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Football F CUS ISSUE 92

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BILLERICAY TOWN FC A FOOTBALL CLUB THAT FEELS LIKE HOME!

+ KNOWLE FC FUN, PASSION AND THE FREEDOM TO BE YOURSELF!

+ FARNHAM TOWN FC

SHOLING FC THERE IS INCREDIBLE POTENTIAL HERE!

MAKERS OF HISTORY!

+ BISHOPS CLEEVE FC THE MITRES SET THEIR SIGHTS HIGH!

+ BIGGLESWADE FC GOOD PEOPLE MAKE THIS CLUB SPECIAL!

+ SWINDON SUPERMARINE FC GOOD PEOPLE WITH A CLEAR VISION!

Broadbridge Heath FC “A Sense of Team, On and Off the Pitch!” • Grantham Town FC “The People Are the Assets!” • Thame United FC “The First Thing Is Team Spirit!” • Beverley Town FC “A Club the Whole Town Can Be Proud Of!” • Bottesford Town FC “A Community Promoting Football Clubs across the UK Club With Football at Its Heart!” • Doncaster FC “Pride, Passion and a Shared Purpose!”

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From the editor

PHOTOGRAPHY COORDINATOR Maria Wynne E: editorial@footballfocusmag.com EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Jane Fuerte E: editorial@footballfocusmag.com HEAD OF ADVERTISING & SPONSORSHIP Damien Lagan E: editorial@sportip.biz

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Welcome to the latest edition of Football Focus Magazine.

t has been a real pleasure bringing this latest edition together, and I want to begin by thanking every football club that has taken the time to be part of it. From the people leading the clubs to those coaching, volunteering, sponsoring and supporting from the terraces, your stories are what make this magazine special. What always strikes me is the passion and commitment found throughout the nonleague game. Results and league positions matter,

of course, but so do the friendships, opportunities and sense of belonging that football creates in our communities. My thanks also go to everyone who shared an interview, supplied photographs, helped with information or supported the publication through advertising. Your generosity has helped us put together an edition we can all be proud of. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as we have enjoyed producing it.

Martin Morgan Editor

Football FOCUS CUS Promoting Football Clubs across the UK

C NTENTS

SHOLING FC 06 KNOWLE FC 19 FARNHAM TOWN FC

DORCHESTER TOWN FC

WELLING UNITED FC

WROXHAM FC 44 THAME UNITED FC

SWINDON SUPERMARINE FC

WINCHESTER CITY FC

BISHOPS CLEEVE FC

BOTTESFORD TOWN FC

BILLERICAY TOWN FC

BEVERLEY TOWN FC

CHERTSEY TOWN FC

BROADBRIDGE HEATH FC

SLIMBRIDGE AFC

EXMOUTH TOWN FC

LARKHILL ATHLETIC FC

100

LITTLE OAKLEY FC

103

BIGGLESWADE FC

107

GRANTHAM TOWN FC

114

FOOTBALL FOCUS MAGAZINE

Football FOCUS CUS

Promoting Football Clubs across the UK

There is incredible potential here!

SHOLING FC

MICK BUDNYJ CHAIRMAN

“What attracted me to Sholing FC is being an underdog.” Football has always been part of my life. Born in Edinburgh, my mother was from the Hebrides and my father a Ukrainian. I spent most of my life in the south of England. In my earlier years I qualified as a personal trainer and spent several years trying my hand in various forms of martial arts. I played football to a good level until my early thirties, later took up road running, completing many marathons. However it is football that has been constant passion more than any other sport. I am an avid Southampton supporter, taking my two sons to St Marys from a young age. After travelling from our family home in Berkshire to the games we moved to Titchfield in 2003. Those were lovely years for me, the three of us going together as season ticket holders.

During a dismal period at Saints instead of coming home frustrated by what was happening at the club my wife Liz suggested I should become involved with a local football club where I might actually be able to make a difference .I took her advice and researched the local nonleague scene in 2008. I spent two very enjoyable years with AFC Totton before joining Eastleigh in 2010, where I spent fourteen years as a board member. A couple of those I was Football Director. Ben Strevens was First Team coach at the time and we worked extremely well together reaching the National League play offs. I left Eastleigh in early 2024 thinking perhaps I had done my bit or will have a break from football. I will focus even more on my family, my unequivocal number one priority. Then out of the blue Paul Doswell contacted me through a mutual friend. Paul persuaded me to join Sholing FC as Chairman! What I found at Sholing was something I connected with very quickly. The directors had developed

Images supplied and taken by: Alex Moskalenko - @alex.mos.visuals

FOOTBALL FOCUS MAGAZINE

a genuine friendship (and like me very family orientated) and it was very apparent that we all wanted to help the club grow and be invested in that growth A real turning point then happened. We had the opportunity to buy the freehold of the site. Until then we were tenants and there was always uncertainty hanging over us. Once we became landowners, everything changed. It gave us the confidence to invest properly and think in even more ambitious terms in what Sholing FC could become. Our new state of the art 3G pitch was completed in July 2025 and has transformed what we can offer both the football club and the wider community. It is now fully booked in the peak hours We have also received planning permission for two new projects to include an exciting new Padel centre with six covered courts, a café, Physio studio and Pilates studio. It is another part of creating something sustainable which can serve this community for many years. On the pitch, our

ambition is equally clear. We want to reach National League South. Finishing sixth last season in the Southern Premier league represented the highest position Sholing have ever achieved in the football pyramid. We were competing against clubs representing recognised towns and cities, while Sholing is a small part of east Southampton that many people outside the area may never even have heard of. That is the sort of challenge I find fascinating and being the underdog We have a very good bunch of people here and a great atmosphere around the club. We are invested in Sholing spiritually, mentally, sporting wise and financially. We are building something to be very excited about together, something we want to last. We may be the underdog, but we have ambition and a shared belief in where this club can go. There is incredible potential here. For me, that is what makes Sholing FC such a special place to be.

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PAUL DOSWELL DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL

“It’s not what I do for football, it’s what football’s done for me really.” There is something incredibly special about coming back to the place where your story began. I was born and bred in Sholing and, when I was seven or eight years old, I would go with my dad to watch Sholing Sports play. From the moment I could walk I was kicking a football, and all these years later I remain completely obsessed with the game. I played to a good level myself, but an ACL injury changed the direction of my life. At 30 I moved into management with Eastleigh because I knew how much I would miss the dressing room. Football subsequently took me on an extraordinary journey through Eastleigh, Sutton United and Havant & Waterlooville before eventually bringing me home. My years at Sutton included that unforgettable FA Cup run when we beat Leeds United before facing Arsène Wenger’s Arsenal. I have been fortunate to meet some remarkable people through football, but ultimately the game has always meant much more to me than results. Football teaches you about life. A dressing room can contain a barrister sitting alongside a bricklayer and suddenly all those barriers disappear. You learn about people, respect, teamwork, winning, losing and yourself. Those values are at the heart of what we are trying to create at Sholing. When I arrived, I thought this might be my final little foray into football. Instead, it has developed into something far bigger. We have assembled a board of like-minded people who genuinely care about the club and the community. People such as Mick Budnyj, Paul Knott, Mark Ellison, Gerry Roberts, Keith Legg and the wider team are giving enormous amounts of time because they believe in what Sholing can become. The first team matters, of course, and Ross White is an outstanding young coach

who I believe has the ability to progress much further in the game. But success for me cannot simply be measured by where the senior team finishes on a Saturday afternoon. Our 3G pitch has allowed the ground to become alive throughout the week. We now have young players from Under-8s upwards, girls’ and women’s football, academy programmes and the Levi Samuels Colwill Academy. When I leave the ground and see dozens of youngsters playing football, that genuinely fills my heart with joy. Our highly successful Project 10,000 campaign follows exactly the same philosophy. We want football to remain affordable. Under19s can attend league games free through the scheme and families should be able to come to Sholing without Premier League-style prices making football inaccessible. The long-term ambition is to develop the site into a genuine multi-sports and community hub. Football will remain at its heart, but the bigger picture is hundreds of people using this place every day. Our new community building is intended to provide space for young people while also giving older people somewhere to meet, have a coffee, play cards and simply enjoy some company. That matters to me. I was fortunate to grow up with parents who worked incredibly hard and gave my brother and me everything they could. They taught me family, hard work and respect. My wife has been my best friend throughout this journey, and without that support I could never have lived the football life I have. I believe you should treat people as you would want to be treated yourself and, above all, be yourself. Eventually people see through you if you are not. There are still plenty of rungs on the ladder for Sholing to climb, but we will climb them sustainably. I am not interested in making ridiculous promises about where the club will be in five years. I want us to build strong foundations, create income streams, improve the football and make something genuinely valuable to the east of Southampton. I came back to the place where, as a little boy, I first watched football with my dad. If we can now give another generation of children those same memories, friendships and opportunities, then perhaps that will be the most important achievement of all.

ROSS WHITE FIRST TEAM MANAGER

“I couldn’t think of a better place to start my journey.” Sometimes the moments that initially feel like setbacks end up sending your life in a completely different and ultimately better direction. Football was everything to me growing up. I came through grassroots football in Surrey, had opportunities at Woking and later Sutton United, but at around 20 or 21 I suffered a serious ACL injury. At that age, losing effectively a year and then trying to rediscover your confidence and form was difficult. Looking back, my playing career probably never fully recovered from it. For a while I felt a little lost because football was all I had ever wanted to do. The person who changed that was my dad. He was a painter and decorator, not somebody from professional football, but he had coached my Sunday League team, taken me to

matches and hardly missed a game I played. One day he suggested I take my coaching badges. I wasn’t interested, so he simply booked the course for me! I went along, completed what was then the Level Two qualification and absolutely fell in love with coaching, the tactical side, developing players and understanding the game differently. That decision changed my life. From there I completed my UEFA B Licence, worked at QPR and learned enormously in an environment that included Chris Ramsey, before gaining my UEFA A Licence. My time leading the Under-23s at Aldershot was particularly important because I had the freedom to develop my own footballing philosophy. I later returned to Sutton United to work with their Under-18 scholars before another important moment arrived: a text from Paul Doswell. It simply said: “Hello Ross, it’s Doz. Give me a call when you’re free.” Paul had heard about the way my teams played. Traditionally his sides had been strong, direct and extremely difficult to beat, whereas I was developing as a more possession-based coach. To his enormous credit, he wanted someone who could bring different ideas. That relationship has become one of the most important parts of my journey. Paul gave me the freedom to coach and develop the team in the way I believed football could be played,

while I have benefited enormously from his experience and outstanding man-management. More importantly, somebody I initially respected professionally has become a very close friend. My philosophy is not simply about keeping possession for possession’s sake. Football must have purpose. If we can play through a team, brilliant. If we need patience and have to play around them, that’s fine. If opponents press

aggressively and the answer is to go over them, I’ll do that too. There are also absolute non-negotiables. Before tactics matter, players have to run, compete, tackle, show desire and support their teammates. Without those foundations, everything else becomes irrelevant. I also don’t want players becoming robots. Coaches can give players pictures and solutions, but football remains a creative game. Somebody such as Jake McCarthy can

FOOTBALL FOCUS MAGAZINE

PROJECT 10,000

produce something that nobody else sees, and those players should be encouraged rather than handcuffed by structure. Matt Le Tissier is perhaps the perfect example of the kind of maverick who made people fall in love with football. At Sholing, though, something bigger is happening beyond the first team. We achieved the club’s highest-ever pyramid finish last season and now our ambition is to take another step, but what impresses me equally is what is happening throughout the club. The new pitch is bringing youngsters into the ground, girls’ and women’s football is developing, and the Levi Samuels Colwill Academy is creating football and education opportunities for young people. I arrived not really knowing Sholing or the east of Southampton particularly well. Now I see familiar faces, families, young boys and girls and new supporters coming through the gates. You can feel a community growing around the club. I’m still at the beginning of my management career and opportunities in football are precious. Paul and the board gave me a genuine one, and I want to repay that faith by bringing success to Sholing. But perhaps there is an even bigger circle to my story. My dad once saw something in me that I couldn’t yet see myself and

pushed me towards that first coaching course. Today I have a football-mad nine-year-old son, Archie, and I understand that gift much more clearly. If I can give him

Promoting Football Clubs across the UK

the confidence and encouragement my dad gave me – while continuing to grow, learn and help take Sholing forward – I’ll consider myself very fortunate indeed.

In partnership with Peter Cooper Motor Group, Sholing FC has launched Project 10,000, an ambitious free membership scheme designed to bring even more people closer to the club and strengthen its links across the local community. Membership offers supporters a range of benefits throughout the season, including 10% off official Sholing FC merchandise, reduced admission prices for league home fixtures, exclusive matchday food and drink offers, partner discounts, discounted hire of VENUE @ SO19, and monthly opportunities to win hospitality tickets and club merchandise. A particularly important part of the initiative is its focus on younger supporters, with Under-19s receiving free entry to Sholing FC league home matches through the membership scheme, while Under-12s can already attend free when accompanied by a paying adult. Membership cards became available from July 2026 and must be registered to access the benefits. Project 10,000 is another example of Sholing FC looking beyond results on the pitch and finding new ways to make the club more accessible, affordable and connected to the people of East Southampton.

ELLIE MAGRI COMMERCIAL MANAGER

“It’s a really good atmosphere. It’s a really good place to work.” I never imagined that football would become such a big part of my working life. Growing up in Portsmouth, sport was not central to my world. My dad took me to Portsmouth matches when he could, but I was far more interested in dancing than playing football. My first proper role in the game came at Havant and Waterlooville. I joined in an administrative role, got my foot in the door and eventually became Commercial Manager. I spent five years there before the opportunity came to join Sholing, and I have loved becoming part of what is being built here. My role covers sponsorship and matchday hospitality. I look after existing partners, bring new businesses into the club and make sure

sponsors, directors, officials and hospitality guests feel genuinely welcome. For me, sponsorship should be about more than putting a company name on a board. I want businesses to build a relationship with Sholing, enjoy coming here and ultimately feel part of the club. The commercial world has changed enormously. When I started, sponsorship was largely pitchside boards and banners. Now social media and digital exposure are a huge part of what clubs can offer, so you have to keep moving with the times. What excites me about Sholing is that businesses can see where the club is going. There is ambition, investment, new facilities and a genuine commitment to community. We run school holiday football camps, matchday offers and initiatives such as Project 10,000, all aimed at bringing more people into the club. That family atmosphere matters personally too. During the school holidays I can have my children around the club while I work, and that says a lot about the environment here. There are good people throughout Sholing, from the directors and office staff to the media team, physios, players, supporters and sponsors. Everything feels as though it is moving in the same direction. That is what makes this such a special place for me. It is ambitious, welcoming and rooted in its community, and I am proud to be part of the journey.

PAUL KNOTT CEO, SHOLING FC

“I want people to come up here, feel proud of what’s happening and feel a sense of ownership. It’s everybody’s to enjoy.” I sometimes wonder what sort of person I would have been without football. My dad was an avid supporter, my mum loved the game, and we were a football family. Some of the friends I played with growing up are still my friends today, and we still sit together telling the same old stories. Football has always given me that sense of connection and togetherness. My own family has reinforced that for me. My son Isaac came through Sholing’s youth set-up and, although he eventually moved away from playing, those years helped him socially and gave him friendships that carried into later life. Now my young daughter Isabella enjoys coming up to the club too – sometimes for the football,

sometimes for the bouncy castles and face painting! That, to me, is what a community club should be. My connection with Sholing began as a sponsor around the time of our FA Vase triumph at Wembley in 2014. I knew Dave Diaper through his son Marc, who I went to school with, and from there I gradually became more involved. I became a director, helped wherever I was needed and, when Paul Doswell joined the club, he felt CEO was the right role for me. It suits me because I am naturally hands-on. What gives me energy is the people around me. Mick Budnyj, Paul Doswell, Mark Ellison, Ross White and everyone involved all bring different strengths, but we are heading in the same direction. We debate things, we have a laugh and we support each other. After running my own business for many years, I know how valuable that is. On the pitch, last season brought the highest league finish in Sholing’s history. Missing the play-offs was disappointing, but sixth place represented real progress. Ross continues to develop as a young manager alongside Paul’s experience and there is a lot to be excited about. But success for me is about much more than league position. The new 3G pitch has opened the club up to youth teams, women’s football, other local clubs and families. We have fun days, mascots, youngsters playing on the pitch and people arriving who had never previously realised what was here. Hearing somebody say, “This is great, we’ll be back,” means a huge amount. We are ambitious, but we have to grow sustainably. I do not want us chasing success and putting the future of the club at risk. Everything we are developing – from the facilities to padel, Pilates, events and hospitality – is designed to make Sholing a genuine community hub. More than anything, I want people in the east of Southampton, particularly young people, to feel that this belongs to them. There is something special about this place. Certain mornings and evenings it almost has a magical feel. I look at Isaac having played here, Isabella running around enjoying herself and everything we are creating for other families, and I feel incredibly proud. I just love it. And being able to create something that other people can love too is probably the best part of all.

FOOTBALL FOCUS MAGAZINE

TIM PHILIP PHILSPACE

“It’s about supporting local growth, backing real people and keeping opportunities in the local area.” For me, there is something special about supporting something that belongs to the community you come from. I’m a Southampton boy, born and bred, and Philspace is a local business through and through. My grandfather, Gordon Philip, started the business in 1975, initially almost as a hobby. My dad and uncle then developed it before I became the third generation of the family to take responsibility for running it. That history matters to me. We could have ambitions to spread depots all over the country and become a huge national operation, but that has never really been what Philspace is about. We want to be the best we can be in our own area while retaining the personal touch and commitment to customers that have always defined the business. Perhaps some of that philosophy comes from sport. Growing up, basketball was actually my game and I reached National League level. I was fascinated by successful teams and particularly people like Phil

Jackson, who managed great personalities including Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. I became interested not simply in winning, but in how you bring different people together and get everyone working towards a

common goal. I’ve carried some of that into Philspace. Everyone works differently, so leadership is partly about understanding people and adapting your approach while creating a genuine team environment.

That is also one of the reasons our relationship with Sholing FC feels so natural. We initially approached the club ourselves. They needed some units for matchdays, including facilities for serving hot food, while we were looking for an opportunity to support and become associated with a local football club. The more we spoke, the more we realised that our values aligned. Sholing are ambitious, but they remain rooted in their community. There is a similar work ethic, mindset and emphasis on people. Their ground is becoming far more than somewhere that hosts a football match; it is developing into a genuine community hub. That matters. As a family business, we understand the value of relationships that last. Our repeat customers become their own little community, just as supporters, volunteers, players and families become part of a football club. Ultimately, the best businesses and the best sports clubs have something very simple in common: good people pulling together in the same direction. That is what I see at Sholing — and why Philspace is proud to be part of their journey.

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CHRIS KING MANAGING DIRECTOR, EXSEL PUMPS – BACKOF-SHIRT SPONSOR OF SHOLING FC

“I treat business like a football changing room – one team, looking around at each other and knowing: ‘We’ve got this. Now let’s go and grab it.’” Football has been one of the great threads running through my life. As a boy it was all I wanted to do. I reached England schoolboy trials, went on to play non-league football to a good standard, predominantly in the Western League Premier, and also represented Wiltshire. For a long time, football was simply who I was. Then, at 22, I suffered a serious ACL injury. At nonleague level the rehabilitation

and support available then were very different. Family life was becoming more important too and I had a mortgage and responsibilities. I had to look forward, so I channelled that competitive energy into work. My career began very practically. After leaving sixth form, my dad got me out of bed and took me to work. I started with a brush in my hand, progressed onto the machines, completed a mechanical engineering apprenticeship and later studied for a degree. Looking back, many of the lessons that helped me in business were first learned in football. That is still how I lead today. At Exsel Pumps we have “One Team” on our polo shirts. I treat the business like a changing room: you need

different personalities, honesty, people prepared to work for each other and, when things become difficult, everyone facing in the same direction. My family keeps that football connection alive. I have four sons – Finley, Cooper, Rafferty and Maddox – and a daughter, Isla. They all have football in their lives. Isla plays at JPL level, Cooper is absolutely obsessed with the game, and I have coached Finley. In many ways football has come full circle for me. Our relationship with Sholing came through our Commercial Engineering Manager, Dave Switzer, who already had a longstanding connection with the club. The first time I walked through the door, I knew. I saw the community work, the youngsters on the pitch, the professionalism and the ambition, and thought: this fits us. This was never meant to be a short-term sponsorship. We agreed a four-year partnership because Sholing’s direction mirrors ours at Exsel Pumps: progressive growth, strong values, community and oneteam thinking. Seeing people such as Levi Colwill remain so connected to the club only reinforces what Sholing means to people. I love non-league football because it still feels close to the people. At 22, I probably thought football had been taken away from me. Looking back, I realise it never really left. It helped shape the businessman, the father and the person I became – and that is why supporting Sholing feels so natural.

FOOTBALL FOCUS MAGAZINE

Promoting Football Clubs across the UK

PAUL WRIGHT PJW WEALTH MANAGEMENT – SPONSOR OF SHOLING FC

“I just want him to keep the joy in it — at the moment he loves every second.” Some of the most meaningful moments football has given me have never been about trophies or results. They have been about family. I have loved the game all my life. I grew up as a Chelsea supporter, played until I was around 30 and still have season tickets today. But football became something deeper when my son James started playing. Like a lot of parents, I was standing on the touchline helping where I could. I would run the line and, when a referee was missing, people would sometimes ask if I would step into the middle. Eventually I thought that if I was going to do it, I should do it properly, so I enrolled on a refereeing course. James was 13 and immediately said, “Can I come too, Dad?” That became a special chapter of our relationship. Suddenly we weren’t simply father and son; we had a hobby together. We progressed through the levels to Southern and Isthmian League standard. James was very good, although a knee injury eventually brought his refereeing career to an end. Now football has given us another generation. James works with me at PJW Wealth Management and his son, Louis, is eight and absolutely footballobsessed. James coaches two of the teams Louis plays for and I go to watch whenever I can. At eight, I am not interested in putting pressure on where the game might take him. I simply want him to keep the joy in it. Watching a grandchild gives you a different perspective. You stand slightly further back and notice things you perhaps missed when bringing up your own children. I see Louis mixing with children from different

PAUL AND LOUIS

backgrounds, learning to communicate and becoming comfortable around people. His confidence is through the roof, and his social skills have developed marvellously. I don’t think that is in any small way down to the time he spends on a sports field. That idea of helping people runs through my working life too. I entered financial advice through Lloyds Bank and immediately knew I had found something I loved. I started my own business in 1990 as a mortgage brokerage at the back of an estate agency. I never particularly set out to become a businessman; the business grew around my desire to help people. What has always motivated me is client contact, helping people understand their finances and work towards the life they want. My connection with Sholing came through my

friend Mark Ellison, who introduced me to Paul Doswell. That relationship eventually led to PJW becoming involved with the club, and sponsorship felt like the right way for us to contribute. What impressed me was the ambition of the people there, but also the purpose behind it. The investment in the ground, 3G pitch, youth football and wider community use is about creating something sustainable that people can belong to. Paul brings enormous passion and ambition, while Mick Budnyj, Mark and the wider team bring their own experience and perspective. Whether it is financial planning, refereeing, family or football, I have always valued fairness, helping people and trying to do something as well as you possibly can. When I watch Louis now, I am reminded that football’s

greatest value isn’t necessarily where it takes you in the game. It is what it gives you on the journey — confidence, friendships, memories and time with the people you love. I had that with James. Now I get to watch James share it with his own son. And if Louis keeps loving every second of it, that is more than enough for me.

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DARREN MACASKILL DIRECTOR, TAILOR MADE KITCHENS LTD SPONSOR OF SHOLING FC

“THERE’S A GREATER COLLECTIVE THAN THE INDIVIDUAL.” One of my favourite memories of Sholing came when I took my daughter Meadow to her first football match their last season. She was nine at the time. There was no polished Premier League experience, just a can of drink, a burger, standing close to the pitch and being able to see and feel everything that was happening. She absolutely loved it. For me, that captured what local football should be. I am from Chandlers Ford, between Southampton and Winchester, and sport has always been important to me. I grew up a Portsmouth supporter and had a season ticket at Fratton Park, although basketball became the sport I played most seriously. I was six foot three by 13 and eventually reached a level where basketball took priority over football. Looking back, team sport taught me lessons that have followed me into business. You learn resilience, communication and problem solving, but most importantly you learn that there is a greater collective than the individual. That philosophy is very much part of how we operate at Tailor Made Kitchens. I worked my way through apprenticeships and different roles before completing my master’s degree. That opened my eyes to the bigger picture and eventually gave me the confidence to want responsibility for my

own decisions. I wanted the freedom to build something in the way I believed was right. Our relationship with Sholing grew largely through Paul Doswell. We had worked with Paul and his family through their construction interests for many years. When he became more heavily involved at Sholing and improvements were needed around the ground, it felt natural for us to help. We have supported the club financially and also been involved practically, including work on the changing rooms. What I particularly admire is the ambition of Paul, Mick Budnyj and everyone around the club to keep improving the facilities while never losing sight of the community. That matters to me because we are a local family owned business ourselves. People can come through our door and speak directly to the people who own and run the company. I see the same accessibility at Sholing. Local businesses know each other, recommend each other and support each other. I have three daughters, Megan, Meadow and Fearne, and they all have different interests, from netball and dance to horse riding. What I want for them is what sport gave me: belonging, friendships, confidence and somewhere to feel part of something bigger. When I walk around local pitches at weekends, I see children and adults playing simply because they love the game. Most will never play at St Mary’s or Wembley, but that Saturday morning pitch can be their Wembley. Sholing understands that. They are proud of where they come from, proud of their community and ambitious for the people around them. For me, that is exactly the kind of club, and exactly the kind of community, that Tailor Made Kitchens should be proud to stand beside.

