Over the years the rules of football have been tweaked and changed for various reasons by those in charge, but throughout the long history of the game the one fundamental concept of the game has remained in place – if the ball goes between the posts and over the line it is a goal. It seems so simple, yet for the second time in three weeks we have fallen the wrong side of incredible misfortune and misjudgement!
You may recall I mentioned a goal we conceded away at Taunton when the ball did not appear to get within two feet of the goal line, let alone cross it, well last week we had a goal denied by an unusual goalpost design. You may have seen the incident on social media, it has had over 250,000 views on Twitter and been commented on by many football fans bemused by the incident and the fact that such goal design exists.
If you have not seen the incident it came in our away match at Walton Casuals when a carefully placed shot passed the goalkeeper and was heading into the bottom corner of the net. It sneaked inside the post, was just about to cross the line when it bounced back off an angular metal support for the posts and came back out. In just about any other goalposts on just about any other pitch in the country it would have been a goal, but as the ball had not crossed the line the officials could not award it. If you like, it is the equivalent of a goalkeeper putting a water bottle just inside the post and the ball bouncing off that to deny a goal!
Fortunately, this time it was not so crucial as we went on to win the game 1-0, keeping the play-off dream alive, and I understand that the FA referee panel has taken this up with the FA and may need a rule change by FIFA on goal construction!
This week we launched our seasonal membership and sponsorship packages for the 2022/23 season. A lot of time and thought has gone into this and I am delighted with the outcome, including our new brochure that is available to view here. I would like to pass on my thanks to everyone involved, in particular Chris Kay, Ryan Woolnough and Alan Calder.
For our supporters we have introduced new packages with added value over and above entrance into home matches for those that regularly buy programmes, use the clubhouse and require parking spaces. These are in the form of our silver and gold packages, whilst those supporters only looking for a season ticket to games, this is our bronze package offering significant discounts compared to paying game by game, in addition to free entry to Ladies matches and a 50% discount into Aylesbury United league games at The Meadow.
The admission prices on the gate will be increasing for the first time in nearly a decade, standard adult entry will be £12 with discounts available for concessions (Over 65 & Students with ID). As explained in previous notes, this was not an easy decision, but the simple facts are that the cost of running our business are increasingly significantly and we are budgeting to remain competitive in whichever league we are playing in, whilst continuing to offer the best possible matchday experience.
Once again we are offering early bird discounts for those that buy their seasonal membership packages by the end of Saturday 21st May, and if we did achieve our ambition of promotion through the play-offs this season, we will honour these prices in the National League South.
All of our Seasonal Membership Packages will be available to purchase in the next few days from our Online Ticketing platform – provided by Kaizen Ticketing – @ www.cheshamunited.co.uk/tickets – Please keep an eye on our social media for more information. We will also be running some sessions at the club where we can help you with the purchase of the season ticket through this new method.
For our business partners we have retained the same prices as this season for matchday advertising, programme adverts, perimeter boards, website advertising and player sponsorship.
The Claret Club returns in a revamped format with many more benefits on offer including a monthly prize draw with regular commercial benefits to be won, the first draw will be made in May with the name on the back of the First XI up for grabs. Other benefits include your name on the scoreboard on matchdays, programme features, a quarterly newsletter and seasonal membership for matchdays. Please see our website for more details, view our brochure here or email commercial@cheshamunited.co.uk for more information.
As mentioned previously we will be returning to claret & blue home shirts for next season, hopefully worn under brand new floodlights, and we are very close to reaching the final design, full details of which will be released on Monday 23rd May – this will include the company name on the back of the shirt from the winner of our first Claret Club monthly draw. We are excited about the designs that have been received and will be changing both the home and away shirts, as well as providing new tracksuits, training and warm-up tops for the team.
Tomorrow (Saturday) we are back on the road with a nice local trip to Merthyr Town – don’t be fooled by the Welsh sides’ lowly league position, they have picked up some good results in recent weeks including a 5-0 midweek win over Salisbury City, we will again have to be at the top of our game to come away with the result we all want. A big thank you to those supporters that are planning to make the long journey, your support will be much appreciated.
Stay safe,
Peter Brown, Chairman
