the new kit by now, let me know what you think – do you like it? Pleased with the change? I might not be happy about it, but I am always prepared to take constructive criticism!
The tracksuits have been sponsored by Chesham’s only Insurance Broker, Asprey Harris. Please support all our sponsors and advertisers to make this a true community club that likes to support, and encourage everyone associated with the club to support, our local community and economy – a strong Chesham is good for all of us.
Antio Sas and hve a great weekend.
Peter Brown, Chairman