JUSTIN NICHOLSON DIRECTOR, RADLEY HOUSE PARTNERSHIP RIBA CHARTERED ARCHITECTS PROUD SPONSOR OF SHOLING FC

“EVERY TIME YOU GO DOWN THERE, YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING TO HELP.” Sometimes football gives you relationships that end up travelling through large parts of your life, and that is certainly true of my friendship with Paul Doswell. I first met Paul through work more than 20 years ago. I am based in Winchester with Radley House Partnership, and we became involved with some of the development projects Paul was working on. From there we became close friends, and over the years I have followed his football journey through Sutton United, Havant and Waterlooville and now Sholing. Where Paul goes, there always seems to be a project developing around him. Since he became involved at Sholing, our relationship with the club has grown naturally. We initially came on board as a sponsor, but being architects and designers has meant our involvement has gone much further. We have helped with planning and design work around the site, including signage, the car park and the developing plans for the new office and padel facilities. That is what I like about the relationship. We help one another. Football has always been an important part of my own life. I played throughout my younger years at local level, and I am a Southampton supporter, but these days one of my greatest pleasures comes from coaching my son Charlie and watching his own relationship with the game develop. Charlie is 14 and plays in Winchester. I originally took him along to football when he was younger and, before I knew it, the team needed another coach, and I was doing my coaching

qualifications. Watching his confidence grow has been enormously rewarding. He loves coming down to Sholing with me and, in many ways, he gets more from those afternoons than he does from watching Premier League football. At Sholing he can stand close to the dugout, hear the coaches, meet the players afterwards and feel genuinely involved. For a football mad youngster like Charlie, there is also something rather special about arriving at Sholing and finding himself around people such as Southampton legend Matt Le Tissier. He is completely in awe of it. To him these are people he has grown up hearing about, yet at Sholing they are accessible and part of the same football family. My daughter Sienna has followed a different path and has a real passion for drama, which is equally important to us as a family. With Charlie, though, football has given us something wonderful that we can share together. That sense of connection is also what attracts me to Sholing. Paul has an extraordinary passion for football and community, and when you are around him that enthusiasm is infectious. But it extends far beyond Paul. There are people throughout Sholing who give enormous amounts of their own time because they believe in what the club can become. You can see that vision taking shape. There is football, but increasingly there are activities for young people, older people, wellbeing groups and the wider community. The ambition is to create somewhere people genuinely want to come and spend time. That matters to me. It is not simply about building a successful football team. It is about building a place that belongs to its community. And that is the thing about Sholing. Every time you go down there, you want to do something to help.

www.tmk-kitchens.co.uk 16

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ANDY APPLEBY – MANAGING DIRECTOR, HE-MAN DUAL CONTROLS – SPONSORS OF SHOLING FC

“I think football gives you a sense of belonging and a purpose in life.” Football has always been much more than a game to me. It has brought my family together, created lasting memories and taught me the importance of teamwork, friendship and community. Those values have stayed with me throughout my life and are a big part of why I’m so pleased that He-Man Dual Controls supports Sholing FC. I grew up in east Southampton, where football was always part of family life. My brothers Dan and Scott, my uncle Mike and I all played together for Solar FC, a Sunday League team that I also managed. We originally started out playing five-a-side

before deciding to expand into eleven-a-side football. Looking back, those were wonderful times, sharing something we all loved as a family. I played virtually every position over the years. I was never particularly quick, but I liked to think I had a little technical ability. I sometimes jokingly compare my playing style to Matt Le Tissier! Around 30 years ago, I also spent a few years refereeing, which gave me a completely different perspective on the game. Being responsible for making decisions, managing situations and dealing with different personalities was another valuable experience. Looking back, I believe those lessons would also serve me well in my future business career. There’s another family connection with Sholing because my brother Dan

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played for VT Colts, who used the same ground when he was younger. I remember going along to watch him, so the area and its footballing traditions have been familiar to me for many years. Professionally, I’ve been with He-Man Dual Controls since 1994 and became involved in a management buyout in 2016. The company has been established for over 90 years and has specialised in designing and manufacturing dual controls for driving instruction since 1962. We’re predominantly a UK business, although we’re increasingly expanding into European markets. Following the management buyout, we continued to develop and grow the business, and that progress led to another important milestone in 2025 when He-Man was acquired by Lagercrantz, a large Swedish company. It was a significant moment in our history and a reflection of how far the business had come. Teamwork and company culture are enormously important to us, and I see many similarities between running a successful business and being involved in football. Whether you’re leading a company, managing a team or refereeing a match, understanding people, making decisions and treating others with respect are qualities that can make all the difference. Our relationship with Sholing began around three

to five years ago when the son of one of our employees was playing in the reserves. We initially went along to support him, but although he eventually moved on, we remained involved. I’ve always believed sponsorship should be about more than simply providing financial support. I want to feel part of the club, attend matches and see the difference our involvement can make. What particularly impresses me about Sholing is the continual improvement around the ground and the genuine commitment of the people running the club. There’s a real sense of ambition, togetherness and progress. It’s also wonderful seeing someone like Matt Le Tissier regularly supporting the team from the stands. We also sponsor a Millbrook Under-9s team, because supporting grassroots football and giving something back to our community really matters to us. For me, Sholing represents everything I appreciate about local football. It’s a place where people care, where relationships matter and where everyone can feel part of something worthwhile. Having enjoyed so many happy years playing alongside my own family, I understand just how special that sense of belonging can be. It’s something I’m proud to support and hope future generations will experience too.

BRENDAN MCNAMARA MANAGING DIRECTOR – MCNAMARA CONTRACTORS LTD PROUD SPONSORS AND CONTRACTING PARTNERS OF SHOLING FC

“It’s an adventure, and that’s what makes Sholing such an exciting club to be part of.”

Football has always been a wonderful part of my life. It’s about much more than winning and losing; it’s about friendships, community and having somewhere you feel you belong. That’s what I’ve discovered at Sholing Football Club, and it’s been a real pleasure to contribute to

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“Very Proud Sponsors of Sholing FC”

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something that’s bringing so many people together. I’ve lived in Southampton since I was five, and football has always been close to my heart. I’m a Southampton FC season ticket holder, but I’ve also played plenty of football myself, from five-aside to Sunday morning pub football. At six foot two, I was generally the big lad at the back whose job was to head the ball away! Our family business, McNamara Contractors, was established in 1972 by my father, Tom, alongside my mother, Carmel. More than 50 years later, we’re still going strong, specialising in groundworks and civil engineering throughout the South of England. I’ve worked my way through the business, spending years on site and learning quantity surveying before taking over as Managing Director. It’s taught me that hard work, resilience and understanding every aspect of what you do are essential. My involvement with Sholing began around two and a half years ago, following a conversation about the club’s ambitions and how local businesses could contribute. We initially helped create a new gravel car park, followed by foundations for a spectator stand and a concrete base for the club’s marquee. We’ve since become involved with the developing office facilities and padel centre. Watching the transformation has been

fantastic. The new 3G pitch, improved facilities and expanding opportunities for youngsters demonstrate just how ambitious this football club has become. I’ve particularly enjoyed working with Paul Doswell, who I’ve known for many years. His enthusiasm is infectious, and we’re regularly in contact about the various projects. You can’t help but get caught up in his excitement and determination to keep moving the club forward. My son Jonjo, who’s 17, also plays youth football locally, so I appreciate the importance of providing young people with opportunities to enjoy the game. Football gives you competitive spirit, friendships and valuable life lessons. More importantly, it brings people together. Whatever challenges you’re facing, spending an afternoon at your local football club can provide a welcome escape from the daily pressures of life. That’s what I appreciate so much about Sholing. The people are welcoming, the atmosphere is tremendous and the whole club is moving forward together. We’ve already witnessed remarkable progress, yet I genuinely believe there’s so much more to come. For me, the excitement lies in not knowing just how far Sholing can go. It’s a wonderful adventure to be part of, and I’m proud that our family business can help build something that will benefit the club and its community for generations to come.

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“FUN, PASSION AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO JUST BE YOURSELF.”

KNOWLE FC

STUART LANYON CHAIRMAN

“THOSE TWO TEAMS WALKING OUT TOGETHER WAS ONE OF THE MOST MOVING THINGS I HAVE EVER SEEN.” There are moments in football when results, promotions and trophies suddenly become secondary, and you are reminded what a football club is really supposed to be. I experienced one of those moments at Knowle last season, and it probably explains better than anything why this club means so much to me. My own route into Knowle FC was hardly conventional. I was born in Solihull, although my father’s family came from Mallaig on the west coast of Scotland, somewhere that remains very close to my heart. I was always a sportsman, but football was not my game. I joke that I was never quick enough or pretty enough to be a footballer, so I played rugby instead. Looking back, rugby taught me a great deal about teamwork, camaraderie, leadership and understanding that successful teams are made up of very different personalities. Those lessons followed me into business and eventually into Knowle. My first real involvement with the club came after Storm Doris ripped the roof from the old clubhouse in 2017. An old school friend who was the club treasurer asked if I could help specify and organise the bar in the replacement building. A few years later I was asked to lend another pair of hands behind that bar on match days. Once you get behind the bar at a community sports club, you very quickly find yourself at the heart of everything. Within months I had been asked to become Vice Chairman. A little later

I became Chairman, and almost simultaneously the first team embarked upon an extraordinary period of success. We have achieved back to back promotions and reached Step 5 for the first time in Knowle’s history. Clive and Matt Seeley deserve enormous credit. They are uncle and nephew, but more importantly they complement one another wonderfully. For me, they are the embodiment of one plus one equals three. What can look like overnight success has actually been years in the making. They have built a group with belief, togetherness and standards, and every time I have tried to moderate my expectations after a promotion, they have gone out and exceeded them again. Our first ever FA Cup campaign demonstrated just how far we have travelled. When Worcester City came to the Robins Nest, 931 people packed into the ground. Only a relatively short time ago we were operating at Step 7. Suddenly we had a record crowd, television cameras and a club capable of competing with opposition from much higher in the pyramid. Yet the first team is only one part of Knowle. Our women’s team dates back to 2001 and won promotion again last season. We have boys and girls throughout the junior structure, veterans football and a growing inclusive programme for neurodiverse young people and those with non visible disabilities. That inclusive programme has a very personal meaning for me because my goddaughter is autistic. I have seen what the right environment can do for a young person, so creating somewhere children can simply enjoy football and be themselves matters enormously. The moment that perhaps defines Knowle better than

anything came when our men were due to receive their league championship trophy. We normally invite one of our junior teams to act as mascots. With our Titans, however, we had been cautious because a busy football ground can be a loud and potentially overwhelming environment. Eventually we decided the time was right. Our Titans walked onto the pitch alongside the championship winning first team. Seeing their faces, the smiles, the reaction of the crowd and, perhaps most importantly, the care and compassion shown by our senior players was incredibly moving. For me, those few minutes brought together both sides of what Knowle FC is trying to be. We want successful first teams. We want standards. We want to win football matches and continue progressing through the pyramid. But alongside that sits the very essence of what a grassroots community football club should do. We should make football as inclusive as possible and offer people fun, passion, friendship and the opportunity simply to be themselves. We may have teams scattered across the local area because our facilities are stretched, but when everybody comes together you understand that Knowle is one club and one family. Trophies are wonderful. Promotions are wonderful. FA Cup days are memories that stay with you forever. But watching those two teams walk onto that pitch together reminded me that the greatest success a football club can achieve is making somebody feel that they belong. That, more than anything, is what makes me proud to be Chairman of Knowle FC.

CLIVE SEELEY – JOINT FIRST TEAM MANAGER, KNOWLE FC

“This is my local village team and I’m not going anywhere.” Football has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Growing up with my two brothers on a tough council estate in Birmingham, the game gave us something positive to focus on. We were always kicking a ball around, and looking back, I genuinely believe football helped keep us out of trouble. It gave us friendships, discipline and opportunities that have stayed with us throughout our lives. I played non-league football from my teenage years through to veterans’ level, eventually moving into management. I spent time working alongside former

Birmingham City defender Joe Gallagher before finding tremendous enjoyment coaching young players, including my own sons. At Stratford Town, I coached an Under-18 side that became county champions. My youngest son, George, now plays for Knowle’s first team and has made over 250 appearances. My eldest, Jack, suffered a serious leg injury when he was 17, which interrupted his playing career, although I’m delighted, he’s enjoying football again. I’ve been involved at Knowle for several years, and when I first arrived, things were very different. We were a modest village club with limited resources and plenty of work ahead. Gradually, we began building something special.

I’ve now worked alongside my fellow joint manager, Matt Seeley, for around four years, and we’ve enjoyed remarkable success together, including back-to-back promotions. What makes our achievements particularly satisfying is that we’re competing against clubs with considerably greater financial resources. Some of our players could earn substantially more elsewhere, yet they choose to stay. Five or six have been with us since Step 7, and that loyalty tells you everything about the spirit within our dressing room. My philosophy has always been straightforward: give everything you’ve got. My father used to tell me, “All you can do is your best, son.” I’ve carried those words

throughout my life. If our players leave everything on the pitch, I cannot ask for much more. Our recent FA Cup adventure was extraordinary. Facing Worcester City in front of a crowd of over a thousand, with the BBC broadcasting the occasion nationally, showed just how far we’ve travelled. We took them to a replay and narrowly lost, but the pride I felt was enormous. Away from the pitch, our chairman Stuart Lanyon works tirelessly to help the club develop. We have ambitions for improved facilities and a future home that could provide greater opportunities for the whole community. Seeing the club’s Titans neurodiversity football sessions taking place before our home matches is particularly rewarding. That’s what community football should be about: giving people opportunities, enjoyment and a sense of belonging. At 65, I know I’m approaching the latter stages of my managerial career. I’ve had opportunities to move elsewhere, but Knowle is my village club, and I have no desire to leave. Perhaps my proudest memory was looking around during the Worcester game and seeing 40 or 50 of my friends there, alongside my family, sharing something we’d helped create. Football has given me a lifetime of memories, but seeing this little village club bring so many people together might just be the most special of them all.

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When people ask what makes this football club special, I do not have to think very long. I think it is the people.

CLAIRE TOMBLESON CLUB SECRETARY, KNOWLE FC

“I THINK IT IS THE PEOPLE.” Sometimes the most important parts of your life begin almost by accident. Football was never part of my upbringing. I did not come from a football family; I had never played myself and I had barely been to a match. Then my son Ewan started playing at Knowle when he was around seven years old, and from that point football gradually became part of our family life. Ewan was quite a quiet boy, so I think I probably encouraged him towards those first coaching sessions because some of his friends were going. He embraced it and never looked back. Before long, another parent and I were helping run his team. I concentrated mainly on the administration while he handled the coaching, and that was really the beginning of my own journey at Knowle. Ewan is now 17 and still playing football. Although his own playing journey has taken him elsewhere for the moment, he still comes back to watch Knowle whenever he can. My husband Paul has become involved too. He comes to matches, travels to away games and helps wherever required. During our FA Cup run he could be found working on the gate or behind the bar. That is probably the best way to describe Knowle. People simply help. I have been Club Secretary for most of the time I have been here, and I am also part of the committee. These days I am more involved with the adult section, but on match days I will do whatever needs doing, including spending plenty of time behind the bar. This season has been particularly special. Seeing

our men compete in the FA Cup for the first time in the club’s history was wonderful. The atmosphere and the number of people who came out to support a small community club made it an occasion I will always remember. I probably did not see as much of the football as everyone else because I was working, but sometimes being part of creating the occasion is every bit as rewarding. The journey has not always been easy. When Storm Doris struck in 2017, the roof was ripped from our old clubhouse. Ewan was actually attending a football holiday session at the club at the time. The coaches handled the situation

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brilliantly, getting the children to safety and contacting parents. Thankfully nobody was seriously hurt. What followed showed the character of Knowle. The club and community raised money, a new clubhouse was established, and the facilities have continued to improve. More recently we have installed floodlights and continued developing the ground to meet the requirements that come with climbing through the football pyramid. That progress on the pitch has been incredible to watch too. Matt and Clive Seeley have done a brilliant job with the first team and there is a special bond among the management, players, volunteers and supporters. I do not know where the journey will eventually take us, but it is exciting to see what is happening. The wider club matters just as much. Women’s and girls’ football has grown

enormously, and Knowle now provides opportunities across boys, girls, men’s and women’s football as well as inclusive football for children with additional needs. Without community clubs like ours, many young people simply would not have those opportunities. For me, though, it always comes back to something much simpler. We have a relatively small group of volunteers, but we work hard together, we get on brilliantly and we genuinely enjoy being around one another. I first walked through the gates because my son wanted somewhere to play football. All these years later, Ewan has grown up, Paul is part of the club too, and somehow Knowle has become part of our family. When people ask what makes this football club special, I do not have to think very long. I think it is the people.

MATT SEELEY – JOINT FIRST TEAM MANAGER, KNOWLE FC

“Our ethos is to be loyal, be respectful, be good people.” Football has given me some wonderful experiences, but it’s also taught me some difficult lessons about life, loyalty and how we treat one another. Looking back at my own journey, I think those experiences have shaped the manager, and more importantly, the person I am today. My childhood wasn’t particularly easy, and I owe an enormous amount to my nan and grandad, who gave me the love, care and values that helped shape my life. I genuinely believe that’s where much of my compassion for other people comes from. Football was always a huge part of growing up. I joined Aston Villa’s academy at six and spent most of my childhood in academy football. I captained South Birmingham under former Villa captain Dennis Mortimer, and everything seemed to be progressing nicely.

Unfortunately, just days before an England schoolboy trial, I suffered a broken leg and ankle. After a long rehabilitation, I returned to football, only to break my ankle again in my first game back. I spent almost two years on the sidelines, and my opportunities at that level gradually disappeared. I eventually played nonleague football with clubs including Paget Rangers, Earlswood Town and Alcester Town, where I later moved into management. I’ll always be grateful to the late Alcester chairman Dave Taylor, who gave me that first managerial opportunity and believed in me. After managing elsewhere, I joined my uncle Clive Seeley at Knowle in 2022, coming straight in as joint manager and bringing several players with me. We’ve enjoyed an incredible journey together, achieving back-to-back promotions and taking the club into Step 5. What makes Knowle special isn’t money. It’s people. We’ve deliberately built our squad

around character, loyalty and togetherness. I don’t care how talented somebody is; if they’re not prepared to respect their teammates and contribute to the group, they’re probably not right for us. Many of our players have been with us since Step 7. They could earn considerably more elsewhere, but they believe in what we’re building. Clive and I have different personalities, which works wonderfully well. He’s naturally more relaxed and reassuring, while I’ll sometimes take a firmer approach. But underneath that, we share exactly the same values. I always try to put myself in a player’s shoes before making decisions. I’ve experienced disappointment during my own career, and I know how deeply those moments can affect somebody. We won’t always get everything right, but I want to know we’ve treated people fairly. Watching Knowle develop has been extraordinary.

Chairman Stuart Lanyon works tirelessly, and the improvements around the club have been remarkable. Our FA Cup adventure against Worcester City, televised nationally by the BBC, was something I’ll never forget. We came agonisingly close to progressing, eventually losing a closely contested replay, but the experience showed just how far we’ve come. When I think about the little club, we once were and what we’ve become, it genuinely makes me emotional. Football is about winning, of course, and nobody wants success more than I do. But when my managerial career is over, I hope the players remember something beyond the trophies and promotions. I hope they remember being part of a family, feeling valued and knowing that the people around them genuinely cared. Because to me, that’s worth more than anything football can put in a trophy cabinet.

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AMAR REHAL – OWNER, REHAL AUTOHAUS – SPONSORS OF KNOWLE FC “As long as we’re together, we’ll always find a way around it.” Sport has played an important part in shaping who I am, both personally and professionally. Growing up around team sports taught me that success is rarely achieved alone. It’s about supporting one another, overcoming challenges and recognising that everyone has something valuable to contribute. Those principles are central to how I run my business and why I’m proud to support Knowle FC. I’m from Birmingham, although my sporting background also includes time spent in Kenya, where I returned during school holidays to help coach cricket at my old school. As a youngster, I played football briefly for Sutton United before concentrating on hockey. I progressed into the England hockey system for a short period and continue playing club hockey in the Midlands League today. An ACL injury a few years ago encouraged me to take a slightly more relaxed approach, but my love of the game remains. Having experienced

grassroots sport firsthand, I appreciate the tremendous amount of work that goes on behind the scenes. Volunteers, coaches and committee members give so much of themselves to ensure clubs survive and flourish. Our business, Rehal Autohaus, was established in 2020 and has grown into a respected independent BMW and MINI specialist serving Birmingham and the wider Midlands. We provide servicing, diagnostics, mechanical repairs, MOT arrangements and warranty work, using manufacturer-standard equipment and qualityassured parts. Our aim is to offer customers the expertise and standards associated with a main dealership, alongside the personal attention and value of an independent specialist. We attract customers from across Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry and Leicester, with some travelling from as far as Oxford and Manchester. We’re not necessarily the cheapest garage around, but we’re committed to doing things properly, maintaining high standards and building lasting customer relationships. Within our business, everyone is treated equally. We have fantastic technicians, and I always remind our team that we’re all learning. People make mistakes, but supporting one another creates the resilience needed to overcome challenges. Our relationship with Knowle FC began when joint manager Clive Seeley visited us to have his son’s car repaired. We got talking, and I subsequently visited the club during the summer. I was particularly impressed by the ambition, organisation

and long-term vision of everyone involved, including Clive, fellow manager Matt Seeley and Chairman Stuart Lanyon. Their achievements on the pitch have been remarkable, but what really attracted me was the opportunity to contribute towards something that benefits the wider community, particularly young people. I’ve always believed that growth involves challenges and sometimes difficult decisions. Whether you’re developing a business or progressing through the football pyramid,

you have to be prepared to work hard and adapt. Supporting Knowle FC is therefore about much more than promoting our business. It’s about investing in people, encouraging opportunity and helping a community club realise its potential. If our involvement helps more youngsters discover the friendships, confidence and sense of belonging that sport has given me, then that’s something genuinely worthwhile. I’m excited to be part of Knowle’s journey and look forward to seeing what we can achieve together.

BMW & MINI SPECIALISTS AND VEHICLE SERVICE CENTRE PROUD SPONSORS OF KNOWLE FC

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DAVID TOMKINS – COMMERCIAL TEAM & FORMER VETERANS PLAYER-MANAGER, KNOWLE FC

“We’re all very different, but we’re all in it together – and the evidence suggests that whatever we’re doing is working!” When I look at the friendships I’ve made throughout my life, almost every person I would call a close friend is someone I’ve played football with. That probably tells you everything about what the game means to me. Football has given me far more than Saturday afternoons and results. It’s given me lifelong friendships, a sense of belonging and, through Knowle FC, something genuinely special to be part of. I’m a local lad and joined what was then Knowle Vets FC around 12 years ago, aged 40. We originally operated independently, hiring the pitch from Knowle, but I was determined to bring us properly into the club. Eventually we became Knowle FC Vets, and I spent several enjoyable years playing and managing. There were some memorable experiences,

Me modeling the “Champions” shirts I made for the players for the title celebrations last season. including facing former professional footballers I’d once paid to watch. As a Birmingham City supporter, coming up against Lee Hendrie certainly added something to the occasion! I eventually stepped away from managing and retired from playing at 52, but my involvement with Knowle continued growing. Today, commercial activity is my main focus, alongside social media, video production and helping wherever needed. I’ll sell an advertising banner, design it, arrange the printing and

then hang it myself. That’s grassroots football! What we’ve witnessed over the last two seasons has been extraordinary. After repeatedly finishing runnersup in Midland League Division Two, we finally achieved promotion to Step Six. What followed was remarkable, with Matt and Clive Seeley guiding the team to a historic treble and another promotion, taking us into Step Five for the first time. The challenge is that our facilities have to keep pace with our success. Chairman Stuart Lanyon and I are constantly looking at ways of generating commercial support, improving the ground and making our ambitions sustainable. We’re certainly not a club throwing enormous sums of money at players. Our strength comes from something much more valuable. We have a predominantly young squad, many of whom have grown together as footballers

Me with Felix and daughter Kajsa who both helped out on the big FA Cup tie on the BBC in September.

Me with my son Felix in the dressing room after we won the Les James Cup in (I think) 2024.

and friends. They enjoy representing Knowle, and that togetherness is reflected in their performances. It’s a tremendous credit to Matt, Clive and everyone involved. Our longer-term ambition is to develop a sporting facility bringing our teams together at one location. With more than 30 teams across the club, including our juniors and veterans, we’re about considerably more than the first team. I’m particularly appreciative of our sponsors and everyone who supports us. Businesses such as Draintech have played an important part in our journey, while Etac’s support for our neurodiversity football programme and the Royal British Legion’s shirt sponsorship demonstrate how meaningful these partnerships can be. For me, however, the greatest value of football is the human connection it creates. I’m fortunate to have a successful career in IT, but the lessons I’ve learned through football have been equally valuable professionally. When you’re five goals down in the pouring rain, you learn resilience, teamwork and the importance of supporting one another. At Knowle, people from completely different backgrounds and generations come together. You develop friendships with individuals you might never otherwise have met. George Seeley even helped connect my son with a cricket club, while Matt is coming round to fix my boiler! That’s the sort of community we have. I genuinely believe there’s something wonderful about bringing different people together around a shared purpose. We’re ambitious, and I hope we continue progressing through the leagues, but whatever happens on the pitch, I never want us to lose that family atmosphere. Because ultimately, that’s what makes Knowle so special. We’re all different people, with different lives, backgrounds and experiences, yet somehow football brings us together and creates something none of us could achieve alone. We’re all very different, but we’re all in it together. And the evidence is there for everyone to see – whatever we’re doing at Knowle FC, it certainly seems to be working!

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GEORGE REVELL KNOWLE FC CLUB REPORTER

Some personal stories can perfectly epitomise the culture, values and togetherness of a non-league village football club - and, in the words of our stalwart chairman Stuart Lanyon, this is certainly one of them. The first few years of my life were far from straightforward. Only days after an emergency caesarean birth at just 27 weeks and five days that left me with many health problems, I suffered a bleed on the brain before a subsequent diagnosis revealed I had left hemiplegic cerebral palsy and moderate visual impairment. I was handed a stark six percent chance of survival - a figure that completely discounted milestones like walking and talking - so I grew up as what my parents could only describe as their miracle baby. As you can probably imagine, that meant my pathway into football was rather unconventional. I

would have loved to play for a grassroots team, much like many of my mates from school did, but that was never quite possible. I instead ended up attending cerebral palsy football sessions put on by Stoke City - unbelievably the nearest option at the time despite being a die-hard fan of Birmingham City - which meant me and my parents doing what were close to 100mile round trips every Sunday morning, just so I could play football like everyone else. Fast-forward 10 years or so and my outlook is very different. I always knew I wanted to get involved in football somehow - even if that wasn’t playing - and that’s how I discovered journalism. Ever since the end of my GCSEs in June 2025, I have written for Blues Focus - an award-winning Blues fan blog - with my role later being upgraded to lead writer. I have now produced over 75 articles for them, including things like match reports, opinion pieces and interview features.

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Then came the start of my Knowle story. Because of my cerebral palsy and visual impairment, I am part of the club’s Titans programme - a team set up for young, neurodivergent footballers to enjoy the game we all love without the pressure of competition or having to be ‘the best’. There is a WhatsApp group for all parents of children on the team, and my dad quite innocently put an article or two of mine on there from time to time. Chairman Stuart happened to read one and that’s how it all started. One sunny Saturday afternoon, following the conclusion of a Titans training session, Stuart called me into the clubhouse and gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse: “Do you want to use our video footage - which I can adapt to suit your eyesight - to write some match reports for our matchday programmes and club website?” It was something that would have sounded small at the time to everyone apart from me,

but it has paved the way to even greater opportunities. I have since transitioned into my role as Club Reporter, interviewed the players and joint-managers on numerous occasions and ultimately risen to become the written voice of the club during arguably the most exciting time in its 100-year history. Stuart’s influence on me wasn’t limited to my work at Knowle, and he continued to express a genuine interest in helping me achieve my aspirations and realise my new-found dreams. Ahead of Blues’ Championship clash at Derby County in September, Stuart got in touch with Neil Moxley - a childhood friend and, crucially, Derby’s Head of Communications - and organised a tour of the media facilities at Pride Park, just hours before kick-off on a busy, televised matchday. I was also allowed the opportunity to engage with the media pre and postmatch, and even question Blues manager Chris Davies at his post-match press conference. Due to the contacts I made with Blues’ media team that day, I have since been invited to report live from the press box and attend post-match press conferences at St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park on two separate occasions, along with conducting interviews with Davies, Patrick Roberts and in-form winger Liam Millar. It is hoped that I will be able to attend games in a media capacity on a more regular basis from now on, and I have enjoyed every second of my experience so far. There is one day at Knowle which specifically sticks out in the memory as something that can be looked back upon to highlight my ongoing development. After the celebratory open-top bus parade in June, following the conclusion of a recordbreaking season during which the Men’s First Team secured back-to-back promotions and brought home a trio of trophies, I conducted my firstever interviews. It didn’t seem like much at the time, granted I was doing nothing more than nervously reading pre-planned questions word for word, but those chats with thencaptain George Seeley and joint-manager Clive Seeley were integral to shaping the confident, outgoing 17-yearold I am today.

Knowle Royal British Legion 1611 Warwick Road, Knowle, Solihull B93 9LU

01564 773253

Knowle Royal British Legion are at the heart of the community as a venue for special occasions. Members and non members can enjoy tribute nights, a games room, televised sport and more

KEN MACKAY – CHAIRMAN, KNOWLE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION CLUB – MAIN SPONSORS OF KNOWLE FC

“I Just Have Enormous Respect for What They Do for the Community” Football has been part of my life for as long as I can remember, but the older I get, the more I appreciate that the real beauty of the game lies in the friendships, the families and the communities it brings together. That’s certainly what attracted me to supporting Knowle Football Club. I was born in Low Fell, Gateshead, and moved to Birmingham when I was 11 because of my father’s business. My father was chairman of Whitley Bay FC, and I was fortunate enough to attend all four of their FA Vase final victories, including three consecutive triumphs at Wembley. Those experiences helped develop my lifelong affection for non-league football. I’ve lived in Knowle for 46 years, and although Aston Villa remains my professional club, I also hold season tickets at Solihull Moors and Racing Club Warwick. I probably attend 60 matches a season because I genuinely love the game and the people involved. I’m chairman of Knowle Royal British Legion Club, which has been established since 1955. We’re a successful private members’ club, and our philosophy has always been to reinvest in our facilities and provide somewhere people genuinely

enjoy visiting. We open seven days a week, offering live entertainment, televised sport, food and facilities for weddings, birthdays and other celebrations. When I discussed sponsoring Knowle FC with our Vice Chair, Annie Bettison, it seemed a natural opportunity to support our local community. I approached chairman Stuart Lanyon, and we agreed to sponsor the men’s first team’s home and away shirts. What a season to become involved! Knowle’s successive promotions were remarkable, but their historic FA Cup adventure was something special. Watching them draw 1-1 against Worcester City before a record crowd of 931, then narrowly lose the replay at Sixways Stadium, was an unforgettable experience. What impresses me most, however, is the dedication behind the scenes. I’ve known club president Dave Sykes for around 35 years, and every Friday evening he’ll tell me everything that’s happening at the football club. He’s even there making bacon sandwiches for the youngsters on Sunday mornings! Stuart’s partner, Lois, is another wonderful example, helping behind the bar and preparing food on matchdays. People like these are the heartbeat of grassroots football. My eldest daughter, Heather, shares my passion for football, and some of our happiest family memories involve travelling to matches

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together. Even after a disappointing result, sharing fish and chips by the seaside and spending time with fellow supporters makes the experience worthwhile. Our sponsorship has

already created a genuine connection between both clubs. Our bar staff proudly wear Knowle shirts, and it’s lovely seeing players visiting us after matches. We’re also planning a special Remembrance tribute at the football ground in November, with a bugler and a ceremony before kick-off. It’s another opportunity to bring our two organisations together. Ultimately, Knowle FC represents everything I value about grassroots football. It’s run by good people who give enormously of themselves, often with limited resources, simply because they care. To me, supporting a club like Knowle isn’t just about football or having our name on a shirt. It’s about giving something back to the place we call home, strengthening friendships and ensuring that wonderful sense of community continues for generations to come.

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RICHARD BRIGGS – OWNER, GB ASSET FINANCE LTD | SPONSORS OF KNOWLE FC

“Seeing My Son Find Friendship and Belonging at Knowle FC Has Meant Everything to Me” As a parent, there are few things more rewarding than watching your child grow in confidence, make friends and feel part of something special. For me, that’s exactly what Knowle Football Club has given my son Josh, and it’s the reason the club has become such an important part of our lives. I’m originally from Selly Oak in Birmingham, but I’ve lived in Dorridge for around 14 years. With Knowle just down the road, it’s a community we’ve come to know and appreciate. My son Josh is approaching 18. He’s autistic and has learning difficulties, and around 18 months ago we heard that Knowle FC was introducing football sessions for neurodiverse youngsters. We decided to give it a try, and it’s been a wonderful experience. Initially, Josh wasn’t particularly interested in the football itself. What he enjoyed was meeting the coaches, making new friends and simply being part of the group. As his confidence developed, he gradually

became more interested in playing, which has been lovely to watch. The sessions provide a welcoming, non-competitive environment where everyone can participate at their own level. There’s coaching, small-sided games and plenty of encouragement, with opportunities for everyone to get involved and enjoy themselves. As the programme developed, Chairman Stuart Lanyon mentioned how nice it would be for the youngsters to have their own football kits. Through my business, GB Asset Finance Ltd, which is an independent asset finance brokerage, I was delighted to sponsor them. Seeing Josh and the other youngsters turn up wearing their Knowle FC shirts was fantastic. Suddenly, they weren’t just attending football sessions; they looked and felt like a team. That sense of belonging is something you can’t put a price on. I’ve since become more involved with the club, sponsoring its social media and providing advertising support at the ground. I’ve also started attending first-team matches and getting to know more of the people who make Knowle such a special place. One particularly memorable

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occasion was seeing the first team celebrating their championship success and promotion through the village. Josh was there in his Knowle shirt, absolutely delighted to be sharing in the celebrations. As a father, it’s difficult to describe just how much moments like that mean. What I particularly appreciate is that the benefits extend far beyond the football pitch. Josh now knows more people around the village, and more people recognise him. As parents, we’ve also developed friendships with other families, and there’s a wonderful sense of people looking out for one another. Stuart and everyone involved at Knowle deserve enormous credit. The coaches give their time so generously, and it’s lovely seeing other youngsters around the club engaging with the neurodiverse players, chatting to them and making them feel welcome. Those small acts of kindness can make an

enormous difference. Someone once told me that the true measure of a good community is how it treats its most vulnerable members. That’s something I’ve never forgotten, and I think Knowle FC demonstrates that philosophy beautifully. Of course, the first team’s success under Matt and Clive Seeley is fantastic, and it’s exciting to see the club progressing. But what impresses me most is that alongside those achievements, the club continues to put people first. For me, sponsoring Knowle FC has never simply been about promoting my business. It’s about supporting something that has genuinely enriched my son’s life. When I see Josh smiling, enjoying his football and feeling part of a community that welcomes him for who he is, I know just how special this club really is. And that’s something I’ll always be grateful for.

TWANA BAWA – SPONSOR OF KNOWLE FC | RAINBOW RESTORATION

“We Want to Be Part of the Club’s Journey” There is something special about finding a place where you feel you belong. When you move into a new community, you want to become part of it, build relationships and contribute something positive. For me, supporting Knowle Football Club is a wonderful opportunity to do exactly that. I’m originally Kurdish, although I grew up in Sweden, where winter sports were a much bigger part of my childhood than football. I’ve been living in the Knowle area for around three years now, having settled here permanently two years ago, and I’ve really come to appreciate the community and the people around me. Football has become increasingly important in our family, particularly through my two sons, Faris and Brusk. They’re both passionate about the game and regularly play with their friends. Although I wasn’t much of a footballer myself, seeing their enthusiasm has given me a greater appreciation of what the sport means to young people. My business, Rainbow Restoration, has been operating for eleven years. We specialise in flood, fire and storm damage restoration, working on insurance-related claims and with local authorities to help restore properties following unexpected events. Our work takes us across a considerable area, including Coventry, Worcester, Gloucester, Cheltenham and much of the Midlands. It’s a demanding business, involving plenty of travelling, but I’ve always believed that being successful in business should also create opportunities to give something back. That’s really how my relationship with Knowle FC began. David, who is also my neighbour, and I got talking about the club and its ambitions. The more I learned, the more interested I became in supporting it. What particularly impressed me was the affection people in the local community have for Knowle. Whenever you speak to people about the football club, there is a genuine sense of pride and appreciation for what it represents. The progress the club has made recently has been tremendous, and you can

sense the renewed energy and enthusiasm surrounding it. But what appeals to me most is that Knowle is about much more than the first team. It’s about providing opportunities, bringing families together and making people feel included. My work commitments have meant I haven’t yet managed to attend a match, but I’m very much looking forward to getting down there and becoming more involved. For me, sponsorship shouldn’t simply mean providing financial support and walking away. I want Rainbow Restoration to become part of the club’s journey. If there are opportunities to volunteer, contribute our time or help with something the club needs, we’re more than happy to get involved. My sons are equally enthusiastic about supporting wherever they can. I believe that successful communities are built by people looking out for one another. That’s something I value in business, in family life and in the place, I now call home. If our involvement can help Knowle FC continue growing and provide opportunities for future generations, that would mean a great deal to me. Ultimately, it’s not just about sponsoring a football club. It’s about becoming part of a community, building

friendships and contributing to something that brings happiness to CLUB others. That’s SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT • KNOWLE FOOTBALL CLUB the kind of journey I’m proud for my family and Rainbow Restoration to be part of.

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FOOTBALL FOCUS MAGAZINE

FARNHAM TOWN FC

MAKERS OF HISTORY! Promoted to National League South for the first time HARRY HUGO CLUB CHAIRMAN

“Everything we have achieved has been driven by a radical, shared belief in one another.” There is something deeply emotional about returning to the place where your football story began and helping it create history. I am a Farnham boy. I went to school locally and played for Farnham Town until I was 14, so becoming chairman has brought my journey full circle. After building businesses and spending time around the commercial side of elite sport, I found myself falling out of love with football at the highest level. Non-league football gave that love back to me. The idea of becoming involved began during a conversation with three of my closest friends. I was considering buying another car when one of them challenged me to use the money for something that would give us far more enjoyment. Investing in a non-league club became the answer. I joined Farnham as a director in 2022 and later became chairman. At that time, crowds were small. In three seasons, we have achieved three successive promotions, transformed the club’s support and reached National League South for the first time in our history. That fills me with enormous pride, but none of it belongs to one person. It belongs to the supporters, volunteers, bar staff, players and coaches who make Farnham Town feel like a family. Manager Paul “Johno” Johnson and his players have repeatedly delivered in the biggest moments. I was

genuinely nervous before our play-off semi-final against Berkhamsted; I could not bear the thought of somebody else taking our place in the final. Once we reached it, however, I believed we would win. The players embraced the occasion and produced a remarkable 5–1 victory over Gloucester City. My leadership style is direct, honest and demanding, but I will never ask somebody to work harder than I am prepared to work myself. I would always rather hear bad news immediately than discover it has been hidden. The quicker we face a problem together, the quicker we can find a solution. Loyalty matters just as much. My closest friends have been alongside me since I was 16. They have seen the successes and the difficult moments. They lift me when I need it and bring me back down to earth when necessary. Their honesty keeps me grounded. As we enter National League South, excitement is the overriding feeling. We carry no expectation of another promotion, but we absolutely expect to compete and give our supporters moments they can cherish. What makes Farnham Town special is belief: a shared belief that we can create a great team, a memorable matchday, a stronger community and a genuine family atmosphere. I once wore this club’s colours as a local boy. Now I see children arriving for their first match and creating memories they may carry forever. That is the legacy I hoped to build—and it means far more to me than any car ever could.

TOM BORE TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

“Why shouldn’t a child in Surrey grow up with a Farnham Town hero?” Some of my happiest childhood memories are of standing close to the dugouts at non-league grounds with my dad. We watched Ebbsfleet United when they were still known as Gravesend & Northfleet, and later Welling United. I remember arriving at one game wearing my Newcastle United shirt. Nigel Clough, who was managing Burton Albion, noticed it, spoke to me and signed my programme. That closeness made football feel personal and gave me memories that have stayed with me. Now, at Farnham Town, I watch young supporters arrive with shirts, footballs and programmes for our players to sign. Seeing them experience what I once experienced feels like life coming full circle. I became involved at Farnham with Harry Hugo and our wider group because we had always wanted to be more than armchair supporters. We loved football almost obsessively, but we also believed our backgrounds in marketing and audience-building could help a local club grow sustainably. Farnham were then a Step 5 club attracting around 80 supporters. We did not begin by simply throwing money at the playing squad. Our first ambition was to create the best matchday experience in the league and give local people a reason to feel that this was their club.

Everyone here is pulling in the same direction. Giving up time or going down to help at the ground never feels like a chore because it is shared with good people for a purpose we all believe in.

The message was simple: if you live in Farnham and love football, come and support Farnham Town. The youth teams were central to that. We encouraged players, parents and carers to attend firstteam matches, creating a connection across the club. Today, Farnham is far more than a men’s first team. It includes women’s football, youth teams, veterans, walking football, running groups and disability provision. That breadth gives us our identity. Success on the pitch has accelerated everything. Three successive promotions and a first-ever place in National League South are extraordinary achievements, but momentum can disappear quickly. Our challenge now is to consolidate, strengthen our infrastructure and continue building a club people want to visit even when results become harder to achieve. My role as Technical Director is largely focused on growing and future-proofing the club away from the pitch. That means improving our brand, commercial partnerships, merchandise and matchday experience, while finding ways to use the clubhouse throughout the week rather than for only a few hours on matchdays. However far Farnham travels, it must retain its local character. We want visiting supporters to taste a local beer, enjoy food supplied by local businesses and leave feeling they have experienced something genuinely connected to the town. The greatest value is still the human one. Our recruitment is not only about ability; character

matters. We want players who remain in the clubhouse afterwards, speak with supporters and understand what representing Farnham means. Captain Ryan Kinnane embodies that connection. Children may have posters of global stars on their bedroom walls, but why shouldn’t they also have a poster of their Farnham Town captain? Why shouldn’t their hero be someone they can meet after a match? Everyone here is pulling in the same direction. Giving up time or going down to help at the ground never feels like a chore because it is shared with good people for a purpose we all believe in. I began as a child beside a non-league dugout, hoping a manager or player might notice me. Today, I am helping to build a club where another child can feel that same excitement and belonging. For me, that is what makes Farnham Town truly special.

FOOTBALL FOCUS MAGAZINE

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PAUL “JOHNO” JOHNSON – FIRST-TEAM MANAGER

“The greatest value I can give a player is honesty – and I must be big enough to admit when I’m wrong” Football has shaped my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up in Sunbury, near Kempton Park, and started playing at around four years old. From that moment, I never really looked back. I was fortunate to receive some excellent coaching. My early football included time with Wimbledon, Chelsea

and QPR before I joined Wycombe Wanderers at around 14 and completed my YTS there. I still believe that traditional pathway from youth football into the reserves and then the first team provided a wonderful grounding. You played alongside experienced adults, learned standards quickly and developed the habits required for senior football. Coaches including Clive Walker, Billy Bonds, Gary Waddock and Gary Goodchild all left an impression on me. Gary was particularly focused on the person behind the player, while the standard of coaching around him was exceptional. My own management style probably developed from combining those qualities: look after the person, coach the player properly and always be honest. After playing in nonleague football with clubs including Hendon,

Staines Town and Hampton & Richmond Borough, I moved into coaching in my late twenties. At Spelthorne Sports, we won promotion from Step 6 without losing a league game. I later joined Bedfont Sports, helped keep the club up and eventually took them into Step 4. When the opportunity came at Farnham Town, I told chairman Harry Hugo that I would not simply follow what everybody else was doing. I wanted to use my own system, trust my judgement and accept the consequences. If it succeeded, brilliant. If it didn’t, we would shake hands and move on. The greatest value I can offer a player is honesty, particularly about why he is or isn’t playing. I also tell the boys that I am not right all the time. They must be able to voice an opinion, and I must be big enough to listen. There have been occasions

when I have challenged a player and later realised I was wrong. When that happens, I apologise in front of the group. Respect cannot travel in only one direction. Beating Gloucester City in the play-off final and taking Farnham into the National League South was an extraordinary achievement, but what moves me most is what has grown around the team. When we first arrived, crowds could be around 140. Now I can look across the ground and see close to 2,000 people sharing this journey. That is what makes Farnham special. The players live among the supporters, children can relate to them, and the town comes alive after matches. Perhaps I will only fully understand what we have achieved when my time here is over. For now, I simply feel privileged to have helped bring so many people together through football.

FOOTBALL FOCUS MAGAZINE

WILL CRABTREE FARNHAM FURNISHERS SPONSOR

“Sport has given me lifelong friendships, memories and has played such an important role in creating the person I am today. Now I’m seeing those same experiences being relived through my own children.” Some of my most treasured memories involve sport, but as I’ve grown older, I’ve realised they were never really just about the games I played. They were about time spent with people – particularly my dad, James – and the relationships that grew around them. I was raised in Farnham, and sport was a huge part of my childhood. Dad played football, cricket and golf and passed that love on to me. I played for Farnham Town from around 15 until I left for university at 18 and continued playing football until my late twenties, while cricket and golf remain part of my life today. Coming back to Farnham and becoming involved with Farnham Furnishers has therefore felt like coming full circle. Harry Hugo and I have quite similar stories. We both grew up locally, played for Farnham when we were younger, moved away and eventually returned. When we spoke, there was an immediate synergy around what the football club and my

business could mean within the community. Farnham Furnishers has been part of the town since 1991. Our core customers remain predominantly within 15 miles of Farnham, and I want us to grow by using local businesses, to support local people and become embedded within the community. Farnham Town is trying to do exactly the same thing, we are aligned, so the partnership feels very natural. Sport has also shaped the way I approach business. Being part of a team teaches you that people can be so different. As a cricket captain, I learned that one person might need an arm around the shoulder while

another responds better to directness. You learn to work with different personalities towards the same goal. Those lessons translate directly into managing and understanding people in business. My wife Lindsey has been incredibly supportive of my sport since we were 18. She understands what it means to me, and that support has allowed sport to remain part of our family life. Now I see another generation discovering it. Noah is football-mad, while Finn has found his own passions in golf and climbing. I never wanted

to force them towards a particular sport – only to give them opportunities and allow them to find what they love to do. Perhaps that matters even more to me because my Dad is no longer here. Even during his cancer diagnosis, we managed to spend time together on the golf course, and those memories are incredibly precious. Sport gave Dad and me a connection that lasted a lifetime. Watching Finn and Noah now, I realise that perhaps the greatest gift is being able to carry that connection on.

farnhamfurnishers Kitchen & Home Interior Design Studio in Farnham

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STUART WILLIAMSON – BRANCH DIRECTOR, HOWDEN INSURANCE FARNHAM TOWN FC SPONSOR

“It’s life affirming. Both of my boys have a love of football as a result.” Football has always meant much more to me than simply watching eleven players on a pitch. It connects me to my parents, to my Scottish roots, to my own boys and, these days, to a Farnham community that I have been proud to call home for more than 20 years. My parents are Glaswegian, they moved south around 60 years ago, and I was born in England, but Glasgow has always remained a very important part of who I am. Most of the wider family remain there and I have wonderful childhood memories of travelling back to see grandparents, aunties, uncles and cousins, who are now scattered all over Scotland.

My association with football naturally came from this background. My uncle took me to Ibrox and to league cup finals at Hampden when I was a teenager, and Rangers became my club through those family connections. They weren’t always successful when I first started following them, but that didn’t matter - they were ‘our’ team. I still love the Rangers and I have tried my best to encourage my two boys, Jake and Charlie, to maintain a soft spot for the mighty Glasgow Rangers, and I’m sure they still look out for their results, but they are both committed Arsenal supporters, and why not? My Dad was a very good footballer himself and captained the famous Drumchapel Amateurs, at the time one of the top amateur teams in Scotland (a team who Alex Ferguson, David Moyes & Archie Gemmill all played for), before eventually pursuing his career as an

insurance broker. Interestingly, I followed him into the same profession. When I moved to Farnham 21 years ago, football again became the way I connected with people. Both boys played for the Farnham Town Youth, and I spent nine happy years coaching and managing Charlie’s team, the Eagles, from under-8’s through to under-16s. We weren’t world-beaters, but that was never the point for me. I wanted every boy to have an opportunity to play. What I am proudest of is that we created a band of brothers, many of those lads remain friends and still play football together today. That’s what grassroots football can do. Through the youth section I gradually became closer to the senior club, and I’ve witnessed the remarkable transformation of Farnham Town in recent years. What Harry Hugo and everyone around him have achieved has been fantastic. You can stand in the clubhouse

alongside people such as Ryan Kinnane or Owen Dean and feel genuinely connected to the people representing your town. That’s something you simply don’t get at the highest level of professional football. I’m also delighted that Howden can play our part as a sponsor. We are insurance brokers, and sport is already a significant part of the Howden story, so supporting the football club in the community where I live feels completely natural. Farnham Town has brought people together and given the town something to feel proud of. Perhaps, ultimately, that is why football has remained such an important part of my life. It connects generations. My family gave that love of the game to me. I’ve tried to give it to Jake and Charlie, and hopefully one day they will pass it on again. That’s football to me family, memories, friendships and belonging.

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DORCHESTER TOWN FC

“If You Can Create The Right Environment, It Lasts For Life” SCOTT SYMES CHAIRMAN

“IT’S WHAT IT DOES FOR THE COMMUNITY” Dorchester is home. I was born here, grew up here and, although I left at 18 to join the British Army, I eventually came back. Football has always been part of my life, but what Dorchester Town means to me now goes far beyond what happens during 90 minutes on a Saturday afternoon. For me, it is about what a football club can give to its community. I played football growing up and continued during my time in the Army, including playing Combined Services football while I was posted in Berlin. When I returned to Dorchester I played locally for many years, but my relationship with the game changed when my son started playing. I began coaching, completed my coaching qualifications and became heavily involved in youth football. I also spent time working with AFC Bournemouth when they were developing their identification centres around Dorset. Eventually I was asked to become involved with Dorchester Town itself. My professional career is in pharmaceuticals and I have managed large commercial teams. Before that I had leadership experience in the military. When I looked at the football club I suppose I saw the challenge of what it could become. I have never been particularly interested in doing something simply because that is how football has always done it. Sometimes you have to ask whether there is another way. One of the most important principles for us

is sustainability. Dorchester Town is supporter owned. We cannot simply rely upon one or two individuals continually putting money into the club. We establish what we can afford, create a budget and operate within it. That discipline matters because I want this football club to be here for generations. But sustainability means more than money. I wanted to create a genuine pathway for local youngsters. We developed our Under 18 and Under 23 structures and today young players can see a route from youth football towards our first team. Not every young player will make that journey, of course. Some go to university, some travel, some start careers and their lives take them elsewhere. Football should still have given them something valuable. That is why bringing the youth, ladies and senior sections together as one football club has meant so much to me. I want somebody who walks into Dorchester Town, whether they are eight years old or playing for the first team, to feel that they belong to something. There have been wonderful moments. We reached the Southern League Premier South playoffs in 2025 and the support around the town was incredible. I remember travelling supporters, families together and the feeling that something special was happening. Last season brought relegation, so now we have another challenge in front of us. Glenn Howes is back as manager, and we have assembled a group we believe can compete strongly as we try to return to Step Three. Results matter enormously. Of course they do. But they cannot be the only

measurement of a football club. I have coached children from the age of eight through to 16 and later seen some of them walking around the ground as adults. Some played for our first team. Others simply kept their memories and friendships. That means just as much. There are hundreds of local youngsters connected with this football club. They wear the shirt, play on our pitch and grow up knowing that The Avenue belongs to them too. Being chairman can be difficult. When the first team loses, people are disappointed and emotions run high. I understand that because I feel it myself. But the next morning I can go down and watch an Under 8 team playing football. Suddenly everything comes back into perspective. You see the excitement on their faces, their parents watching them and children simply loving being part of something. That, from the heart, is what Dorchester Town means to me. Football can create memories that stay with somebody for the rest of their life. If we can provide the right environment, the right people and a football club that its community genuinely feels belongs to them, then we have achieved something far greater than any single result. If you can create the right environment, it lasts for life.

STUART RANDALL – SPONSOR, DORCHESTER TOWN FC | STUART RANDALL CONSTRUCTION

“Football Is More Than Just a Game to Our Family – It Brings Us Together” Football has always been a huge part of my life, but as a father, watching the enjoyment it brings my children has given the game an even greater meaning. It’s something that brings our family together, creates memories and gives us something to look forward to every weekend. My wife Dominique and I have three children: Leon, who’s 18, Isabel, who’s 17, and Henry, who’s 12. Both boys have grown up playing football. Leon now plays senior football for Swanage Town, while Henry is a goalkeeper with Wool and Winfrith, where I’m also involved in coaching youth football. Although Isabel doesn’t play herself, she’s very much part of our football family and regularly travels with us to watch matches. It’s lovely that all three children share in something that means so much to us. Football has been particularly important for Henry, who is autistic and has found the school environment challenging. But when he’s playing football, he’s doing something he absolutely loves. Seeing how much enjoyment, confidence and social connection he gets from the game reinforces my belief in how important grassroots football is for young people. As a family, our weekends revolve around football, whether we’re watching Dorchester Town, supporting AFC Bournemouth, where we also have season tickets and sponsorship, or following the boys. When the season finishes, we genuinely don’t know what to do with ourselves for the first few weekends!

My involvement with Dorchester began through my friendship with club captain Will Spetch, who’s also a subcontractor working with our construction business. When Will moved from Poole Town to Dorchester, I started following the Magpies, and our relationship with the club has grown from there. Dominique and I established Stuart Randall Construction in 2019, following my apprenticeship and years working alongside my grandfather in the building industry. As he approached retirement, we decided to establish our own business, something we’re both incredibly proud of. We undertake domestic and commercial projects, ranging from home extensions and renovations

to larger contracts. We’ve worked on a hospitality suite at Wembley Stadium, undertaken projects for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, and carried out work throughout Dorset

and beyond. Construction is very much about relationships, communication and trust, and I think football teaches you those same values. What I particularly love about Dorchester Town is the wonderful family atmosphere. We’ve sponsored matches and experienced the hospitality firsthand, with people like Lee and his mum making everyone feel welcome. Seeing generations of families supporting the club, from young children to grandparents, is something special. For me, supporting Dorchester isn’t simply about sponsoring a football club. It’s about being part of a community where people genuinely care about one another. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, both through my business and watching my own children grow up, it’s that the relationships we build and the memories we share are what really matter. Whether it’s watching Leon and Henry play, or having Isabel alongside us cheering from the stands, those are the moments I’ll always treasure. That’s what football gives our family, and that’s what makes Dorchester Town such a special club to support.

STUART RANDALL CONSTRUCTION LTD Quality Building & Renovation Services Across Dorset Professional and reliable construction services for domestic and commercial projects. Our Services Include: General Building & Extensions Property Renovations & Refurbishments Carpentry & Joinery Kitchen Installations Groundworks Electrical Works Proud Sponsors of Dorchester Town FC

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SHAUN HEARN – OWNER, HEARN GROUP LTD | SPONSORS OF DORCHESTER TOWN FC

“Dorchester Town Has Always Been Part of My Family – It’s the Heartbeat of Our Community” Some things become such an important part of your life that you can’t imagine them not being there. For me, Dorchester Town Football Club is one of those things. I’ve supported the club since I was a young boy and having been involved in so many different capacities over the years, it will always hold a special place in my heart. I was born in Dorchester and have lived with the club through its many highs and lows. I played a little football myself when I was younger, although never at any particularly high level. Supporting Dorchester Town was always my real passion, and that eventually developed into something much more. When I started my own business, Hearn Group, in the late 1980s, I became involved in sponsoring the club. Over time, that relationship grew, and around 25 years ago I joined the board. I eventually became the majority shareholder and Chairman, which brought a completely different level of responsibility. We enjoyed some successful periods, but football clubs inevitably face challenges. One of the most important decisions during my involvement was helping the club move towards community ownership, handing control to the Supporters Trust. I genuinely believe that community ownership offers football clubs greater long-term security. When a club depends heavily on one individual or business, difficulties elsewhere can have a serious knock-on effect. Under community ownership, everyone has a stake

in its future, and that shared responsibility is incredibly important. The transition wasn’t always straightforward, and the club had to take a few steps backwards to move forward. But looking at Dorchester Town today, I feel that was absolutely worthwhile. Scott Symes deserves enormous credit for what he achieved through his five-year plan. I served alongside Scott on the board, and it’s been tremendously satisfying to see his vision become a reality. Lee Loder has also done a fantastic job commercially, helping put the club in a stronger position. My own business has experienced its ups and downs over the years, but we’ve built something I’m proud of. Hearn Group has been operating for more than 35 years, providing roofing and associated services, and it’s given us a good life. Being able to support the football club along the way has made that journey even more

rewarding. One particular achievement I’m proud of is helping establish KixStart, the club’s community programme, during my time as Chairman. Seeing initiatives such as walking football and Ability Counts develop has been wonderful. The introduction of the 3G pitch also transformed what the club could offer, allowing its facilities to be used far more extensively throughout the year. That’s what makes Dorchester Town so special to me. It’s not simply about what happens on a Saturday afternoon. It’s about providing opportunities, bringing generations together and

creating somewhere people feel they belong. Although I’ve stepped away from the board and am gradually trying to retire from some of my commitments, my affection for the club will never change. Whenever I visit, I see familiar faces, including volunteers who have given so much of their lives to Dorchester Town. My family has always been made to feel welcome, and there’s a genuine warmth about the place. For me, Dorchester Town isn’t just a football club. It’s part of my family, part of my history and part of the town itself. Long may it continue to be that for generations to come.

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WELLING UNITED FC 40

“ONE CLUB. ONE COMMUNITY. ONE FUTURE.” HOWARD PROSSER CHAIRMAN

“ALL I WANT WELLING UNITED TO BE IS PEOPLE’S HAPPY PLACE.” Football gets hold of you. I have learned that more than ever since becoming involved with Welling United. There are easier ways to spend your time and money, but football is different. Your heart can move your brain, and once you feel responsible for a club and its people, walking away is not really in you. I am a South London boy from Brixton and grew up on a council estate. As a kid I was on Millwall’s books and loved playing, but work took over. I spent time at the Stock Exchange, worked with family, and by 23 I was a publican. I learned early that you have to work hard and you cannot be frightened of difficult situations. That has mattered at Welling. When I became involved in 2022 there were historic financial issues to deal with and a huge amount of work behind the scenes. Four years later, I am proud that we are putting the club on a cleaner and more sustainable footing. I have invested heavily myself, but this has never been about one person. It has been about the directors, supporters and, above all, the volunteers. Paul Barnes has been brilliant for us, while Ryan Maxwell and his staff have created a real spirit around the first team. We try to be sensible with our budget. We do not want to chase success by spending beyond our means. We want players who understand what the club stands for and give everything they have.

The growth of our youth structure is enormously important. We now have a huge number of boys and girls wearing Welling shirts, and that brings responsibility as well as excitement. You want to create a genuine pathway. Seeing youngsters’ step into senior football is what makes it worthwhile. Santino Norris scoring in our Kent Senior Cup win at Cray Valley PM, with several under 18 players involved, was a perfect example. Our relationship with Erith and Belvedere matters too. We share Park View Road and they have supported us with facilities while work has been taking place. At this level, clubs need to help each other. My wife Lisa and her family have become part of Welling too. They help on the turnstiles, behind the bar and around the club. It is not simply something I chair. It has become part of family life. We were reminded of what that means when we recently said goodbye to Ray Burgess. Ray played more than 1,000 games for Welling across 19 seasons, captained the club during that famous FA Cup run which ended against Blackburn Rovers, and remained part of Welling for decades. His story represents everything I love about nonleague football: loyalty, history, friendship and belonging. My mum always told me to treat people how you would want to be treated yourself. I still believe that. If you surround yourself with good people, they take you a long way. That is what I see when I look around Welling United. Good people pulling together, trying to leave something stronger behind. More than anything, I want supporters to come through those gates, see familiar faces, feel they belong and be glad they came. All I want Welling United to be is people’s happy place.

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PAUL BARNES – CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, WELLING UNITED FC

“For a lot of people, our football club is more than just a game on a Saturday. It’s a lifeline and an extended family.” When I was younger, I thought it was football itself that I loved. As I’ve grown older and spent more time working with people throughout the game, I’ve realised something far more meaningful. It’s the relationships, the friendships and the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives that have kept me involved for over 26 years. That’s what football means to me, and it’s exactly what we’re trying to build at Welling United. I grew up in southwest London, on a council estate, in a single-parent family. My mum was an extraordinary influence on me. She even ran a football team so local children could have the opportunity to play. We didn’t have much money, but we lived in a community where people looked after one another. I remember my mum giving a neighbour her last £10 because she knew they needed it, even though we could have used it ourselves. Those experiences have stayed with me throughout my life. I’ve been fortunate to coach at every level, from youth development through to professional football

environments, and I’ve always believed coaching is about educating people, building confidence, encouraging respect and developing life skills. My first opportunity in senior football came at Welling United around 13 years ago, when I joined as assistant manager. We were competing in the Conference against clubs like Grimsby Town and Wrexham, and I’ve always retained enormous affection for Welling and its supporters. When Chairman Howard Prosser approached me about returning in a different capacity, it felt like a natural opportunity. Alongside my role at the University of Greenwich, I now have the privilege of helping shape Welling’s future. My ambition is to make Welling United a genuine seven-day-a-week community asset, somewhere people feel welcome, supported and valued. One of the first initiatives we introduced was a men’s mental health workshop through Talk Club, an organisation I trained with to become a Talk Club Captain. Football creates an environment where men can open up about difficulties they might otherwise keep to themselves. I’ve experienced personal challenges myself, and I know how valuable those conversations and friendships

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can be. We’ve also developed partnerships with local charities, health services and community organisations. Our relationship with Ellenor, our official charity partner, is particularly meaningful, while food and clothing donations, family events and community activities are helping make the club a welcoming place beyond matchdays. Some of the most emotional moments involve our supporters. We’ve held numerous tributes remembering people who’ve passed away, recognising how deeply connected families are to Welling United. One family I remember particularly fondly has supported the club across three generations. Their grandfather introduced them to Welling, and his family still sit in his seat today. That’s something you simply cannot measure in league points or trophies. We’re also developing our youth section because we want the next generation to experience those same values of belonging, respect and looking after one another. Financial sustainability is important, of course, but a football club’s real value extends far beyond its balance sheet. As a coach, my nonnegotiable has always been integrity and togetherness. Nobody succeeds entirely on their own. I believe individuals

achieve their personal ambitions when the team achieves its collective goals. You’ve asked me who my favourite player of all time is, and I’d have to choose the original Ronaldo, Ronaldo Nazário. I remember watching him as a youngster, when he was still incredibly young himself, and being amazed by his ability. For me, he was phenomenal. Even after serious injuries, he remained extraordinary. I still remember his hat-trick for Real Madrid against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Without those injuries, who knows what more he might have achieved? That’s the beauty of football. It inspires us, creates memories and brings people together across generations. What excites me most about Welling United isn’t simply what we might achieve on the pitch. It’s knowing that we’re creating a place where someone can walk through the gates, find friendship, receive support and genuinely feel they belong. If we can continue building that environment, while securing the club’s future for generations to come, I’ll consider that something very special. Because football might bring people to Welling United, but it’s the people, the friendships and the feeling of being part of a family that will keep them coming back.

RYAN MAXWELL FIRST TEAM MANAGER, WELLING UNITED FC

“WITHOUT THE FANS THERE IS NO CLUB.” Football has been part of me for as long as I can remember. I was born in Belfast and moved to England when I was around four, but from the moment I could walk I seemed to have a football with me. It became my life very quickly. As a youngster I spent time in the professional academy system, including Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Reading, before my career took me into senior football with clubs including Grays Athletic. I also had spells in Scotland with Hamilton Academical and Raith Rovers. I was always the type of player who thought about the game. I played in deeper midfield positions, captained teams and, as I got older, coaching and management felt like a natural progression. My football philosophy is quite simple. I want my teams to be difficult to play against. I

want pace, power, aggression, intensity and a front foot attitude. Above everything, I want hard working, honest people who put the team first. Talent matters, but character matters enormously to me. When I arrived at Welling in November 2025, the club was in a very difficult league position. I knew the size of the challenge, but I also knew Welling and understood its potential. We had months of hard work ahead of us, but the players and staff stayed calm, believed in what we were doing and eventually secured our place in the division. That experience gave us a foundation. We recruited young, hungry players alongside some experience, but the most important thing has been their attitude. I am demanding, and players who come here know that. I will push them, but I will also support them. That matters because you are never simply managing footballers. You are managing people. Players have injuries, suspensions, family pressures

and lives away from the pitch. I want my players to know that if they need help, they can come to me. We are a close-knit group and I care about them as people. The future of the club’s youth structure excites me enormously. Through Welling United Youth and Development and the partnership with Danson Sports, we now have a genuine opportunity to create a pathway for local boys and girls. I have already brought youngsters into first team training and given seventeenyear-olds senior opportunities. I want local players wearing that shirt because supporters can identify with them and young players can see that the pathway is real. The club officially launched its partnership with Danson Sports with plans for at least 60 youth teams. Community is just as important. I encourage the players to engage with supporters. Some fans have my phone number. I have invited supporters to watch

training. These people were here before us, and they will be here long after us. Without the fans there is no club. My favourite player has always been Roy Keane. I identify with his journey, his work ethic, his competitive spirit and his determination to maximise everything he had. He began with Cobh Ramblers in Ireland before reaching Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, where he won seven Premier League titles. I am a Celtic supporter too, so there is another connection there, but what I admire most about Keane is the standard he set. That is what I want at Welling. Work hard. Care about people. Respect the supporters. Give everything for the shirt. Welling has generations of history behind it and generations of supporters still to come. My responsibility is to make sure that while I am fortunate enough to be manager, I never forget who this club really belongs to. It belongs to them.

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KANE WHITE – MANAGING DIRECTOR, BRITANNIA BULLION – MAIN SPONSORS OF WELLING UNITED FC

“My word is my bond. What I say I’m going to do, I do. I am loyal to the bone.” Coming from a workingclass background in South London, I know what it means to start with very little and work hard to build something meaningful. I’ve never had a silver spoon in my mouth, and everything I’ve achieved has come through perseverance, determination and the values instilled in me by my family. Those same principles are at the heart of Britannia Bullion and our partnership with Welling United FC. I was born in Peckham and grew up around Belvedere and Bexleyheath. My father was an asbestos surveyor, and I started working alongside him from a very young age. My dad, uncles and grandfathers were traditional London men who taught me the importance of hard work and keeping your word. As a teenager, I remember working on a freezing rooftop in Mayfair, looking down at businessmen in suits and wondering how I could build a career in finance. That curiosity eventually led me into the precious metals industry. My journey hasn’t always been straightforward. In 2019, I suffered a serious car accident that left me in a coma for three months. Experiences like that change your perspective on life and reinforce the importance of making every opportunity count. Having helped establish several businesses in the bullion industry, I eventually founded Britannia Bullion with the ambition of building something different, a company where integrity, education and putting ordinary people first are fundamental. We specialise in physical gold and silver, helping customers understand how precious metals can form part of their financial planning. Our approach is straightforward. We sit down with people, listen to their circumstances

and explain the available options without unnecessary jargon or pressure. Unlike investments that simply track the price of gold, our customers purchase actual precious metals, which can be securely delivered to them or professionally stored. We believe people should understand what they own, the costs involved and the potential benefits and risks. My business partner, Matthew Jones, brings valuable independent market analysis to our work, strengthening our commitment to helping customers make informed decisions. Our involvement with Welling United is particularly personal. I knew the club growing up, and I have tremendous respect for Chairman Howard Prosser. He’s someone who genuinely cares about the community and wants to make a difference. I could have sponsored a bigger football club, but that was never the point. Grassroots football brings people together, gives youngsters somewhere to belong and creates opportunities that extend far beyond the pitch. My four-year-old son, Hugo Ray, absolutely loves football, and seeing him enjoying matchdays, meeting the players and taking part as a mascot reminds me why supporting clubs like Welling is so important. Ultimately, whether it’s helping hardworking families better understand their financial options or supporting young people through football, my motivation is the same. I want to give something back to the communities that helped shape me. For me, success isn’t simply about building a business. It’s about remembering where you came from, staying true to your values and creating opportunities for others. That’s what Britannia Bullion stands for, and it’s why I’m proud to stand alongside Welling United FC.

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EVERY TICKET MAKES A DIFFERENCE: WELLING UNITED FC AND ELLENOR TEAM UP FOR LOCAL HOSPICE CARE

We’re delighted to be partnering with Welling United Football Club for the 2026/27 season, bringing together two organisations with a shared passion for supporting their local community. Throughout the season, £1 from every eligible home match ticket sold will be donated to ellenor, helping to fund vital hospice care and support for local patients and their families. It’s a partnership that demonstrates how football can make a difference far beyond the final whistle. At ellenor, we provide compassionate hospice care and support to patients of all ages facing life-limiting illnesses, alongside their families. Whether that’s providing specialist care, emotional support or helping families create precious memories together, we’re there when it matters most. As a charity, we rely on the generosity of our community to continue providing this essential care. Our partnership with Welling United offers an exciting opportunity not only to raise vital funds, but

also to increase awareness of the support available to local families. Jemma Kemp, Corporate Partnerships Manager at ellenor, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to be partnering with Welling United. Football brings people together in such a special way, and knowing that every eligible home match ticket will help support local families is incredible. This partnership is about so much more than fundraising. It’s about raising awareness of hospice care, reaching people who may not know about ellenor and showing what we can achieve when a community comes together. Every ticket really does make a difference, and we’re excited to be part of the Welling United family.” Football clubs are at the heart of communities across the country, and partnerships like this highlight the positive impact the game can have beyond the pitch. By working together, we hope to inspire more people to learn about hospice care, support their local charities and recognise the difference that even the smallest contribution can make. Find out more about our work at ellenor.org.

WROXHAM FC

JAMES BLOWER CHAIRMAN

“It does feel like a special place to be.” Sometimes you become involved in a football club because you have an ambition to run one. In my case, Wroxham almost found me. Football had been part of my life from childhood. I played for my city and county before suffering a serious injury at 19 which kept me out for around five years. During that period my professional career in banking accelerated and eventually took me to Guernsey, where I became involved administratively with football and ultimately served as Director of Football for the Guernsey Football Association. Later, while living in Essex, I became Chairman of the Billericay Town Supporters Society. Wherever life took me, football seemed to follow. Wroxham was different because there was already an emotional connection. My father knew people involved historically with the club and, when he died, Wroxham contacted me to offer their condolences. When I moved back to Norfolk, I said I would come along to some games. That proved to be a dangerous promise! Before long I was helping with one thing and then another. When the chairmanship became vacant in 2023, I initially tried to help find somebody else. We didn’t find that person, and eventually I realised I might have some of the skills the club needed. I sometimes describe myself as an accidental chairman. Wroxham was going through a difficult financial period, and my immediate concern was for the people who had poured their heart and soul into the club. Volunteers had

given years of their lives to it. It didn’t seem right that they should potentially lose something they loved through no fault of their own. For me, therefore, part of this journey has been about giving back. We’ve made significant progress. Commercial income has grown considerably, we’ve worked towards becoming genuinely sustainable and, on the pitch, we’ve moved from simply surviving at Step Four towards believing we can compete near the top of it. What gives me a particular buzz is asking: how do we overachieve with what we’ve got? We don’t have the resources of some clubs, so we have to think differently and use what we do have intelligently. That extends throughout the club. We’ve strengthened the reserves and created a development side because we want a genuine pathway towards first-team football. I’m particularly proud of the progress of our women’s team. When I arrived, I didn’t feel it had received the visibility or support it deserved. We changed that. They now have their own sponsors, kit and identity and last season finished third in their league and won the

Norfolk Women’s Cup for the first time. Those things matter to me because everybody should feel they genuinely belong to Wroxham Football Club. The same principle applies to volunteers. I don’t believe everybody needs to do everything. If somebody is a brilliant graphic designer and wants to give us four hours a week from home, I’d rather let them produce brilliant work than insist they come down and perform jobs they don’t enjoy. Find what people are good at. Let them contribute. Value them. Ultimately, that’s what makes Wroxham special. Trafford Park itself has something about it. Go there when nobody is playing and it’s peaceful farmland, trees and wildlife surrounding an old football ground on the edge of the village. But a ground is only a place. The heart of Wroxham is the people who keep turning up, often giving far more than anybody could reasonably ask of them. They care passionately about this club. And the longer I’m here, the more I find myself wanting to help those people, keep those people and find a few more people just like them.

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“It’s everything to me. The people are what make Wroxham.” Wroxham has been part of my life for so long that it is difficult to separate the football club from who I am. I joined when I was 15, made my first team debut at 16 and, although my journey did not ultimately take the path I imagined as a player, somehow it brought me back to exactly where I belonged. I was football obsessed growing up and spent eight years with Norwich City’s Academy before joining Wroxham. Unfortunately, I had significant knee problems and eventually underwent four operations. By about 21 I had stopped playing altogether. I struggled with that. What I missed more than anything was the dressing room. There is something unique about football. Whatever is happening outside, when you walk into that environment you become free from the rest of the world for a while. Wroxham eventually gave me a route back. I returned as reserve team manager and, when Jamie Godbold left for Lowestoft Town, I put myself forward for the first team job. I was only 25, but I believed I could do it. The club showed faith in me, and I have never really looked back. As a manager my standards are straightforward. If we are giving our time to be here, we work hard and we do things properly. I will prepare as professionally as I possibly can, but I also want people to enjoy being part of it.

There is no room for unnecessary ego. We are in it together. I was a very young manager dealing with players who had achieved far more in football than I had, so I learned quickly that respect is something you earn. I try to earn that respect through the work I put in and through backing my players. Belief is massive for me. We often give opportunities to players coming from Step Five, Six or Seven and ask them to compete at Step Four. You cannot expect somebody making that jump to get everything right immediately. You have to coach them, give them time and show them that you believe in them. If they eventually earn an opportunity higher up the pyramid, I will never stand in

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their way. I want people to progress. We know financially there are clubs around us with greater resources, so we have to offer players something different. They have to want to become part of what we are building. Our ambition is to reach the play offs and hopefully one day earn another promotion. There is no point being involved in competitive football without ambition. But Wroxham means much more to me than league tables. As manager, I now see things I never noticed as a player. I see volunteers giving hours of their lives for nothing. I see supporters getting on the team coach with their sandwiches and giving up an entire Saturday just to watch us play. Some

people have been around this club for more than 50 years. That stays with me when we go into matches. I want us to do well for those people. My wife and my two daughters are part of the club too. They come along and are made to feel completely welcome. That family atmosphere is something you cannot manufacture with money. There are difficult days in management when you wonder why you give up so much time. Then you see what a win means to somebody who has followed Wroxham for decades and you remember. That is why I keep doing it. The people are Wroxham, and if we can give them some happiness along the way, that means everything to me.

JORDAN SOUTHGATE FIRST TEAM MANAGER,

JOE SIMPSON FIRST TEAM MANAGER, WROXHAM FC WOMEN (HARROD SPORT WOMEN’S CUP CHAMPIONS 2025/2026)

“I don’t see football as the end result. I see it as the vehicle.” There are moments in football that you simply cannot bottle. I remember watching our players after winning the County Cup, seeing girls in tears who had never won a trophy before and seeing somebody who had given eight years to the club finally experience that feeling. Those few seconds probably explain better than anything why I do this. I am Norfolk born and bred and football has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I played locally before going into the King’s Lynn Academy, had time with Norwich City and New York Red Bulls, but injuries eventually pushed me towards coaching earlier than I might have expected. Perhaps management was always there somewhere. My dad once reminded me that when I was six or seven, while other kids talked about wanting to be players, I apparently wanted to be the manager. I was incredibly fortunate with my upbringing. I come from a family of eight and had brilliant parents who did so much for us. That has shaped how I see coaching. If nothing else in life, I think you should try to be a good person, help people and give something back. That is why I do not see football as the end result. I see football as the vehicle. It can take you down incredible paths, introduce you to unbelievable people and teach you lessons that stay with you forever. A football

club can give somebody a sense of belonging and a reason for being. When you use sport properly, its power is enormous. That is certainly what I see within Wroxham Women. The commitment these players give is remarkable. Some travel around an hour and a half simply to play. They are not doing it because there are lucrative contracts waiting for them. They do it because they love football and, importantly, because they care about one another. My job is to create the best possible environment for those people to thrive. I genuinely care about the person behind the player. When I speak to somebody about joining us, sometimes we barely discuss football. I already know where she plays and what she can do. I want to know who she is, what motivates her and what makes her put those boots on every week. I would hope the players would describe me with two words: honest and caring. Tactics matter, of course, but players eventually cross that white line and the game becomes theirs. What I remember from my own career

is not necessarily individual training sessions. I remember how coaches made me feel. The best ones made you feel ten feet tall. When I became involved again with Wroxham, there was plenty of talent, but we still had work to do to become one completely connected team. Quite quickly I could sense something special developing. Different characters became aligned around the same purpose and, once people genuinely felt able to be themselves, the group began to flourish. Winning the Harrod Sport Women’s Cup at Carrow Road for Wroxham’s first silverware was incredibly emotional. Seeing so many Wroxham supporters there, watching the players celebrate and knowing what they had sacrificed to reach that moment meant everything. That is the privilege of coaching this group. Results matter, but they are never the whole story. Sometimes you get five seconds of pure joy that you cannot describe and cannot recreate anywhere else. For me, that is football. That is why I keep doing it.

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THAME UNITED FC

RICHARD CARR CHAIRMAN

“A SAFE, FUN, ENVIRONMENT!” Thame United has been part of my life for more than half a century. I first came here to watch football in around 1974 when I was seven years old. I grew up less than a mile from the old ground, played for the reserves at 16, went on to play for the first team and, all these years later, I am Chairman. But I still play as well. I play for our fifth team on Saturdays and our over 50s on Sundays because, underneath everything else, I still simply love taking part. That probably tells you a lot about how I see Thame United. Of course I want our first team to succeed. Last season we reached the play offs, and it was brilliant. We want to win football matches and progress, but I will never sacrifice the future of the wider club chasing something we cannot sustainably afford. We will sustainably chase a dream. If it happens, fantastic. If it does not, the most important thing is that Thame United is still here, serving people for generations to come. That philosophy extends throughout the club. We have around forty teams, stretching from young

children through to over 50s football. We have men, women, boys and girls playing here. On a Saturday we can have five different men’s teams playing at different levels. What I want youngsters to understand is that there should always be somewhere for them to play. Not everybody is going to become a first team footballer. Some might go even higher and that would be wonderful. But if somebody simply loves playing football, why should that journey finish at 15 or 16? If we can help them continue into adult football, make friends, remain physically active and stay connected with their community, then we have achieved something important. That is what makes me proud. Come into our clubhouse later on a Saturday and you see what I mean. Players from the other teams finish their games, have a drink and come across to watch the first team. After the match people stay. On Sundays you can have junior games everywhere, with families, volunteers, coaches and players filling the place. It feels alive. My connection with community sport came from my dad, Roger. He played

football and cricket and was always involved in helping clubs. I grew up watching that. He was chairman of the cricket club, worked on the wicket and simply got involved whenever something needed doing. I suppose that rubbed off on me. I’ve been a secretary, a chairman, cleaned toilets and marked pitches. At our level, titles do not mean much when something needs doing. We have volunteers cutting grass, watering pitches, opening gates and getting the ground ready on Saturday mornings. It is basically friends and local people who care. My son James came through the club too and now plays for the reserves, so there is something generational about our family’s relationship with Thame. Sport has given me friendships across Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire and taught me competitiveness, teamwork and how to engage with people. I think those lessons are incredibly valuable for young people today. I also want Thame to be a place visiting teams enjoy coming to. On the pitch we want to be difficult opponents. Once the whistle goes, however, people should feel welcome. We provide food after games because hospitality matters. Football should still have that social element. Ultimately this club does not belong to one chairman, one manager or one first team. It belongs to everybody who gives their time, plays here, brings their children here or simply comes through the gate. My hope is that when another generation grows up in Thame, this place is still here for them. A good, safe, fun environment for as long as possible. That, more than anything, is what I want Thame United to be.

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MARTIN PACETTI CLUB SECRETARY

“WE ARE NOW ALL ON THE SAME PAGE, ALL PUSHING IN THE SAME DIRECTION” Sometimes you become part of a football club without ever really planning it. You start by taking your son to play football on a Sunday morning and, before you know it, years have passed and the club has become an enormous part of your life. That is really how my journey with Thame United began. Football had always been there for me. I played locally until I was about 20 or 21 and I have supported West Ham since I was around ten. But my involvement in grassroots football really started when my son Oli was about eight and wanted to play. He joined a team but was not getting much football. There were other children in the same position and another parent and I felt that, at that age, youngsters should be getting the opportunity to play. So we decided to form another team. We brought together some of the children who had not been playing regularly and gave them that opportunity. We did not win every week, and sometimes we lost plenty, but that was never the important thing. They were playing football, enjoying themselves and developing. A couple of years later we moved the team to Thame, and my involvement just grew from there. I went from running the Under 10s right through to the Under 21s.

Along the way I became involved in child welfare, joined the board as a director and eventually took on the role of Club Secretary. Thame had become, in many respects, a victim of its own success. There were lots of teams and lots of players, but the infrastructure behind everything needed to catch up with that growth. Different leagues were communicating with different people within the club and there was no central point bringing everything together. I felt we needed a structure where everybody knew what was happening and we were all moving in the same direction. One of the simplest changes I made was to bring all of the football administration through one secretary email address. Everything now comes into one place, and I distribute it to whoever needs to deal with it. It sounds simple, but it means somebody has an overview of what is happening throughout the club. Rather than different sections operating independently, there is a central point connecting everything. We applied the same thinking elsewhere. Registrations, safeguarding, qualifications, policies and risk assessments all needed to be properly organised and kept up to date. This season I personally registered around 800 youth players. We also brought the club finances together so that instead of separate accounts for different sections, everything operates through one club account. None of these things are particularly glamorous. People come to watch football, not administration, but without that organisation underneath, the football cannot function properly.

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We now have around 60 teams and approximately 1,000 players and coaches involved with Thame United. When you reach that sort of size you have to make sure everybody understands that they are part of the same organisation. That idea of one club is probably the thing I am proudest of helping to develop. There was once quite a separation between the senior side and the younger sections. We have worked hard to change that. We now have mascots and much more involvement between the first team and the youngsters. I want a five-year-old joining Thame United to look at the senior players and feel that they are part of the same club. Development matters enormously to me too. That was why I helped establish an Under 21 side. Some youngsters coming out of youth football are simply not ready to step immediately into adult football, so you have to provide that bridge and give them time. Football has also given Oliand me something very special to share. Oli is now at Bath Spa University studying Sports Media Production and is involved with the media

operation at Bath City FC, where he works in social media. He has actually helped me with my photography, passing on tips and showing me some of the software he uses. There is also a little bit of friendly rivalry between us now. When the FA Cup or FA Trophy draws come around, we find ourselves looking to see whether Thame United and Bath City might end up being drawn against one another. We talk about how our teams are doing all the time, so football has remained a real connection between us even as Oli has grown up and gone to university. I take photographs at Thame, help with the websites and social media and write match reports. On a match day I can be running around doing all sorts, but I enjoy it. We are fortunate to have Ben Williams managing the first team as well. He has built a close group of players who work for one another. There is a genuine team spirit around them and reaching the play offs last season demonstrated the progress being made. When I look back, though, what strikes me is where all of this began. I was simply a dad who wanted his son, and some other children, to have the chance to play football. Years later, Oli and I are still talking about football every day. My younger daughter enjoys it too and I hope that one day I will be taking my grandchild along to a match. That is what Thame United means to me. It is not simply the first team or what happens on a Saturday afternoon. It is five-yearolds, senior players, parents, volunteers, coaches and families all belonging to something together. If I have played some part in bringing all of those people closer together and helping Thame United truly become one club, then every hour I have put into it has been worthwhile.

Images taken and supplied by Martin Pacetti

BEN WILLIAMS FIRST TEAM MANAGER AND HEAD OF COACHING AND DEVELOPMENT

“THE FIRST THING IS TEAM SPIRIT” Football has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I was constantly kicking a ball as a youngster and, even now, that love of the game is ultimately why I am still involved. There is something special about football, particularly at this level. You see people develop, you see young players grow in confidence and you see a group of individuals become a team. For me, that is one of the greatest rewards coaching can give you. My connection with Thame goes back a long way. I played here as a teenager before university and life took me elsewhere, but coaching was always where I wanted to be. I began coaching at around 16 and have spent my working life involved in football, education and player development. Before returning to Thame, I spent several years managing Aylesbury United, but this is now my fourth season here and I feel incredibly connected to the club. With the first team, my philosophy is quite simple. The first thing is team spirit. Then comes hard work, on and off the pitch, and after that I want the players to

enjoy playing football. We have built a core group rather than constantly changing personnel. Mark Riddick has played for me for many years and is our captain, while Dan West has given tremendous service to Thame. Alongside experienced players like those, we have younger players such as Harry Alexander and Finn Murray who understand what this club represents. The senior players help set the standards. I do not need to dominate the dressing room. My team talks are normally quite short because experienced players naturally take responsibility and younger players learn from them. That sense of development is increasingly important in my wider role too. This season I have become Head of Coaching and Development, helping oversee the pathway from

our Junior Premier League programme towards senior football. We have a thriving grassroots section, women and girls’ football and hundreds of people playing under the Thame United umbrella. My ambition is to make that pathway even stronger. Our JPL programme currently reaches Under 15 level, so we want to create the next stages and give talented youngsters a genuine route towards the first team. That is exciting because development has always been a passion of mine. Seeing somebody improve and fulfil their potential is every bit as satisfying as winning a football match. What makes Thame special, though, is the people. After home games the club fills with players, families, coaches and volunteers from across the different teams.

People give their time freely and everybody stops to talk. You walk into the clubhouse and feel that sense of community immediately. Football has always been about people for me, and Thame United is simply a really good place to belong.

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JOE KITCHEN SENIOR SECTION DIRECTOR AND RESERVE TEAM MANAGER, THAME UNITED FC, AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THOMLEY

“THERE’S A PLACE FOR EVERYBODY.” Football has always felt less like something I do and more like somewhere I belong. I was born and bred in Thame and played for the club at different stages as a youngster. Football has followed me through virtually every part of my life. I stepped away from the game for around five years when family life took priority, but if anything that break reminded me just how much I missed it. I could not stay away. Football gives me friendship, responsibility, purpose and a connection with people that is difficult to replace.

Coming back eventually brought me home to Thame United. I have managed one of our senior men’s teams for around seven years and now manage the reserves, sit on the board and predominantly look after the senior section, working with the managers of our senior teams. I also support our small staff team in helping the club operate effectively. Yet my involvement stretches from the senior game right down to our youngest players. I help run our under six introductory sessions and my son Jesse is now part of that age group. There is something really special about watching Jesse beginning his own football journey at the same club that has meant so much to me. It takes me back to the age when I first started playing

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and reminds me why bringing the next generation into the club matters so much. My daughter Faye has also been part of Thame United, playing in our girls section for several years. She is now concentrating on netball and has reached the stage of receiving England trials, but she remains a huge supporter and comes along to watch whenever she can. Having Jesse involved and Faye having grown up around the club makes it very much a family experience for us. Football has taught me so much about life. The friendships, commitment, responsibility and team ethic you develop through sport carry into everything else you do. I genuinely believe I would not have been as successful professionally without those experiences.

That philosophy shapes how I manage. Attitude, discipline and work are fundamental to me, but enjoyment matters just as much. I want players to enjoy coming to football, enjoy being together and enjoy improving. One of the greatest privileges I have is helping our younger players make that transition into adult football. We have lads of 16, 17 and 18 playing alongside experienced players who understand what those youngsters are going through. The older players put an arm around them after a mistake and tell them to get their head up and go again. We have already seen players progress from our fourth and fifth teams through the reserves and into the first team. Watching that happen gives me enormous satisfaction. Our county cup final summed up that spirit. We were three goals down late in the game, fought our way back and eventually won on penalties. Those young players experienced nerves, disappointment, resilience and ultimately incredible joy, all in one afternoon. Experiences like that stay with you. Away from the pitch, I help generate funding through grants and applications. Over the last two years we have received important funding supporting men’s mental health, creating football and social opportunities for men over 35. We have also secured support for our pitches, women’s football and disability football sessions. That disability work links directly with my professional role as Chief Executive of Thomley. Inclusion is something I care deeply about. I want football to be accessible to people who may otherwise struggle to find those opportunities. For me, that is where Thame United is at its best. Whether you are five or fifty five, a young player, an experienced footballer, a parent, volunteer, coach, woman, man or somebody living with a disability, I believe you should be able to walk into a community football club and find somewhere you belong. When I see Jesse starting that journey, remember Faye playing here and watch young players progressing through our senior teams, it reminds me what a football club can mean to a family and a community. There’s a place for everybody.

PAUL MCDONAGH MANAGING DIRECTOR – ASM AUTO RECYCLING | MAIN SPONSORS OF THAME UNITED FC

“It’s always the people. That’s what makes Thame United such a special place.” Football has given me so much throughout my life. It’s brought friendships, strengthened family bonds, taught me lessons I’ve carried into business and, perhaps most importantly, shown me the extraordinary things people can achieve when they come together. That’s why our relationship with Thame United means so much to me. What began as a business sponsorship opportunity some 15 years ago has become something far more personal. Our family business has its roots in scrap metal recycling, dating back to 1981. Originally based in Aylesbury, we diversified into vehicle recycling and eventually needed larger premises. Quite unexpectedly, we found an additional site in Thame and relocated our automotive recycling operation there in 2007. We had no previous connection with Thame United at that time. Then, one day, somebody arrived at our site with a brochure explaining that the club was building a new stadium. When we visited the site and shown the architects drawings, we were absolutely blown away. It was like a spaceship landing in the middle of Thame!

We took on the stadium naming rights, alongside first-team and reserveteam sponsorship, and that partnership has continued ever since. The club’s community values, inclusivity, and sustainability model very much mirrored our own values, and we’ve always strongly believed that businesses should contribute positively to the places in which they operate. Football has been part of my life since childhood. My dad, Pat, comes from Galway, and I grew up in West London supporting Manchester United (the Irish influence) and with a soft spot for QPR. I’ve played throughout my life, at school, university, started a pub team and then spent eight wonderful years coaching my son Rudy’s football team, from under-11s through to under-18s. Rudy is now 23 and football remains a wonderful connection between us. We still travel to Manchester United, QPR, and Thame games together, and those years coaching him created an unbreakable bond I’ll always treasure. My wife Jill comes from a Celtic-supporting family in the Scottish Borders. Her father, Jim Borthwick, was heavily involved in local football around the region, including Hawick Royal Albert FC. Football really does run deep through both sides of our family and I’m so grateful for the enjoyment and camaraderie that it brings us all. Those footballing experiences have also helped to shape how I approach business. ASM employs approximately 250 people from all walks of life

and across many different disciplines. Listening, showing people respect, treating them as individuals, and providing genuine opportunities and guidance are lessons I’ve taken directly from playing and coaching in football. At Thame United, what impresses me most is the people – It’s always the people! Chairman Richard Carr deserves enormous credit. He’s worked tirelessly to develop a genuine ‘one club’ mentality, bringing the senior and junior sections closer together. He’s got broad shoulders and doesn’t shirk making the more difficult decisions for the long-term best interests of the Club. Thame United is truly in his DNA and he does it totally for the love of the place. Martin Pacetti, the club secretary, is another unsung hero. The amount of ground he covers, both front and back of house, is extraordinary. And Nikki Black, who handles so much of the administration, is another phenomenal member of the team - and arguably the glue who helps hold everything together. Manager Ben Williams is also someone I admire and respect enormously. He’s got bags of experience, is emotionally intelligent and really understands how to bring people together. The atmosphere and team spirit he’s created are testament to his man management abilities. It’s also wonderful seeing youngsters such as Harry Alexander and Finn Murray progressing through the club, with older heads like

Dan West (The GOAT!) and Greg Hackett still on board and supporting the next generation on their Thame United journeys. The players families and the numerous volunteers contribute so much to the matchday experience, and it’s great seeing parents staying to watch the first team, youngsters getting involved, and people enjoying a drink together in the clubhouse afterwards. That’s community football at its very best. As a company, we very much believe in “doing our bit” for the local community. Amongst other things, we sponsor the local fireworks, provide the town’s Christmas tree, support the rugby club, as well as numerous other community activities and charity organisations – especially The Florence Nightingale Hospice. If everyone was to do their bit, then we’d undoubtedly live in a much better world. Looking back, finding Thame was completely unexpected, yet it has resulted in giving our family business a wonderful home and introduced us to a football club full of remarkable people. We’re super-proud to have played a small part in the TUFC journey, but the real credit belongs to Richard, Ben, Martin, Nikki and every volunteer who gives their time so generously. For me, Thame United represents everything that’s beautiful about grassroots football: friendship, family, belonging, and people genuinely caring for one another. Long may that continue.

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SWINDON SUPERMARINE FC 54

“You cannot really describe it until you set foot through the door.” JEZ WEBB CHAIRMAN

“I am a big believer in leading from the bottom.” Everything I believe about leadership probably began long before I ever walked into Swindon Supermarine Football Club. My heroes were my mum and dad. We were a farming family, and I remember them working incredibly hard in good weather and bad. We did not have much money. We lived in an old, thatched house and I can still remember my mum washing up wearing a headscarf because the roof leaked. Even as a boy of ten or eleven, I had enormous respect for them. They were modest, kind people who worked for everything they had. They taught me to appreciate what you have, remain grounded and never think you are more important than anybody else. Those values have followed me into business and football.

I grew up around five miles from Swindon and was a very average footballer. I have always joked that my playing ability was probably around Step Ten, but I loved the game. Before Supermarine I spent a couple of years playing charity football with people from the racing world, including AP McCoy and John Francome. We travelled around the country raising money for different charities. The football was enjoyable, but what stayed with me was the camaraderie. My journey into Supermarine happened almost accidentally. I own a builder’s merchants and one of my best customers had a son playing for the club. He asked whether I would sponsor him and put an advertising board up at the ground. I went along and immediately felt something. It was family orientated. There was camaraderie everywhere and people genuinely looked out for each other. I fell in love with the place. Within a year I had bought the land when it became available and in 2012 I became chairman. Since then, I have tried to keep investing in the club and its future. We developed the Swindome indoor facility, with tremendous assistance

WEBBS BUILDERS MERCHANTS are proud sponsors of Swindon Supermarine F.C.

‘’Good luck for the remainder of the 2026/27 season’’

from the Football Foundation, because facilities like that can benefit football while also producing income that helps maintain and improve the club. But buildings are not what make Supermarine special. People do. Over fourteen years I have watched friendships form around that football ground. I have seen older supporters arrive every week and build relationships that extend far beyond ninety minutes on a Saturday. A good friend of mine who works in sports psychology at Brentford once made a wonderful observation. The result people are waiting for around the barriers at Supermarine can mean every bit as much to them emotionally as a Manchester City result means to one of their supporters. People underestimate how important football clubs become in somebody’s life. That is why culture matters enormously to me. I believe leadership should come from the bottom as much as the top. If a 17-yearold joins the club, I want experienced people asking what he thinks and listening to him. I do not believe leadership is about shouting or bossing people around. I also make mistakes. I am happy to admit that in front of people. When a leader owns a mistake, other people become comfortable saying, “That was my fault.” You create honesty rather than fear. Bobby Wilkinson understands that completely. He puts his arm around young players, values volunteers and makes people feel part of the same team. He will even phone somebody who sold raffle tickets on a Saturday

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just to thank them for helping. That matters to me. I had considered stepping back as chairman because of commitments elsewhere, but circumstances changed and I agreed to continue for another season. Perhaps there is still something I am meant to do here. Supermarine carries wonderful history through its association with the Spitfire and the people who worked in that industry. There is enormous pride in the badge. But when I think about what makes this club special, I always return to something much simpler. It is kindness. It is friendliness. It is people looking out for one another. Those are the values my mum and dad gave me when I was a boy. And fourteen years after walking through the doors of Swindon Supermarine, they are still the values I see looking back at me.

BOBBY WILKINSON MANAGER

“I build football clubs. I build a family togetherness, and it takes time.” Football has been part of my life for as long as I can remember, but the older I get, the more I realise that the real value of the game is not simply in winning. It is in people, relationships and the things you build together. I am a winner and I make no apology for that. When I am on the touchline, that is my office and I am there to win. But when the final whistle goes, I am a husband, a dad, a son and a friend. My wife has been beside me for 25 years and has supported this journey through every high and low. My three children are my best mates. They keep me grounded and, whatever happens in football, my family comes first. One of my proudest moments came recently when my son Lucas made his debut for me and scored on his 18th birthday. As a dad, moments like that go beyond football. I have also experienced loss that changed the way I see life. I lost my brother and it is something that still affects me deeply. If I could have one more day with him, I would give almost anything for it. It taught me that life is short and that people matter. I never want to become someone who forgets that. That philosophy follows me into every football club. People might imagine my proudest moments are promotions or trophies, but often they are not. They are leaving a club and still being in contact with the people years later. At Hungerford, Wealdstone, Bracknell and Weymouth, I tried to create that togetherness. That is what I am building again at Swindon Supermarine. I came here because of Jez Webb. I had known Jez for around ten years through bringing teams here for pre-season games and I trusted him. I knew what he had built, I knew the quality of the facilities and, most importantly, I believed he would allow me to manage. When he called, that relationship mattered. The club had just been relegated and needed rebuilding. It was never going to happen overnight. My approach has been to lay one brick at a time: reconnect the football club, raise standards, develop young players and make people feel part of something again. Developing players has always meant a lot to me.

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I first came across Femi Azeez as a young player at Wealdstone and recognised something in him. Seeing young men like that progress through the game is enormously rewarding because management should also be about helping people fulfil their potential. My standards, though, are non-negotiable. Punctuality, work ethic, honesty and respect matter to me. So does being prepared to listen. I make mistakes, but I am prepared to make them because I am prepared to learn. Brian McDermott has become an important mentor to me, and one of the biggest lessons I have learned is that asking somebody you trust for advice is not weakness. It is strength. Respect also extends to the people supporters may never see. I message volunteers and staff to thank them. When we play away, we leave the changing room clean because somebody else has to clean it if we do not. Nobody is beneath anybody else. I have been fortunate enough to learn around people such as Brendan Rodgers, Brian McDermott and Jaap Stam, but I do not want to be Pep Guardiola, José Mourinho or anybody else. I am Bobby Wilkinson. I will do it my way. The ambition

is still burning. I want to take Swindon Supermarine forward and help young players become the best versions of themselves. But underneath all of that ambition is something much simpler. You do not need millions to be happy. You need a bit of love — and you have to be prepared to give a little bit of love out as well. For me, that is football at its best. It is family, trust, connection and belonging. If I can win football matches while helping build something people genuinely care about, then I know I am doing the job the right way.

GRAHAM MUNDY, FOUNDER AND COMPANY DIRECTOR, MUNDY GROUNDWORK LIMITED, SPONSOR OF SWINDON SUPERMARINE FC

Swindon Supermarine has been part of my family’s life for a long time, so being in a position today where I can give something back to the club means a great deal to me. I am Swindon born and bred and football has always been part of my life. I played myself to a decent level when I was younger, although I probably did not always make the most of my ability. I was a little troublesome in those days and sometimes had other things occupying my attention. Life moves on though, and becoming a dad

gave football a completely different meaning for me. I have three boys, Bobby, Brody and Albie, and all three started playing at Supermarine when they were around five years old. Bobby is now 13, Brody is 11 and Albie is 10. Two of them have also experienced the Swindon Town youth academy system, with Albie playing a year above his age group. Watching them develop through football has been brilliant. Supermarine is a very family orientated club, and I have seen first hand what that environment can give young people. It is not simply about producing footballers. It gives children somewhere to belong, friendships, confidence and memories. That is a big part of why Mundy Groundwork supports the club today, including some of the youth teams. I started the business in 2019, and we have grown to around 70 people, working across groundworks and civil engineering. As the business has become established, I have always felt that if you are fortunate enough to be in a position to help your local community, you should do it. There are similarities between running a business and football as well. I have always had a competitive mindset, but good

management is also about respect. If you treat people properly and earn their respect, you generally get the best from them. Whether it is employees or footballers, people want to feel part of something. I have also known Chairman Jez Webb for several years and have a lot of respect for him. He works incredibly hard, gives back to the community and genuinely cares about the club.

I sponsor other teams, but there is something particularly personal about Supermarine. You get that family feeling and that personal touch. For me it comes back to Bobby, Brody and Albie. They grew up playing football here and loving the club. Being able to support something that has given my own family so much is not really about sponsorship. It is simply about giving something back.

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FINLAY GILDING REGIONAL SALES DIRECTOR, TAYLOR MAXWELL SPONSOR OF SWINDON SUPERMARINE FC

“There’s no facade. They’re good people with a clear vision, and that’s infectious.” For me, sport has always been about far more than what happens on the pitch. It is about respect, teamwork, friendship and being there for each other, particularly when times are difficult. Those are values I grew up with through rugby and they are exactly what I have found at Swindon Supermarine. I am originally from Plymouth and have always been a huge sports fan. Rugby was my main sport and I played a lot growing up in the South West before moving to Edinburgh and having a crack at playing at a higher level. Rugby taught me from a young age about respect. You compete fiercely, but afterwards you shake hands, spend time together and remember that the person opposite you deserves the same respect

you expect yourself. My relationship with Supermarine developed through business. Taylor Maxwell had been supplying Webb’s Builders Merchants for several years when I got to know Jez Webb. We immediately got on extremely well and, after a few social occasions together, Jez invited me to Supermarine as a match sponsor. I did not have a great deal of experience of non-league football at that point, but from the first time I walked through the gate I was hooked. I remember looking around at the pitch, the facilities and everything surrounding the club and thinking, where has this place been hiding? More importantly, it was the people. Jez is an incredibly welcoming person. He genuinely goes above and beyond for his guests. On one occasion my wife Ellie came along with our twins when Taylor Maxwell were match sponsors. Jez made such a fuss of Ellie and the children and made sure we were all looked after. It turned what could simply have been a corporate sponsorship

day into a lovely family experience. That tells you a lot about him and about the culture he has helped create. Taylor Maxwell is a national business, but those same sporting values are important within our own teams. I would never ask someone who works for me to do something I would not be prepared to do myself. I believe in leading from the front, playing to people’s strengths and supporting each other. Inevitably times can be challenging at times and that is when you discover what a team really means. When the chips are down, do people walk away, or do they bite

down on the gum shield and get on with it together? I have been incredibly proud of the response from our people during these times. That is why Supermarine resonates with me. There is an authenticity about the place. There is no facade. People are welcoming, they have a clear vision, and they genuinely enjoy being together. Sometimes life and work can be intense. You arrive at Supermarine, leave those pressures at the gate, have a laugh with good people and enjoy some really good football. For me, that sense of belonging is what sport should always be about.

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WINCHESTER CITY FC

“If we are the custodians of the club, it’s got to be the best version of itself.”

“It’s a real privilege to be Chairman of Winchester City FC but it comes with a heavy responsibility. Founded in 1884 the club has a long history, and my role is to continue to push the club forward like those before me knowing one day I’ll pass the baton to somebody else.” I don’t see Winchester City as something I own. I see it as something I have been trusted to look after. Football clubs belong to generations. They belong to volunteers, parents on touchlines, youngsters pulling on new boots and supporters who turn up through good seasons and difficult ones. My role is to be a custodian in this moment and, when the time comes, leave the club in a better place than I found it. I was born in Blyth, Northumberland, and sport was always part of my life. I played football and rugby before coming south to university in Winchester. My deeper involvement came through my children. My sons Ollie and Josh both came through the Winchester set-up, and like many parents I started by helping out, then found myself coaching and eventually joining the junior club. When the opportunity arose to take responsibility for Winchester City, I initially said no. Financially, the club was in a difficult place and the task was daunting. Eventually, however, there comes a point where you either stand back

or accept responsibility. I chose the latter, surrounded myself with good people and built a plan. That plan has never simply been about the first team. The first team matters enormously, but a football club needs to be much more than eleven players on a Saturday. We want Winchester City to connect with its community, provide opportunities for boys and girls, work with the University of Winchester and create a pathway from youth football into the senior game. For me, our responsibility to young players goes beyond making them better footballers. Very few will become professionals, but every one of them can leave us a better young person. We have to create safe environments, set standards, teach resilience and allow people to make mistakes. That is why the pathway matters. We deliberately created an Under-23 structure to bridge the gap between youth and first-team football. Seeing young players progress into Craig Davis’s first team gives me enormous pride. Craig understands that philosophy completely, and Warren Bentley who has recently taken on the U23’s has helped strengthen that connection. Ambition matters to me too. I don’t think it is a dirty word. But ambition has to be purposeful and sustainable. The artificial pitch, clubhouse improvements and wider use of the stadium are about creating a genuine community hub throughout the week. There have been difficult moments. Relegation hurt. Missing out in the play-offs hurt. But leadership is easy when everything is going well. It matters most when something goes wrong. You accept what happened, learn from it and ask: what is our plan now? And through all those moments, the thing

that continually brings me back to why Winchester City matters is the people. Our volunteers are the lifeblood and the glue of this club. The children, parents, coaches, supporters and staff give the place its character. Non-league football is authentic because people can stand beside the pitch, meet the players and genuinely feel part of something. If we can protect that authenticity, add ambition and purpose, and create a club where people feel safe, welcome and proud to belong, then I believe we are doing our job. One day I will pass the baton on. When I do, I hope Winchester City is stronger, more sustainable and more connected than when I arrived. That, for me, would be success.

FOOTBALL FOCUS MAGAZINE

“It is a great community club.” JOHN MCLAREN CLUB SECRETARY

“We’re just custodians, aren’t we, passing through?” Football has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up in Didcot, where my dad played for Didcot Town and worked on the railway. He took me to non-league football, and I also spent my teenage years getting the train to Highbury with my mates to watch Arsenal. We thought we were completely independent, although I discovered later

that Dad had quietly arranged for railway friends to keep an eye on us, all the way there and back. At 16 I joined the Army and spent 12 years in the forces. Sport remained important throughout that time. I played football at regimental level, ran cross country and learned lessons about resilience, teamwork and solving problems that stayed with me long after I left. I moved to Winchester in the late 1980s because my then girlfriend, now my wife Gill, was at university here. I played for Winchester Castle for a few seasons before work and family took over. I became self-employed and spent more than 20 years running businesses, and looking back I can see how much the mentality I learned through sport and the Army helped me. Football eventually brought me back through my youngest son, Archie. He showed an aptitude for the game at primary school age, so I took him to Winchester City Youth and asked whether he could join. The answer was yes, provided I managed a team. I completed my FA Level One qualification, started an Under 8 side and coached Archie all the way through to Under 18 with my great friend Dave Collins.

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By 2018 or 2019 I was secretary of Winchester City Youth and Ken Raisbeck was chairman. We were approached about bringing the youth and senior sections together, and that changed the direction of the club. We inherited challenges, particularly financially, so our focus became sustainability. We wanted a 3G pitch, stronger crowds, better community engagement and a club that lived within its means. Today the facility is busy throughout the week, average gates have roughly doubled from around 200 to around 400, and the club is in a much stronger position. What pleases me most is what sits underneath the first team. We have hundreds of young players, an Under 23 side and a genuine pathway into senior football. This season five of our Under 18 players have been involved with the first team, with one on contract. Craig Davis, the Winchester City manager for 10 years now, deserves enormous credit for trusting

young players and giving them that opportunity. Our new relationship with the University of Winchester is another exciting development. Students now gain genuine real world experience working within the club, and our SEND football provision is equally important. It is more demanding to resource properly, but it is the right thing to do. There is ambition to win promotion, and we believe the facilities and infrastructure are ready if that opportunity comes. But ambition has to sit alongside responsibility. For me, Winchester City is special because of the community ethic and the numerous volunteers who give their time simply because they care. Our volunteers work incredibly hard for something bigger than themselves. That is how I see our role too. None of us owns the history of this club. We are simply custodians, passing through, trying to leave it stronger for whoever comes next.

CRAIG DAVIS FIRST TEAM MANAGER

“Leave your ego at the door. The team is everything and play with a smile on your face.” Some of my earliest and happiest memories are connected to football, and when I look back, the people at the centre of them are my family. My mum and dad never pressured me. They simply loved seeing how much enjoyment football gave me. They drove me to games; made sure I could take every opportunity and supported me wherever the game took me. My brother was a few years older, and we would play together in the garden. We were a football family and Southampton supporters, and those foundations have stayed with me throughout my life. I was fortunate enough to become a professional at Cardiff City before moving into non-league football with clubs including Bashley, Salisbury and AFC Totton. Management arrived relatively early. I had always been a captain and probably thought beyond my own role as a player, so when an opportunity arose at Fleet Town, I took it. I discovered very quickly that I loved management, probably even more than playing! My philosophy has barely changed since. The team has to be the winner. When somebody walks into our dressing room, I want them to leave their ego at the door. Individual confidence is important, but ultimately the badge on the front matters more than any individual. I also want players to be coachable. Whether you are 18 or 35, there should always be a willingness to listen, learn and improve. And perhaps most importantly, I want people playing with a smile on their face. That puts responsibility on me and my staff too. We have to create an environment where players

want to come to training, want to improve and enjoy being part of Winchester City. If people are happy, connected and working for one another, I believe you get more from them. That belief extends into developing young players. I am incredibly passionate about giving people opportunities. Last season we gave five youth-team players first-team football, and that means more to me than simply collecting youth trophies. Lewis Brown established himself around the senior side, Wilf Hawes was involved in our playoff squad, and youngsters continue to come through. We also attract young players who may not be receiving opportunities elsewhere. Development does not have to mean somebody has been with you since they were ten years old; sometimes it means seeing potential in a young man, believing in him and actually putting him on the pitch. Joe Cook is a great example from earlier in my time here. Seeing somebody develop at Winchester and eventually progress into the National League is enormously satisfying. Those journeys are part of why I manage. Behind all of that is a football club that allows us to work this way. Ken Raisbeck, John McLaren and the board understand what we are trying to build. Even during difficult periods there has been support rather than panic. That trust matters enormously to a manager. I recently reached 400 competitive games in charge of Winchester. In an era where managerial tenures can be short, that means a tremendous amount to me. But when you ask what makes Winchester special, my answer is not really about results. It is the people. It is the volunteer’s serving food, the board, the staff, the players and supporters whose loyalty is incredible. There is a genuine sense that we are all in this together. People leave sometimes and many find their way back because, once you have been inside this club, you understand what it is. After nearly a decade here, I still feel every defeat deeply and still chase that wonderful feeling that comes with winning. But underneath all of that pressure is something much simpler. I love this football club. I don’t really want to be anywhere else.

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CHARLOTTE CHANDLER EVENTS & COMMERCIAL MANAGER

“It’s not just the footballing community — it’s wider than that. It’s bigger than that.” For some people, a football club might be the one place during their week where they come out, meet somebody, have a conversation on the touchline and feel that they belong. That matters to me. Football is obviously at the heart of Winchester City, but what excites me is what a club can become when it genuinely opens its doors. It can be somewhere for families, businesses, other sports and people who simply need somewhere to connect with others. I joined Winchester in December, looking after events, the bar, commercial activity and our media operation. In non-league football you inevitably wear several hats, but I love that. Part of my role was about developing new revenue streams and helping make the facilities sustainable, but I also realised very quickly that I had an opportunity to build on a wonderful existing legacy. A lovely example is our new relationship with Winchester parkrun. I heard they had lost access to basic facilities and thought: we’re here, our doors are open, so what can we do to help? Their route finishes virtually

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beside us, so it made perfect sense to offer access to our toilets, running water and tea hut. To me, that is exactly what a community sports club should do. It is not always about asking, “What’s in it for us?” Sometimes it is simply recognising that you have something which can help somebody else. That same philosophy shapes how I approach our commercial partners. I never want sponsorship to mean somebody gives us a cheque at the beginning of the season and hears from us again twelve months later. I want to understand their business, what matters to them and how we can support them in return. When a sponsor supports Winchester City, they become part of our community. If they put their trust in us and we put our trust in them, supporters begin to recognise them as trusted local brands. The strongest sponsorships are relationships, not transactions. For me, transparency and communication are absolutely key. Put your cards on the table, talk to people and build relationships based on mutual respect. The facilities now give us an extraordinary opportunity to broaden what Winchester City means. Football remains central, but the club can also become somewhere people use throughout the week rather than simply for ninety minutes on a Saturday. Ultimately, that brings me back to belonging. Sport is a universal language. People bond through it, friendships develop and confidence grows. Sometimes somebody simply needs somewhere they can come, have a chat and get out of their own head for a while. If Winchester City can be that place — somewhere welcoming, trusted and connected to the people around us — then I think we are creating something much bigger than football.

BISHOPS CLEEVE FC

Building For Step Three – The Mitres Set Their Sights High

CLIVE RAWLINGS CHAIRMAN

“My heart is in it… it’s in my DNA really.” Coming back to Bishop’s Cleeve has felt like completing a circle in my life. I moved here as a five-yearold, played in the first Cleeve Colts side more than half a century ago, and many of the friendships I made through football have stayed with me ever since. Now, having returned to the area and taken on the chairmanship, I feel a real responsibility to help move the club forward while protecting what makes it special. The last two seasons have given us plenty to be proud of. We reached the Southern League Division One South play-offs in consecutive years, but lost in the semi-finals on both occasions. Naturally there was disappointment, but we regrouped quickly. Rather than react emotionally or chase short-term success, we have tried to put a proper strategy behind our ambition.

Our aim is simple: Step Three within three years. To give ourselves the best chance, we have increased the first team’s contact time, adding a second weekly training session, and we are introducing more data into how we assess individual and team performance. We are also building a stronger local pathway. Alongside our long-standing relationship with Cleeve Colts, we have created a talent centre and Junior Premier League structure for young players, with the intention of feeding them through our under-18s, development and reserve teams and, ultimately, into Paul Collicutt’s first team. That matters to me because Paul and I go back a long way. We were both among the first Cleeve Colts players, alongside people such as Andrew Dudfield, Bob Styman, Mark Hill and Tim Bayliffe. To find ourselves all these years later still connected to football in the same community is something quite special. I have seen throughout my life what team sport can give people. I trained first as a teacher and later spent many years at the Bar, and the lessons football taught me discipline, teamwork, compromise, confidence and dealing with different personalities helped me enormously professionally. Later, while living near London, I became heavily involved with Hoddesdon Town Youth, so grassroots football has followed me throughout my life.

But Bishops Cleeve is about far more than the men’s first team. We have development and youth football, women’s and girls’ football, disability provision, walking football and mental-health programmes. That breadth is what makes me proudest. A football club should be a place where people belong. We also want our progress to be sustainable. There are examples in football of money arriving quickly and disappearing just as fast. That is not the route we want. We want to grow revenues, improve facilities, strengthen the playing budget sensibly and build something that will still be thriving long after any one individual has moved on. I suppose that is why this role means so much to me. People gave their time to me when I was young; coaches and volunteers helped create friendships and memories that have lasted a lifetime. Now I have the opportunity to give something back. My heart is in Bishops Cleeve because, quite simply, it is in my DNA.

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DAVID WALKER PRESIDENT

“It’s given me a good reason to get up in the morning and get on with things.” There are football clubs you support, and then there are clubs that become part of the rhythm of your life. Bishops Cleeve has been that for me for more than four decades. I first came here as a player in 1981 and, although life took me away for a period, I eventually came back and never really left. I grew up locally and football was always a huge part of my life. I started with Cheltenham Town’s reserves, played for Gloucester City and spent around ten or eleven years with Forest Green Rovers before joining Bishops Cleeve at the age of 34. I kept playing until I was 54, even turning out occasionally for the third team while we were developing the facilities at Kayte Lane.

There was a period when I stepped away from football to care for my first wife when she developed cancer. When I returned to Cleeve in the mid-1990s, the club had been through a difficult time. Stoke Road had gone, there had been years of groundsharing and Kayte Lane was little more than a field. Dave Lewis, who had done so much to keep the club going, asked me to come back and help. I became chairman in 1996 and held the role for 29 years. Looking back, perhaps the thing I am proudest of is seeing the club grow from those difficult beginnings into what it is today. Kayte Lane was built up piece by piece. There were financial pressures and plenty of difficult decisions along the way, but there were far more positive outcomes than negative ones. The football has changed enormously too. The standard of non-league football is higher, the coaching is more sophisticated and the information available to managers is incredible compared with my playing days. But what I value most is that it still feels close to people. It remains affordable, accessible and connected to its community. That community side has become increasingly important to us. We now have men’s, women’s and youth football, disability provision and a thriving walking football

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section. We started walking football with eight players and it has grown to around 60 registered players across different age groups. We are trying to provide a pathway where somebody can remain connected with football almost throughout their life. After 29 years as chairman, I was delighted to hand the role to Clive Rawlings and become club president. I am approaching 80, but the enthusiasm is still there. I can step back from some of the difficult decisions now while remaining involved in the parts of the club I love. For me, Bishops Cleeve is special because it gives people somewhere to belong. Some volunteer, some play and some simply come for the football, a chat, a beer and a burger. The club gives something to the community and the community gives something back. After all these years, that is still what makes it worthwhile.

Rooted In Cleeve, Driven To Keep Winning

PAUL COLLICUTT FIRST TEAM MANAGER

“There’s nothing like a winning feeling. Nothing like it.” Some football clubs become part of you long before you ever think about managing them. Bishops Cleeve is that club for me. I used to get on my bike as a boy and cycle down to Stoke Road to watch

them play. I got to know the people around the club, I played in the first Cleeve Colts side, and more than 50 years later some of those same friendships are still part of my life. I came to Bishops Cleeve from Stratford-upon-Avon when I was 10 and football quickly became everything to me. I played for the local school and county sides and, at 14, was spotted by Bristol City scouts after playing for Cheltenham Schools against Bristol Schools. I signed for City and spent two seasons there. Looking back, I was football-mad. I would play for school on a Saturday morning, travel to play again in the afternoon and then turn out locally on the Sunday. I loved every minute of it. My playing career took me to clubs including Trowbridge Town, Cheltenham Town, Gloucester City, Forest Green Rovers and Newport. I was fortunate enough to captain Trowbridge to promotion and later captain Cheltenham to the Southern League title and promotion to the Alliance

Premier League. Those experiences shaped me. I learned what winning feels like, what good managers give to players and, equally, what I did not want to carry into management myself. My philosophy is quite simple: I try to treat players the way I would have wanted to be treated. Football is there to be enjoyed. People come through the gate to be entertained, and the best way to entertain them is to win games and score goals. Even now, after all these years, matchday still turns my stomach. When we score, I celebrate. When things go wrong, I feel it. That passion has never disappeared. My first spell managing Cleeve lasted many years and took the club into the Southern League. We eventually went our separate ways, and I had five good years managing Evesham United, but football has a funny way of bringing you home. When I was asked to return to Bishops Cleeve in 2020, it was an easy decision. I still lived in the village, and

the ground was five minutes from my door. Since coming back, we have won promotion again and established ourselves at a level where we are now facing clubs such as Weymouth and Dorchester. We have also created memories that will stay with me forever. Beating Torquay United 3–0 in the FA Cup was one of those days. I will never forget it. What makes it even more special is sharing this journey with people like chairman Clive Rawlings. Clive and I played together for Cleeve Colts as youngsters, and there are still several of that group coming to home games today. To see what the club and the Colts have become is incredible. Football has given me friendships, memories, disappointments, joy and a sense of belonging that has lasted a lifetime. I started here as a boy watching from the touchline. All these years later, I am still here trying to win football matches for the same community. There really is nothing like that winning feeling.

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NIGEL GREEN SECRETARY

“We welcome everybody in.” Football has a wonderful habit of taking you somewhere you never expected to go. My own journey into the game was slightly different because I wasn’t a player — I became a referee at 21. I could never have imagined then that decades later I would find another footballing home at Bishops Cleeve and still be here 18 seasons on. I refereed for 26 years and reached a good level within the game. Refereeing taught me a lot about people and probably calmed me down as a person. You have to learn self-control because you cannot react every time somebody disagrees with you. My approach became very simple: there are two teams in front of you, and you do your job honestly. What I loved most was the people and the camaraderie. We had a strong Referees’ Association where people met regularly, talked about matches and helped one another through problems. That sense of belonging has probably followed me throughout football. When my refereeing career ended, I was asked to become secretary at Stourport Swifts and spent around eight years there. My eventual move to Bishops Cleeve came almost by accident. We needed a goalkeeper, our manager contacted Paul Collicutt at Cleeve, and I went to complete the paperwork. What should have been a five-minute visit turned into a two-hour conversation. By the end of that season, I had joined Bishops Cleeve — and I’ve been here ever since. That is football sometimes.

One conversation changes the direction of your life. Over the years I have come to appreciate how important strong relationships are at this level. People such as Paul, David Walker and Clive Rawlings have deep connections with the club and the area. Everybody brings something different, but ultimately, we all want Bishops Cleeve to continue moving forward. That includes strengthening the relationship between senior and youth football. We want young players from Bishops Cleeve and the surrounding communities to develop within a structure where there is a consistent philosophy: learn the game, play it properly and enjoy it. Yes, we want to win, but not at all costs. We want to win by playing the right way. There is ambition here too. Moving from Step Four to Step Three would require further improvements around the ground and increased responsibilities for spectator safety. We want to be ready for that progression, hopefully before the team gets there. But what defines Bishops Cleeve for me is something simpler. We welcome people. We want visiting teams, directors, supporters and match officials to feel comfortable here. We want children and families to feel safe. We want people to enjoy some food, have a drink, talk football and feel they have been treated properly. After 18 seasons, that still matters enormously to me. Football brought me here almost by accident. Somewhere along the way, Bishops Cleeve became home.

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SAM BODEN, FOSSE GROUP POWERED BY DOJO, SPONSOR OF BISHOP’S CLEEVE FC

“It is all about the relationship.” Sometimes a football club gradually becomes part of your family without you ever really planning it. I am originally from Leicester and have lived around Bishop’s Cleeve for more than 14 years. Leicester City will always be my team, and I have always joked with my children that they can make their own choices in life, but supporting Leicester was not one of them. My son Dylan is 14 and absolutely loves football. My daughter Zara is eight and has other interests, but that is actually one of the things I enjoy about Bishop’s Cleeve. Dylan can watch the football while Zara can move around, see other children and enjoy being somewhere she feels comfortable. It feels like a community rather than simply somewhere you go to watch a match. My relationship with the club originally came through business. Fosse Group works with Dojo and provides payment solutions, particularly within hospitality. Cleeve wanted to modernise

its systems and make the bar operation quicker. I went down expecting to talk about payment terminals and somehow ended up helping Kim put up a marquee in the wind for about three hours. We barely discussed card machines that afternoon, but in many ways that experience summed up the club perfectly. The relationship grew from there. We modernised the payment systems and helped reduce queues, while Clive, Dave, Kim and others at the club went out of their way to help my business too. That means a lot to me because I have learned that good business is fundamentally about relationships. I became self employed in 2016. Perhaps some of that entrepreneurial instinct came from my dad, because he was always self employed himself. A major turning point came when my wife’s parents had a place in Greece and we decided to spend several months there before Dylan started school. My relationship with the company I worked for changed and I found myself sitting at a beach bar with a blank piece of paper thinking, right, perhaps I can do this myself. That first business became

successful before Covid brought that chapter to a very difficult end. It was time to start again. It was painful, but it also taught me something I now tell Dylan and Zara. Life is not about never failing. Sometimes you take an educated risk, learn from what happens and go again.

I knew virtually nothing about payments when I first became involved with Dojo, but it turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made. Today I work with hundreds of locations around the country. The product has to be good, but ultimately it is all about the relationship. That is exactly what I see at Bishop’s Cleeve. They understand that football has to be financially sustainable, but they have retained that genuine community spirit. Sponsors are not simply people who hand over money. You feel welcomed into the Cleeve family. One of my favourite memories captures that perfectly. We sponsored a match and Dylan was there with me. My brother had flown over from Australia, where he has lived around Sydney’s Northern Beaches for about 15 years, and my dad came along too. Three generations of our family, together at our local football club. That is when sponsorship becomes something much more personal. For me, supporting Bishop’s Cleeve is about giving something back to the place where my family lives, while becoming part of something genuine. When I can stand there with my dad, my brother and Dylan, with Zara knowing it is a place where she is welcome too, it reminds me that the things which matter most in business, football and life are usually the same things: family, community and the relationships we build along the way.

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ED WHITTLE, FRESH CLEAN CHELTENHAM, SPONSOR OF BISHOP’S CLEEVE FC

“…communicate, interact and build team spirit.” Some of my happiest memories of Bishop’s Cleeve go back to watching my daughter Eleanor play football there as a youngster. We moved to Cleeve from Cheltenham and live close enough to walk across the fields to the club. Eleanor became involved with Cleeve Colts and that was when I began to understand that this was much more than a first team playing on a Saturday. There were volunteers everywhere, coaching children through different age groups, driving them to games and giving their time because they wanted young people to have somewhere to belong. Eleanor played for around four or five years. I still remember one season when her team came through a difficult campaign and finished strongly. The club organised a celebration for them, including a limousine and a meal, and she still has her little trophy. I used to tell her that when life becomes difficult, remember what it felt like to achieve something together as a team. She is now a paramedic, and I like to think some of those lessons about teamwork, responsibility and supporting other people stayed with her. That is why community sport matters.

Young people spend so much time today around phones and screens. At a football, cricket or rugby club you have to communicate. You have to interact with people, understand teammates and become part of something. My relationship with Cleeve eventually developed into sponsorship through my business, Fresh Clean Cheltenham. I saw the club asking locally for help with painting and cleaning. Carpet and upholstery cleaning is what I do, so I contacted them and simply said, tell me what you need. I met Kim, Clive, Dave and others around the club and immediately felt the difference. There was a genuine conversation and a sense that they wanted people to become part of what they were building. When they asked me to price some work, I suggested something different. Rather than taking money from the club, put a board up for Fresh Clean and I would contribute work whenever I could.

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It became an ongoing relationship, and our name now also appears on the shirt sleeve. For me, that is what sponsorship should feel like. I get some visibility for my business, but I also get the satisfaction of helping a club that serves the community where I live. Football has changed enormously, but places like Bishop’s Cleeve still preserve something important.

They give people somewhere to meet, somewhere to contribute and somewhere young people can learn to be part of a team. When I think back to Eleanor running around there as a girl, and look at the person she has become today, that means far more to me than anything you could ever put on an advertising board.

“WE ARE A COMMUNITY CLUB THAT HAPPENS TO HAVE A FIRST TEAM.”

BOTTESFORD TOWN FC

TONY REEVE CLUB CHAIRMAN

“IF YOU AIN’T GOT THE PASSION, YOU CAN’T PUT THE TIME AND EFFORT IN.” There are football clubs you become involved with, and then there are football clubs that slowly become part of your life. Bottesford Town has certainly become part of mine. I was born in Norwich and eventually moved to Scunthorpe through my work with British Steel. My background was in engineering and that experience proved invaluable when I became involved with Bottesford, because running and developing a community football club requires planning, patience and the ability to bring people together. I have now been Chairman for around three decades. It is difficult to step away because you develop a genuine passion for the place. There is hardly a day when I am not doing something connected with Bottesford Town. I played football myself when I was younger and reached around county level before eventually stopping in my early thirties. Football never really left me though. I became involved at Bottesford through a friend I had played alongside, initially helping with the senior team

before becoming Chairman of the wider club. One of the most important moments in our history came in 2000 when the junior and senior sections came together as one organisation. That changed the identity of Bottesford Town. For me, we are not simply a first team with some junior sides underneath it. We are a community club that happens to have a first team. That distinction matters. We provide football from the youngest age groups through under 18, under 21, development and senior football. We also have girls and women’s football and an inclusive section which has become one of the things I am proudest of. Our Special Olympics players recently represented Lincolnshire at the National Summer Games in Birmingham. One Bottesford team won gold and another won bronze. Seeing those players celebrated afterwards, with their families enjoying what they had achieved, was incredibly special. That is when you realise what a football club can really mean. Our relationship with Barrett Steel has also been hugely important. Their support helped us create a single identity across the

club, with teams wearing the Bottesford colours and badge together. The Barrett Steel Stadium and our modern facilities are part of years of gradual development and cooperation with people who believe in what we are trying to achieve. We have also recently formed an exciting partnership with John Leggott College. Sharing facilities and opportunities can only strengthen what we offer young people locally. None of this happens because of one Chairman. We have good people throughout Bottesford Town, and everything is a team effort. Volunteers give their time, coaches work with players, parents support their children and businesses help us financially. I may have helped lead some of those projects, but nobody builds a football club alone. At 80, the mind sometimes wants to do more than the body allows, but the passion remains exactly the same. When I see young players coming through, families filling the ground and our inclusive footballers returning home with gold and bronze medals, I know why all those years have mattered. That is what makes everything worthwhile.

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LEIGH HERRICK FIRST TEAM MANAGER, BOTTESFORD TOWN FC

“THIS FOOTBALL CLUB HAS GIVEN ME EVERYTHING I NEEDED WHEN I NEEDED IT.” Bottesford Town is not simply the football club I manage. It is part of who I am. I am from Bottesford. I grew up here, went to Holme Valley Primary School and then Frederick Gough School, and the football club is literally a few minutes from my home. I have now been involved with Bottesford for around 14 years, while my son Jayden has progressed from the under six age group through virtually every level of the club and into the first team environment. That gives me a deep affinity with this place. Football dominated my childhood. Where we lived there were fields where groups of us would play every evening until it became too dark to see the ball. Among those lads were Paul Harsley and Wayne Graves. Paul went on to have a long professional career and later moved into high level coaching, while Wayne played more than 100 Football League games for Scunthorpe United

and eventually played for Bottesford as well. I joined Scunthorpe United as an under nine and went right through their system, eventually completing my apprenticeship as a goalkeeper. I was fortunate enough to experience the first team environment while still very young, but when I eventually left the professional game, I suddenly discovered another world. I went into non-league football and fell in love with it. What struck me was the togetherness. Players had jobs, trained during the week and then gave everything on a Saturday. It was not just the players either. Managers, committee members, volunteers and supporters all seemed to be pulling in the same direction. I never imagined I would become a coach. I retired from playing in 2016 after Bottesford won promotion through the play offs against AFC Emley. My final act as a player was saving the decisive penalty in the shootout, with Jayden, my mum, dad and friends there watching. It felt like the perfect ending. Then Bottesford asked me to help with the youngest children. I started with the Bottesford Bears and over the years I have coached virtually every age group through the club. Today I have responsibility for the first

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team and remain passionate about the pathway beneath it. With our younger players, development is everything. I want local boys to see that if they work hard enough there is a genuine route from junior football into the under 21s, reserves and ultimately the first team. That pathway is already visible. Players such as Jaxon Borland and Jack Burke have come through the club and stepped into the senior environment, while captain Scott Matthews gives us tremendous leadership and helps drive the standards within the group. At first team level my expectations are straightforward: hard work, effort and commitment. We want to play good football, but we also have to understand how to win different types of games. Sometimes you can get the ball down and play, other times you have to compete, run harder and find another way. Come three o’clock on a Saturday afternoon, our job is to find a way to win. This season I feel we are beginning to see the rewards of foundations laid over several years. We have recruited well and added experience to an existing group. Paul Grimes has brought enormous knowledge from successful spells with Winterton Rangers and Lincoln United, while the addition of goalkeeper

Ryan Musselwhite, son of former Scunthorpe United goalkeeper Paul Musselwhite, has helped provide greater solidity. Samuel Aynsley and Henry Moore have also strengthened us defensively, while Jack McMenemy and Owen Vincent have provided quality and goals at the other end of the pitch. The balance feels right. But Bottesford means far more to me than first team results. We have boys and girls progressing through the club, a women’s team, senior pathways and teams giving opportunities to people who might otherwise struggle to access football. Our Down Syndrome and Special Olympics work is something I am particularly proud of. Mick Potts gives an incredible amount of his own time to that part of the club and represents everything good about community football. My own family feels that connection too. Jayden has grown up here. My parents still come to games, my partner supports us, and my five-year-old daughter treats the ground almost like a second home. Football has sometimes frustrated me, delighted me and driven me mad, but throughout my life it has also been one of my closest companions. There was a difficult period in my life when I came back to Bottesford as a player under John Corbett. John would simply tell me to come in, leave whatever was troubling me at the door, concentrate on football and enjoy myself. That was exactly what I needed. It is why every hour I give to Bottesford feels worthwhile. I am not giving something back because I feel I owe the club a debt. I do it because when I needed somewhere to belong, somewhere to focus and somewhere to feel like myself again, Bottesford Town was there. This football club has given me everything I needed when I needed it.

Bottesford Town Football Club 50 Year Anniversary Key factors the Club’s history. 1st Period 1974 – 1984, “The ‘Birth of the Club, the early Pioneers” • According to some records, BTFC was formed in 1974 and were based at the Dolphin Pub and played football at Frederick Gough School this being one of many venues at that time that was used for home games. They joined the Lincolnshire Football League alternating between the then Division 1 and Premier Leagues before it eventually became a single league. • The Club moved to its current Barrett Steel Stadium (namely Birch Park) home some 9 years later in 1983, at that time the 1st leasehold for land had been obtained from the North Lincolnshire County Council at Farmers Field for sufficient land to enable a small Clubhouse incorporating changing rooms to be built and a single football pitch to be established. It has to be said that at this time that the majority of finance for the initiative came by way of a number of fund-raising events by the Poachers FC, a successful team playing local Sunday League football. • The entrance to Birch Park and the subsequent layout of the site was greatly helped by the decision by the NLC to build the BSH with the extensive Car Parking area serving the needs of both organisations. • For a period of time both teams both Bottesford and the Poachers were based at Birch Park playing Saturday & Sunday football with some players featuring for both teams. The 2nd Period 1984 – 1994, “Consolidation of Birch Park” • In 1985 the Clubhouse underwent an extension to enhance the facilities for the Club membership, in addition a 2nd lease-hold was obtained to include additional land which was developed by once again the then members to facilitate the establishment of a cricket square and outfield. Cricket was established with the inclusion of a Pavilion & Changing Rooms. • Senior football was enhanced in the early 90’s with the introduction of teams in both the local Saturday and Sunday Football Leagues whilst the 1st team experienced their most successful period winning the Lincolnshire League Cup in 1987 - 1990 in 3 three successive seasons in addition to the League Competitions in 1989 – 1992. • In the same period, in 1993, as part of the Club’s development of its facilities,

the old football stand was dismantled at the Screeds home of Ashby Institute FC and it was installed at Birch Park where it still stands today albeit a little longer than the original stand and smartened up.

the benefits and rewards with many of the older junior players being involved in coaching and refereeing and enjoying the success that comes with ‘quality’ coaching with numerous league and cup successes.

3rd Period 1994 -2004 “Consolidation of the Football teams” • In 1995, in preparation for progression up the football pyramid, floodlights were installed at Birch Park, 10 towers were removed from the all-weather playing area on the West Common site, (now the College Car Park), these were modified and installed using redundant light fittings obtained from the Steel works. (At the opening ceremony a team from Notts Forest featuring Kevin Campbell played under the lights). • In 2000 the senior team entered the Central Midlands League and to meet the ground grading requirements we had to install pitch barriers, walkways, fences, etc, which once again required materials from the Steel Works. • The year 2000 also saw the amalgamation of the Junior and Senior Clubs clearly demonstrating that players starting with the Club at the age of 6 could be encouraged to stay with the Club for their progress in football. • To support the amalgamation, for the third time additional land was obtained from the North Lincolnshire Council and a 3rd lease-hold was secured for the land stretching up to Moorwell Road. By this time cricket had folded basically due to a lack of volunteers and the wicket was transformed into football pitches. • Once again, this wasteland was developed by the club membership into a recreational area providing a number of mini-soccer and/or junior pitches and providing a ‘home’ and a base for the juniors to play their football. • During this period, floodlights to enable training to take place were installed at the Moorwell Road end of Birch Park. • Since the formation of the ‘one’ Football Club the Junior Section of the Club has significantly grown and ‘boosted’ by the introduction of a ‘Bears’ section with children at the age of 5/6 being introduced to football. • One of the Club’s proudest moments at that time was in 2002, when they became a FA Charter Standard Community Club, being one of the first Clubs in the Country to get this achievement. The Club had to work very hard to meet all of the FA criteria and has reaped

4th Period 2004 – 2014, “Growth of the Football Teams” • In 2006 The 1st Team were promoted from CMFL to Division 1 in NCEFL following a very tense play-off final against AFC Emley winning on penalties. • In 2008, the original floodlights were upgraded with support from the FA for the replacement of the light fittings whilst still using the original columns. Whilst this offered improvement, we lit up the majority of High Leys in the process. • 2009, the Club achieved the distinction of being awarded by the Lincolnshire Football Association as the FA Charter Standard Club of the year, a reward for the efforts of the members of the Club. • During this term we witnessed the establishment of our first Ladies and Girls football teams, an U19 youth team, and continuation of support for the local Saturday & Sunday leagues. 5th Period 2014 – 2024, “ Growth of Facilities” • At the start of this period, in 2015 we saw our 1st major project costing over £350k, with a magnificent Changing Room & Meeting Room facility for the use of all those who play their sport at Birch Park and the local Community. • In addition, 2018 saw the introduction of disabled football into the Club with the formation of a DSActive team for those individuals who suffer from ‘Down Syndrome’. The group continues to grow in numbers and have already travelled throughout the UK experiencing many successes on the way. Their ambition is still to participate in the ‘Special Olympics’ (cancelled due to covid) for which they will receive the Club’s support. • With the support from local business and volunteers, a new catering facility today known as the ‘Snack Shack’ was built in 2019 adjacent to the main pitch • Also in 2019 in conjunction with the Lincolnshire County Football Association, a survey was undertaken by GMA followed by grant support from the FA and the NLC which enabled us to purchase a new tractor with grass cutting equipment. • Still during 2019, with the aid of grant support from the North Lincolnshire

Council, the Bottesford Town Council, and the Football Foundation, the installation took place of a new ‘state of the art’ LED floodlighting installation providing both significant energy savings and much needed environmental benefits to the local community. At this time the lights were installed with a vision of new 3G pitch in mind. • Our commitment thereafter was to place further emphasis in ‘grass roots football’ and to ensure its development was matched by the provision of enhanced facilities to support the same. In recognition of the need for the Club to become more financially self-sufficient in supporting all of the teams who play their football at Birch Park. In 2019, after many hours of input and lobbying of the NLC and the FF, a proposal was eventually put forward in 2020 for installing a 3 G pitch was developed, the facility would be made available for hire by all the Bottesford teams, local Clubs in the community, local schools, in addition to other interested organisations. The work undertaken beforehand by the Club and ratified by the FA had confirmed that such a facility would be best placed to be established on the site of the then existing main pitch meeting all of the infrastructure requirements as against a new site at Birch Park or indeed at Sunningdale Park. • In conjunction with other partners we were established as a priority in the Local Football Facility Plan and by gaining support from other partners we were recognized as one of the ‘priority’ Clubs for consideration for funding. • You might be excused by thinking that the rest is history, since we have today following a £1.4 million investment, commissioned a Stadium in 2023 incorporating a 3G playing surface that is highly praised and envied by many, together with high quality grass pitches which supports our objective of today of being able to support 31 Bottesford teams to play their football at the same Birch Park site, the home of Bottesford Town Football Club. • Whilst all this work has been undertaken to enhance our playing facilities, during the same period we have during the same time invested in the Social Club with a extension of and the creation of a Sports Bar, the inclusion of a brand new kitchen and other improvements with further ideas in progress for the Sports Bar and last but not least to enhance the BSH during 2025. Tony Reeve Club Chairman 1994 -

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PATRICK LAPPIN FOUNDER, PLEDGE2LEARN SPONSORS OF BOTTESFORD TOWN FC

“It’s About Giving Every Young Person the Opportunity to Thrive” I’ve always believed that every young person deserves the opportunity to discover their potential, regardless of their background or the challenges they might face. Sometimes all a child needs is someone who understands them, believes in them and provides the right environment to help them flourish. That’s really what motivates me and the work we do at Pledge2Learn. I was born in North Lincolnshire and have lived here for most of my life, although I spent six years of my childhood in Bo’ness, Scotland. My own experience of education wasn’t particularly positive, and there were challenges growing up that gave me an understanding of how difficult life can sometimes be for young people and their families. Those experiences have certainly influenced my outlook. I’ve always believed that circumstances shouldn’t determine someone’s future and that, with the right encouragement and support, people can achieve things they might never have thought possible. My professional background includes managing youth offending services and children and family support services, so working with young people and helping families has been a significant part of my life. That passion eventually led me to establish Pledge2Learn, an independent special

supporting children who find mainstream education challenging and need a more individual approach to learning. Our relationship with Bottesford Town began in 2019 when I personally funded free summer activities for local children. Through club committee member Kev Cobb, we hired the sports hall and delivered sessions. We subsequently developed an alternative education provision at the club in January 2020 and in 2024, we became a registered independent special school. Following our inspection in January 2025, Ofsted awarded us a Good rating. That was an incredibly proud moment for all the hard work of the team at Pledge2Learn. Today, we have a dedicated team of qualified teachers, specialist educational staff and clinical psychology, working with small groups of children who benefit from specialist nurture education. We’ve seen some wonderful achievements, including young people progressing into college who previously might have struggled to imagine themselves taking that next step. Seeing their confidence develop and watching them begin to believe in their own abilities is enormously rewarding. Today we continue working closely with Tony Reeve and the team at Bottesford Town. Our relationship with the club goes far beyond hiring facilities. We sponsor the club’s youth teams and have contributed significant funding towards its Pathway teams, helping with transport, equipment and other essentials. I recognise the value of sports; whether it’s football, boxing or another activity, young people need opportunities to develop friendships, discover their strengths and feel part of something. What I particularly admire about Bottesford Town is the commitment of people like Tony Reeve and Leigh Herrick, alongside the many volunteers who make the club such an important part of the community. Their dedication to inclusion and creating opportunities reflects everything we’re trying to achieve through Pledge2Learn. For me, sponsorship has never been about advertising or generating business. It’s about giving something back and supporting the children and families within our reach. Ultimately, we’re only here

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for a relatively short time, and I believe the real measure of what we achieve is the positive difference we make to other people’s lives. If we can help a young person discover their confidence, recognise their abilities and look towards the future with genuine hope, then that makes everything we do worthwhile.

Pledge2Learn Pledge2Learn is an independent special school in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, for students aged 11 to 16 with social, emotional and mental health needs, many of whom have autism.

www.pledge2learn.co.uk 71

MIKE ABEY – SPONSOR & COMMITTEE MEMBER, BOTTESFORD TOWN FC | ABEY AIR CONDITIONING LTD

“It’s the People Who Make Bottesford Town Special – You Feel Part of Something That Matters” Football has been part of my life for as long as I can remember, and although my playing days are behind me, I’ve never lost that connection with the game. For me, being involved in football isn’t about recognition or personal gain. It’s about giving something back, helping people and being part of a club where everyone feels valued. I’m Scunthorpe born and bred, and I played football locally when I was younger. I was never going to make it professionally, and a few injuries eventually caught up with me. I even managed to break my ankle playing walking football! But my love for the game has never disappeared. My involvement with Bottesford Town began in quite an unusual way. My business premises backed onto the pitches where the club trained, and footballs regularly ended up in our yard. Someone would come round asking for them back, and that’s how the relationship started. I knew former manager John Corbett from our college days, and he introduced me to Chairman Tony Reeve. I gradually became involved in sponsorship, supporting the first-team kit and sponsoring a stand. I subsequently became involved in efforts to save Scunthorpe United, whilst also serving on the board as a director, but that experience eventually came to an unfortunate end. As some people will know, despite giving a huge amount

of my time, effort, financial support and commitment, I, along with others who were equally committed, felt badly let down and poorly treated by certain individuals who were supposed to be helping save the club. I sincerely hope Scunthorpe United bounce back to where they belong and where their supporters deserve to see them. The club will always have a special place in my heart, having supported them since I was a child. It was a difficult experience, but it made me appreciate even more what it means to be involved with a club like Bottesford Town. When Tony learned I’d stepped away from Scunthorpe, he invited me to become more involved. I joined the committee and began helping with sponsorship and the day-today running of the club. My company, Abey Air Conditioning Ltd, celebrates

its 20th anniversary this year, having started in 2006. I feel privileged and proud to be in a position where I can share my wealth of experience from my working life, with many skills transferable to the football setting, whether that’s helping gain sponsors, assisting with day-to-day tasks or using my company’s expertise to improve the club’s facilities. I’ve always believed that if you say you’re going to do something, you should get on and do it. That philosophy has served me well in business and football. One of the things I’m particularly pleased about is helping create the club’s hospitality suite. We converted a donated container, with committee members contributing their skills, and I installed the air conditioning. It’s a fantastic little facility and another example of what can be achieved when people work together. More recently, I purchased a new minibus for the team, complete with Bottesford Town branding. Their previous vehicle had become

unreliable, and I wanted the players to have something safe, dependable and professional. I didn’t do it for recognition, although it’s lovely when people appreciate what you’ve contributed. What makes Bottesford Town different is the people. Tony Reeve, in particular, is someone I admire enormously. He’s been there through the good times and the difficult ones, always positive, always encouraging and never giving up. He’s the glue that holds so much of the club together, and in my eyes, he’s a Bottesford Town legend. The club’s community spirit is genuine. Nobody is bigger than the club, and everyone who contributes is made to feel appreciated. That’s what football should be about. Players and results will come and go, but the friendships, the people and the sense of belonging are what last. I’m proud to be part of Bottesford Town, and if I can continue helping this wonderful club move forward, that’s something that will always mean a great deal to me.

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PHILL DALOWSKY – ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL, CULTURE & STANDARDS | JOHN LEGGOTT COLLEGE – SPONSORS OF BOTTESFORD TOWN FC

“Football Is About So Much More Than Winning – It’s About the People You Become Along the Way” One of the greatest rewards of working with young people is watching them grow in confidence, discover their potential and develop into individuals who believe in themselves. I’ve spent my career in education and sport, and I’ve always believed that the relationships we build and the opportunities we create can make a lasting difference to someone’s life. I qualified as a teacher in 1999 and spent the next 24 years at a secondary school in Scunthorpe, progressing from PE teacher to Headteacher. During that time, we became a specialist sports college, achieved national recognition for physical education and regularly competed at the highest levels of school sport. But for me, success was never simply about trophies. It was about belonging, wellbeing, teamwork and giving young

people opportunities they might otherwise never experience. I’m now in my fourth year at John Leggott College, where I’m Assistant Principal, with responsibility for Culture and Standards, alongside a strong involvement in sport. Our Principal, Leon Riley, shares my commitment to creating an inclusive environment where every young person has the opportunity to succeed. When I arrived, Leon wanted us to restore the college’s sporting reputation, and we’ve made tremendous progress. Last year, we were ranked third nationally for competitiveness and first regionally. We now have four men’s football teams and a women’s team, and our first team reached the last eight of the National Cup. Our relationship with Bottesford Town developed naturally. Last season, around 75% of my first team players came from Bottesford, which tells you something about the tremendous work being done there. We’ve now established a two-year partnership, including sponsorship and

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opportunities for closer collaboration. For me, it’s about creating a pathway where a child playing football at five or six can eventually see John Leggott as somewhere they belong. Football has always been part of my own family. My grandfather came to Britain from Ukraine after the war, and following Manchester United became a family tradition. I remember travelling to Old Trafford as a seven-year-old, condensation running down the coach windows, and experiencing something that has stayed with me ever since. My son Luke, now 21, spent years in Scunthorpe United’s academy and currently plays for Brodsworth Main, where I co-manage the team. Watching him develop has reinforced everything I believe about sport. He’s

now a plumber, and the communication, resilience and teamwork he learned through football have helped him enormously in working life. Relationships are fundamental to my philosophy. Whether I’m managing young people or adults, I believe you should never speak to somebody in a way you wouldn’t want to be spoken to yourself. Respect, honesty and communication are non-negotiable. That’s also why I admire Bottesford Town so much. Chairman Tony Reeve and Stephen Altoft live and breathe the club, while manager Leigh Herrick demonstrates genuine passion and a commitment to developing players. Their ‘One Club’ philosophy isn’t just a slogan; you can feel it throughout the organisation. What they have created is something special, a club where young people are welcomed, encouraged and given opportunities to flourish. Ultimately, football isn’t just about the ninety minutes. It’s about friendships, family, shared experiences and having somewhere you belong. If our partnership helps even one young person find confidence, direction or happiness through the game, then we’ll have achieved something far more valuable than any trophy.

Billericay Town FC- Playoff winners! Promoted to National League South for the 2026/2027 Season!

BILLERICAY TOWN FC

NICK HUTT CO-CHAIRMAN

“The football club becomes like your second home.” I didn’t arrive at Billericay Town thinking one day I would help run the football club. Like so many people in football, my journey began much more naturally than that. I’m originally from South West London and grew up as a Wimbledon supporter. I played as a child, played at university, and always loved the sport. I moved to Essex when I was about 21, nearly 30 years ago now, and Billericay became home. At first, I watched the club a little bit. Then life moved on, I had three boys of my own, and when they were four or five years old, I took them along to the soccer school. That was really the start of my

deeper connection with the club. Their football journeys began there, and before long I was managing their teams at one point or another. I have always believed sport teaches young people

lessons that stay with them for life. Of course, there are the obvious benefits around fitness and health, but it is much more than that. It teaches commitment, punctuality, responsibility and how to work with people from completely different backgrounds. It also teaches you how to work with people you may not naturally choose as friends, which is a hugely important life lesson.

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Through the youth section I became treasurer when the previous treasurer retired and not many people volunteered. It is a job I still do today, around 13 or 14 years later. Then, very sadly, Ken Robinson, who was chairman of the youth section, passed away. Again, there were not too many hands going up in the room, so I was encouraged to take that on too. That sense of responsibility to the club grew again in 2019. Glenn Tamplin left, and Billericay Town was in a precarious position. There were high profile players on contracts and a lot of liability, but four of us with different connections to the club came together to rescue it. There was myself, through the boys’ section, Greg Lake, who had a strong connection with the women and girls’ section, Dave McCartney, who had been a sponsor for many years, and Rob Dowman. Not long after that, Covid arrived. Then in 2022 we

were relegated from National League South. It was a really difficult period, but Dave and I have continued to run the club, and we are delighted to have taken it back into that division. For me, community means the whole community. At Billericay, that means boys and girls from six to eighteen, women’s football, Soccability for disabled children and adults, and a thriving walking football section. Some people may only get out once a week because of football, and if someone misses a few weeks, somebody checks in on them. That is absolutely wonderful. Promotion through the play offs was incredible, especially doing it at New Lodge. It created memories for the whole town. That is what football does at its best. The club becomes a second home. It is a place to pause the outside world for 90 minutes, talk to friends, belong to something, and feel part of a community that really matters.

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DANNY SCOPES FIRST TEAM MANAGER

“Football has always been the thing that brought me back.” Football has been in my life for as long as I can remember. It has given me friendships, discipline, purpose and, at different moments, it has probably kept me on the straight and narrow. I was born in Southend on Sea and I’ve lived in Eastwood all my life. My dad, John, was a good local footballer and had been on the books at Charlton as a youngster. He was the person who really got me involved in the game, although the start of it all came about almost by accident. Me and my friend Terry were about seven and wanted to go over to trials at a local team. Dad was reluctant at first. He thought we were too young and said we should wait another year. But my mum, Jenny, gave him the push and told him to take us. We went over one Sunday morning, played well, and the club said they wanted us in the team. Then they said they needed a manager. A few people knew my dad from football, so they looked at him, I looked at him, and suddenly he was the manager. From under eights right through to under eighteens, Dad coached us. That is something I will never forget. I’ve now been able to do that with my own sons, Vinny and Riley, and I hope it means as much to them as it meant to me. As a player, I always felt I was a leader. I captained school teams and club teams, and I probably sacrificed some of my own technical ability to do what was needed for the team. I was a physical player, an enforcer at times, and that team first mentality has stayed with me. I played a big part of my football at Great Wakering Rovers, where I was club captain and played more than 450 games. Later, at Concord Rangers, I dropped down a

level after a knee injury and thought I might just enjoy the last part of my playing career. Then chairman Ant Smith asked me to meet him in a pub. I thought he wanted my opinion on a new manager. By the time I left, after a bit of persuasion, I was the new player manager. I didn’t really know what I was doing at first. I wanted to keep playing and I needed good people around me. Then Danny Cowley came in as my assistant, with his brother Nicky alongside him, and that gave me real support. We got promoted from Step 5, then again from Step 4, and I learned a huge amount. I have had some important people shape me. Eddie Nash at Great Wakering taught me to fight, scrap, stick together and empty the tank. My parents always supported me, even when money was tight. My wife Zoe has sacrificed a huge amount so I can work, manage, coach, watch games and give football what it demands. My values are simple. I am team first. I do not like energy sappers or battery drainers. I believe in never too high, never too low. And I ask everyone around me to empty the tank every time they are in the building. That is what I have tried to bring to Billericay Town. I have only been here a short time, but what makes the club special is the people. The volunteers, the supporters, the people who have been here 20 or 30 years, the board, and owners Dave McCartney and Nick Hutt. They care deeply about the club and the experience people have when they come here. For me, success is not just about the result. It is seeing people smile, seeing them have their picture taken with a cup, seeing memories created that will stay with them forever. That is priceless. Football gave me that feeling when I was young, and now my job is to help give it back.

CHRIS MUMFORD HEAD OF MATCHDAY MEDIA AND PRESS OFFICER

“Football has been an absolute focus for me.” Football has a way of finding you when you need it most. For me, Billericay Town came into my life at a time when travelling to follow Chelsea had become too difficult because of illness, and I was missing that football fix. I’m from Brentwood originally, and football and cricket were both a big part of my younger life. I played football locally, turned out for Lloyds of London a couple of times and even scored a hat trick on my debut, which is still a nice memory. Cricket was a huge part of my life too, but when I was 18 everything changed. I was struck in the chest by a cricket ball, suffered a collapsed lung, and over time went through repeated lung collapses and a major operation at the London Chest Hospital. Years later, further health problems followed. My central nervous system was affected, and I have lived with illness ever since. I was also diagnosed with diabetes in recent years, and that brings its own fatigue. I have not worked since 1998, so football has given me something steady to hold on to. My route to Billericay was unusual. One night, I was watching a BBC programme called Undercover Princesses with my wife at the time. One of the princesses was taken to Billericay Town, and around

the same period my son was playing cricket for Billericay Town Colts. We were passing New Lodge while Glenn Tamplin was having the stadium rebuilt, and I remember thinking, “That’s what I’m missing.” A few weeks later I went to the reopening game against West Ham. Then I came back for a Saturday match against Kingstonian, and I was hooked. It felt like real football. Proper players grafting, supporters close to the action, people giving everything. I bought a season ticket and never really looked back. A young lad used to do fan interviews after games, and I was interviewed a few times. Then the media guy asked if I fancied helping with commentary. We set up BTFC Live Radio, and I began commentating with a colleague who had started supporting Billericay around

the same time as me. Eight years later, it is still going, and it means a lot to people. When the club had to cut costs after relegation, the media manager and in house photographer moved on, and I was asked to oversee a few bits. That became the media role I do now. It is all voluntary, and because of

my health I do as much as I can from home, but I have a terrific little team around me. If I am not well enough to attend, someone can step in and keep things moving. This season has been special. From where we were earlier in the campaign, to see Danny Scopes, Adam Drew, Craig Shipman and the players build such a team spirit has been brilliant. They think as a team, play as a team, and it has been so good to watch. What makes Billericay special is the people. We all have our ups and downs and we all argue sometimes, but the club is at the centre of everything. Owners, management, players, volunteers and supporters are all part of one cause. For me, football is focus, friendship and belonging. Billericay Town gave me my football fix back, but it has given me far more than that. It has given me a second home.

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ANDREW SKINNER MAIN SPONSOR ANDREW SKINNER WEALTH MANAGEMENT

Football has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I played from childhood, continued into adult and veterans’ football and, even now, I still enjoy a game of five-a-side every week. The sport has given me friendships, discipline and, above all, an understanding of teamwork. Those values have remained with me throughout my business career and are at the heart of Andrew Skinner Wealth Management today. I worked for Lloyds Bank for many years before deciding, ten years ago, to

establish a business of my own in Billericay. Although my name is above the door, I have never viewed the company as being about one person. I rarely say “I”; I say “we”, because our success belongs to the whole team. Most the people now working alongside me were colleagues I trusted at Lloyds. Two former bank managers joined the business, along with other senior members of staff who are equally instrumental in everything we achieve. My son Max has also now joined us too, although he receives no special treatment! Trust is incredibly important when somebody is speaking with one of our clients, and I am

fortunate to be surrounded by people who share our standards and believe in doing the right thing. That same spirit is one of the reasons I have grown so attached to Billericay Town. Our relationship began with advertising at the ground before I was offered the opportunity to become the club’s main shirt sponsor. I wondered whether it might be beyond our reach financially, but I loved the idea. We have now renewed our sponsorship for a fifth season. I attend as many home and away Billericay games as I can often with clients, friends or family. My three sons, Max, Codie and Jude,

Can we chat about

money?

"" I never say ‘me’—I say ‘we’, because everything worthwhile is built by a team.

have all enjoyed football. I have encouraged them because football introduces young people to different personalities, teaches them to think beyond themselves and creates a genuine team spirit. I have recently helped with a few sessions for my youngest son’s team, although I would never describe myself as the coach. I simply assist the manager in a small way wherever I can. Our involvement in Billericay Town has increased my admiration for volunteers. At Billericay, people travel considerable distances to prepare food, commentate on matches and perform countless jobs simply because they love the club. Their contribution is extraordinary. The owner Nick Hutt and Dave McCartney along with manager Danny Scopes also make a wonderful team. Danny is honest, approachable and deeply respected by his players, while Nick and Dave understand what the club means to its community. For me, Billericay Town is special because of its people. From the owners and players to the volunteers and supporters, every layer matters. Seeing my company’s name on the shirts is a proud feeling, but belonging to that wider family means far more. I would not change it for the world.

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Beverley Town FC -Promoted as Playoff Champions to the Northern Premier League East Division for the 2026/2027 Season!

BEVERLEY TOWN FC

MARK SMITH CHAIRMAN

“All I wanted was to leave the club better than I found it.” Beverley Town has been part of my life since I was a shy 11 year old trying to find my place in the world. I was born in Norfolk, but because of my dad’s job we moved around a lot. Norwich, Birmingham, Kendal, Sheffield, then Beverley. I cannot claim to be a true Yorkshireman by birth, but I have adopted Yorkshire and Beverley is by far the best town I have ever lived in. My two children grew up here, went to the same school as I did, and the town has become home. Beverley Town took me under its wing. I was a good footballer, and I played for the club from the age of 11 until I was about 30. That gave me confidence, friends and a sense of belonging. Sport has been my life. It has given me confidence and kept me going through difficult times. I have had health scares myself, including blood clots and a heart operation, and when things have been grim the club has helped pull me through. That is what good clubs do. They give you people, purpose and somewhere to belong. My route to becoming chairman was simple. I was coaching my son’s team when the junior chairman stepped down. There were only a few of us around, so I said I would do it. I had known Gary Proud, our secretary, for years from playing football together, and he later asked whether we could bring the junior and adult sections together. From there, I became chairman, probably 12 or 13 years ago now. The role, for me, is about setting the tone, putting the right people in the right places, trusting them and letting them get on with it. I got that from my dad. When I first started work, he said: “Trust everybody once.” He was right.

We have been blessed with good people. Gary Proud has been hugely important. Richard Jagger has been amazing with sponsors, organisation and helping push the club forward, and Kate Jagger has done brilliant work around the junior teams. Chris, our main sponsor, has been a rock for us, helping with wages, stands, buildings and the things needed to meet league requirements. Dave Ricardo has been absolutely amazing since coming back. Years ago, when we lost him because perhaps, we were not ambitious enough, I told him in front of the team that I would love to invite him back one day to take us through the leagues. He has done exactly that. The players he has signed, the style of football, the connection with the fans, it has been magic to see.

We now have 36 junior sides, girls’ teams, ladies’ teams and three men’s teams. We have volunteers on matchdays doing car parking, turnstiles, merchandise and everything in between. We are trying to build a boot bank so children who cannot afford boots can still play. We also have a fund to help families struggling with subs. Money should never stop a child playing football. I still remember my first coach, Billy Oliver. He had no children himself, but he loved running teams and he was great for me. You always remember who helped you in life. That is what Beverley Town is about. We are the current custodians. We have just got it right at the moment. The committee, the players, the volunteers, the fans, everyone is pulling in the same direction. Seeing people wear Beverley Town jackets around the town with pride means everything. This club took me in as a shy boy. Now my job is to make sure it keeps doing that for others.

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RICHARD JAGGER VICE-CHAIRMAN AND CLUB DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

“It is all about the people and the community.” Beverley Town has been part of my life for a long time, but my football story probably began through family. I was born in Sheffield and moved to Beverley

when I was about 11. My dad was a professional golfer, so sport was always around us, and he was also a big Sheffield Wednesday fan. That stayed with me, and I have managed to pass that same suffering on to my son Ben as well. Football and golf were my main sports growing up. I

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played locally as a youngster, then at 16 or 17 I got to know Lee Paley, the former Hull City, Bradford City and Nottingham Forest player. Lee lived in Walkington, where I was playing local men’s football, and he took me under his wing. I went with him to Immingham Town at 17, which was my first real taste of non-league football. One of the highlights of my playing career was scoring in the FA Cup first preliminary round against Rossington Main as an 18-year-old. After Immingham folded, I followed Lee to Barton Town, where we won two promotions into the Northern Counties East League. Later, I came to Beverley Town and played for the first team for around 10 or 12 years. From there I moved into coaching, running the academy team, which was really about bringing younger players through and helping them develop. I then became first team manager when the club was in the Humber Premier League.

I had always been interested in coaching. I went to Sheffield Hallam University, did my coaching badges, and spent a summer in America coaching soccer. When my knees and ankles started telling me my playing days were numbered, coaching was a natural next step. Eventually I stepped back from managing because I wanted to make sure the team was left in a position to kick on. I was heavily involved in appointing Mike Thompson, who came in from Bridlington Town and took the team forward, winning the Humber Premier League the following season. From there, my focus moved more towards development. We had been gifted a stand through the generosity of Ivan Usher, a local schoolteacher and great sportsman who left money in his will on the understanding that a stand would be built at Norwood. The next challenge was floodlights. We had about six weeks to raise around £25,000 towards them, and through sponsors, hard work and a lot of good people, we managed it. That is what Beverley Town is about. My wife Kate is on the junior committee. My son Ben and daughter Charlotte both play for the club. My brother-in-law, Ollie Grantham, is finance director. It becomes part of family life. I still help coach Ben’s under 15s, and I helped set up the junior introduction sessions for four- to sevenyear-olds on a Thursday. Those sessions help bring new children into the club every year. The growth of girls’ football has also been brilliant to see. My daughter started in mixed football, but when she moved into the girls’ team, she absolutely thrived. Sport teaches life. It teaches teamwork, resilience, adversity and attitude. Some teams do not win every week, but they learn more from keeping going than they ever would from winning easily. For me, Beverley Town is special because people here care. Gary Proud and Ollie Grantham have given decades of service. Dave Ricardo lives and breathes the club. Chris Ramsden`s support has been huge. Everyone is here for the right reasons. People used to say Beverley deserved a proper non-league football club. I am proud that, alongside others, I have helped make that happen. Now the town has something to be proud of, and hopefully generations of boys and girls will be inspired to play for this great club!.

FOOTBALL FOCUS MAGAZINE

DAVE RICARDO MANAGER

History Makers! “Football was my saviour from a young age.” I may have been born in London, but after more than 40 years here, I consider myself Beverley now. This is home, and Beverley Town has become a huge part of my life. Football got hold of me early. A lad I was at primary school with, Steve, reminded me recently that when we were about nine, I said I wanted to be a football manager. I cannot remember saying it, but it makes sense. Even then, I was organising games, picking teams and trying to look after people. Steve had health issues as a child, and when teams were being picked, I would choose him first because I knew he would otherwise be left until last. I suppose I have always had something in me that looks out for the underdog. I grew up in quite a strict Jewish family, and football took up an overwhelming part of my life. My father enjoyed boxing and tennis, and he watched football, but he never really understood what it meant to me. My mum was a social worker, and my dad was a salesman, so maybe I took something from both of them. Organisation, drive and also an instinct for people. As a player, I was never quite good enough to make the professional level. I knew better players than me who did not make it, and worse players than me who did, but I was lucky to play for some fantastic non-league clubs, including Hull Road Rangers, Winterton Rangers, Scarborough Athletic, Bridlington Town and Beverley Town. I was not the quickest, but my desire usually got me to the ball first, sometimes a little bit late. By 33, that desire could not quite get me there anymore. I remember ringing

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Pete Daniels and telling him my time was up. A few months later, my managerial journey began at Beverley Town. I have been shaped by some outstanding managers. Gary Allenson was a superb coach. Billy Heath was an organiser and man manager. Pete Daniels was a fantastic tactician and gave me a second chance when I needed one. If I became half the manager any of them were, I would be doing alright. My management is built on honesty and loyalty. I would rather have a difficult conversation early than promise a player something I cannot give him. I have made mistakes in my own life, so I understand people are human. I believe in second chances, but I also expect people to push themselves as far as their talent can take them. At Beverley, I have been lucky to work with brilliant people, including James Benning and Steve Mulligan, who do so much of the detailed coaching work. I may not be the one with the cones every night, but I know what standards look like, and I know what a good changing room feels like. This club has done something historic. With limited resources, we have climbed again and again, and now we have earned the chance to test ourselves at the highest level Beverley Town has ever known. What makes me proudest is that my daughters, Olivia and Emily, can see me doing something that makes a difference. Around Beverley, children wear the scarves and hats, older supporters still bring their rattles, and young people come along and feel safe. That is what football can do. It brings people together. It gives them somewhere to belong. It gave that to me as a boy, and now, through Beverley Town, I get to help give it back.

IAN SARGENT SARGENT ELECTRICAL SERVICES – SPONSOR OF BEVERLEY TOWN FC

“It’s the community. It’s the way everybody interacts, the positivity of it.” I would never have described myself as a great football supporter. In fact, if you had told me a few years ago that I would become genuinely attached to a football club, I probably would not have believed you. It really began through my daughter Rebekah and her husband Craig. Rebekah had always enjoyed sport, playing hockey through school and university, and when she became involved with Beverley Town she encouraged me to come along. I went to a couple of matches and it completely changed my perception of what a football club could be. What struck me immediately was the connection. You walk into the clubhouse and the players, manager, officials and supporters are all there together. You can have a conversation with people. You feel involved. Having watched football on television and seen these enormous clubs from a distance, suddenly I was experiencing something completely different – something personal, engaging

and genuinely rewarding. I have seen the positive impact that sense of belonging has had on Rebekah too. It has given her confidence, friendships and another really positive interest in her life. I think we sometimes underestimate how important that is. We are social beings and particularly for young people, having somewhere they can meet others, interact and feel part of a team or community is incredibly valuable. That was also what

eventually made us want to support the club through Sargent Electrical Services. My brother Neil and I started the business in Beverley in 1991. What began with just a handful of people has developed into an electrical manufacturing business employing well over 130 people and supplying customers throughout the UK and beyond. We have never forgotten where we came from, though. Beverley is our home, so being able to put something back

into the community matters. With Beverley Town you can actually see what that support contributes towards. It might help the ground, the players, the volunteers or youngsters being coached. You are not simply putting a company name on something and standing at a distance – you become part of it. We are also investing again in Beverley through our new manufacturing facility, which represents another exciting chapter for the business and hopefully another long-term contribution to employment in the area. What makes Beverley Town special? I cannot reduce it to one person or one thing. It is people such as Dave Ricardo, Mark Smith, Rich Jagger and the many others behind the scenes, but ultimately it is something bigger than any individual. It is the community. It is the positivity. It is the way everybody interacts – whether you are the chairman, a player, someone looking after the ground, a sponsor or simply somebody who has walked through the gate for the first time. That feeling was what drew me in. And for somebody who never considered himself much of a football man, I think that probably says everything about Beverley Town.

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CHARLES HODGSON HODGSON SEALANTS

“It is this communityled organisation, run by volunteers for the benefit of the community.” Beverley is not simply where I work. It is home. I was born here, our family has been connected with the town for generations and Hodgson Sealants has grown here for almost 60 years. When you have enjoyed that kind of relationship

with a place, I believe you acquire a responsibility to put something back into it. Our relationship with Beverley Town came about almost through serendipity. As the business grew, we decided to become more structured about the charities and community organisations we supported. Around the same time, Richard Jagger approached us and one of our colleagues was already particularly interested in

The UK's largest independent sealant manufacturer hodgsonsealants.com 01482 868321 Beverley, East Yorkshire, HU17 0LN

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football. Once we understood what Beverley Town was doing, supporting them made complete sense. I have since discovered that our family connection with the club actually goes back further than I realised. My son Simon, who works in the business and is involved in our marketing among other things, reminded me that as a teenager he played for Beverley Whitestars, which was part of Beverley Town’s youth set-up. Simon now lives and works in Vancouver, but remains involved with Hodgson Sealants, so there is something rather special about recognising that our association with the club began through him long before we became a sponsor. What attracted us was never simply the first team. The club has more than 35 junior teams as well as girls’, women’s and adult football. It is driven by volunteers giving extraordinary amounts of their own time. If it were simply one football team and nothing else, it would probably hold less appeal for us. The community work is what really ticks our box. Of course, first-team success matters because it creates aspiration throughout the club. I was fortunate enough to watch Beverley’s recent play-off final and seeing them achieve another promotion was brilliant. Their progress over these last few years has been remarkable. Hodgson Sealants has also been able to make some of our club passes available to employees, which helps bring our own people closer to the relationship. You can see what successful football does to an

area on a much bigger scale with Hull City. A successful football team creates a sense of pride that spreads far beyond the stadium, and Beverley Town can have that same effect within its own community. There are similarities between the football club and our own business. My father Peter started Hodgson Sealants in Beverley in 1968. My brother Max and I joined him later and today we are the largest independent sealant manufacturer in the UK, with manufacturing operations in Beverley and Heckmondwike. We have grown from around 40 employees in 2010 to roughly 130 today. But numbers only tell part of the story. We have people who have been with us for 25 years and some for 40 years. Business is ultimately a group of people working towards a common cause, and I think football works in much the same way. I am also encouraged by the signs of manufacturing growing again around Beverley. Manufacturing provides real employment and opportunity and I want young people to recognise that it can offer them a meaningful future. Beverley Town represents something equally valuable. It gives people somewhere to play, volunteer, make friendships and belong. Perhaps Simon’s own experience with Beverley Whitestars all those years ago is a small example of exactly what that means. Supporting Beverley Town feels like supporting Beverley itself, and that is exactly why it matters to us.

JON ADAMS ADAMS TYRE SPECIALISTS BEVERLEY TOWN FC SPONSOR

“Being a local company, we want to support a local team and a local cause.” Sometimes a football club becomes part of your life almost without you noticing. For me, Beverley Town has become much more than somewhere to watch football. It has become part of our family life, largely through my son Jake, and it represents the same sense of community that has always been important to us at Adams Tyre Specialists. I never really played football to any great level myself, but Jake has been football-mad from almost the moment he could walk. He joined Beverley Town’s development set-up when he was around five or six and has progressed right through to Under-11 level. He was given the choice of where he wanted to play and Beverley Town was the place he enjoyed most, so we simply allowed him to follow that instinct. One of the nicest things has been watching what football has given him beyond the game itself. Because he goes to school outside Beverley, he has his school friends and a completely separate group of friends through Beverley Town. His football has now also taken him into the First Touch Junior Premier League set-up in Hull, giving him another friendship circle altogether. I’ve watched his confidence grow enormously through being part of teams and mixing with different groups of youngsters. Football isn’t his only sporting obsession either. Jake absolutely loves darts

and, if I’m being fair, he might even be better at darts than football! At his age he currently wants to become a professional footballer and a professional darts player, and while he has that enthusiasm and determination, I’m happy to let him dream about both. That family connection naturally brought me closer to Beverley Town. Whenever work allows, Jake and I go down to watch the first team. I was at the play-off final, and it was a fantastic day. What really stands out, though, is the accessibility of the club. People such as David Ricardo will stop and speak to the youngsters, and there is a genuine connection between the senior team, junior teams, volunteers, supporters and sponsors.

Adams Tyre Specialists will celebrate 57 years in business this October, and we are now entering our fourth season supporting Beverley Town. We’ve built our reputation in Beverley over generations, so sponsorship is also our way of giving something back to the community that has supported us.

That is what Beverley Town means to me. Jake and I might arrive at Norwood together, but we are never really there on our own. He finds his friends, I find mine, and everywhere you look there are familiar faces. That community spirit is what makes Beverley Town special – it genuinely feels like a family.

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CHRIS RAMSDEN – GATEWAY MODULAR MAIN SPONSOR, BEVERLEY TOWN FC

“Team sport has given me so much in life. Now I’m watching it give something equally important to my own sons.” Sometimes the most important things in life begin with something incredibly simple. For me, my relationship with Beverley Town started through my sons, Michael and James, kicking a football around and looking for somewhere they could belong. I’m Hull born and bred and rugby league was always my sport. I started playing when I was seven or eight and remained in a team environment until my midthirties. Those 20-plus years shaped me enormously. Many of the friends I have today are people I first met through sport, and the lessons I learned about people, commitment, responsibility and working together have stayed with me throughout my life. When we moved to Beverley, I happened to have a chance meeting with Richard Jagger, who was coaching a team involving

boys Michael’s age. I asked whether Michael could come along to training and, despite already having plenty of players, the answer was yes. That welcome meant a lot to me. James subsequently joined the club too and my affection for Beverley Town grew from there. What I love is that it is genuinely a family club. There are so many volunteers giving their time simply because

they care. People like Rich, Chairman Mark Smith, manager Dave Ricardo and many others have created something with real heart. Through Gateway Modular, I’ve been proud to support that journey as main sponsor. We became involved when the first team was still playing Humber Premier League football, and seeing the club now progress into the Northern Premier League

has been incredible. There is a real sense of excitement around the town. Seeing youngsters and adults walking through Beverley wearing Beverley Town shirts genuinely puts a smile on my face. Team sport has also played a huge part in shaping me as a businessman. Managing people, thinking ahead, recognising potential problems, dealing with successes and failures and, importantly, appreciating people who work hard are all lessons sport helped teach me. I also believe you have to remember that people have lives away from work. Somebody might not be having a good day and they won’t necessarily tell you. Watching Michael and James experience that same team environment is therefore very special to me. Football is important, but what they are learning about friendship, belonging, resilience and other people will remain long after the final whistle. For me, that is ultimately what makes Beverley Town special. It’s the people. And I’m immensely proud that my family and Gateway Modular are part of it.

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“It’s all about the people. Without the people, there is no football club.”

CHERTSEY TOWN FC

MARK TURNER CHAIRMAN & FORMER PLAYER

“We always try to do things the proper way — the NonLeague way.” Sometimes a football club comes into your life at exactly the moment you need it. Chertsey Town did that for me. I had grown up in the professional game, joining Brentford at 12, progressing through the youth system and becoming an apprentice before earning a professional contract. Then injury intervened. I was young, disappointed and, if I am truthful, a little bitter about how quickly football could move on from you. Then I found Chertsey. Coming into NonLeague football restored something in me. It restored my enjoyment of the game, but more importantly it restored my faith in people. I played around 200 games for Chertsey and some of the happiest football memories of my life were made here. We had extraordinary players around the club. Kenny Sansom, who won 86 England caps; Ricky Hill, another England international; and the late Francis Joseph, who had actually been a boyhood hero of mine at Brentford and ended up becoming a friend. That era also gave us one of those stories that could only happen in Non-League football. In June 1994 we travelled to Galicia in Spain to play SD Compostela, who had just won promotion from the Segunda División into La Liga. Through the friendship between our chairman David Rayner and Compostela president José María Caneda, this remarkable fixture had been arranged. Somewhere along the line there had been a wonderful misunderstanding, because many of the local people apparently believed the English opposition arriving in town were Chelsea, rather than Chertsey Town. So, there we were: a Non-League side from Surrey playing a club that was about to spend the following season facing Barcelona and Real Madrid in La Liga. Thousands of people were there, the game was televised locally and, considering the difference between the two clubs, we gave a pretty good account of ourselves. We only lost 3–1.

The best part came afterwards. Kids were coming towards us wanting our shirts and our old-school kit man, Mick, was having absolutely none of it. He was shouting: “No, no, no. We need them! We need them!” That was Non-League football. Forget swapping shirts with the glamorous Spanish side — we were Chertsey Town and we needed those shirts again for the following Saturday! I still smile thinking about it because it captures that world perfectly. Those are the stories you carry with you, and

they’re one of the reasons I remain such a massive advocate for Non-League football. Professionalism has rightly filtered further down the pyramid, but I never want Chertsey to lose its NonLeague soul. I don’t mind things occasionally being a little rough around the edges or unpolished. What matters to me is that it remains real people dealing with real people. Supporters want connection. At our level you can know the players, speak to the chairman, have a beer, walk around the ground and genuinely feel part of something. Our ground sits right in the heart of Chertsey and that matters. People

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are still in our bar long after the final whistle because it’s somewhere they feel they belong. That’s the Non-League way I believe in. It also shapes how I try to run this football club. If a job needs doing, I’ll do it. My apprenticeship taught me that: clean the boots, clean the toilets, lay the kit out properly and never ask somebody else to do something you wouldn’t be prepared to do yourself. Even as chairman, I’ll wash the kit or pick rubbish up if that’s what needs doing. We’ve enjoyed some incredible highs: Wembley, promotions, huge occasions and FA Cup days - and our ambition now is to reach Step Two. But success can’t only

be measured by a league table. I want Chertsey to be sustainable, retain its identity and remain a place where people are treated properly. People such as Chris Gay, who has given more than half a century to this club, represent what Chertsey means to me. Some of the people who welcomed me more than 30 years ago are still here. Others, sadly, are no longer with us, but we still talk about them. That’s Chertsey Town. It’s memory, friendship, laughter, hard work, belonging and connection. Trophies matter and promotions are wonderful, but without people there is no football club. It has always been about the people. It always will

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TOBY LITTLE FIRST TEAM MANAGER

“It’s about belonging, a sense of community and pride in the team.” Football has taught me that setbacks can shape you just as much as success. I grew up in Windsor in a sporting family and dreamed of where the game might take me. I was in the academy system from around 13 and later went on trials with clubs across the south of England. At the time I kept hearing the same thing: technically I was good, but I wasn’t physically big enough. At 15 or 16, that was hard to take. When football means everything to you, rejection can knock you for six. I fell out of love with the game for a while, but looking back it taught me something important: you will get knocked back, be told you are not good enough, and somehow you have to get up again. I found my way back through a college football programme linked to Hayes, later Hayes & Yeading United, which gave me a pathway into senior Non-League football. Alongside football, education became a major part of my life. I spent around 15 years working in schools and now work with Oak National Academy. As I moved towards the end of my playing career, I realised management was something I wanted. In many ways, managing a football team reminds me of being a headteacher. You have different people, different needs and different personalities, and your job is to get the best out of them. For me, it all comes back to relationships. Part of my management style is simply being human. Players make mistakes and managers make mistakes. I believe in honesty, listening and trust. If a player isn’t playing, I will tell him why. Equally, if someone tells me something is happening in his family or his life, I want him to know he can have that conversation with me. Culture is massive for me. When we recruit, I want to know the person before the footballer. We do our homework and try to understand whether someone genuinely wants to become part of Chertsey Town. My management team are good people, and we want good people playing for us. That doesn’t mean we are soft. My footballing nonnegotiables are running, fighting and battling for each other. I want us to be

difficult to play against, but I also want quality and players capable of producing those moments that can win matches. What makes Chertsey special, though, goes beyond results. I live in the town. I see supporters when I walk to Tesco or Costa and people stop me to talk about Saturday’s game. On matchdays you see an incredible mixture of people. Some live for football, some come for company, some for a beer, and others simply value having somewhere they can switch off from everyday life and spend time with people they know. That is where the sense of belonging comes from. People who become part of Chertsey tend to feel that they are genuinely part of something. I experienced that myself as a player, which is one of the reasons I wanted to stay around the club, and I experience it now as manager. Whether it is a player, supporter, board member, someone from the media or even the match officials, we try to make people feel welcome. There is also a real pride in the football club when Chertsey are doing well. You can feel a buzz around the town, and that matters to me. Football will always be about trying to win, but a club has to mean something beyond those 90 minutes as well. For me, Chertsey Town means belonging, community and pride — and I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of it.

CHRIS GAY CLUB HISTORIAN & FORMER SECRETARY

“The name Chertsey is almost like my own personal name.” Some football clubs become part of your life. Chertsey Town has become part of mine. I first started watching the club in 1959. I was brought up in Chertsey and, although I moved away after getting married, the town has never really left me. I joke that I live in exile because I have more friends in Chertsey now than where I live. Playing was never really going to be for me, so in my teens I tried refereeing instead. Then, for a while, I drifted away from football. Chertsey pulled me back. In 1974 a friend persuaded me to watch them at Camberley. I thought I ought to support Camberley because I lived there, but after about 20 minutes I couldn’t do it. I went back from their red to Chertsey blue, and I have been there ever since.

I joined the committee that year and in February 1977 took over as secretary when Ron Gristock went into hospital. It was meant to be temporary. Nearly half a century later I finally stepped down. I joke that Chertsey is like the Hotel California: you can check out, but you can never leave. I still produce match reports, work on the programme and preserve the club’s history. There have been difficult years as well as wonderful ones. I’ve been treasurer, helped around the ground and done whatever needed doing. Then came one of the great days in our history when we won the FA Vase at Wembley in 2019. For a while the trophy even lived in my house. Years later, when I saw it with Ascot United’s yellow ribbons after they won it, part of me thought: “That’s my cup!” The club has changed enormously, particularly since Mark Turner and Dave Rayner helped drive it forward again. Mark and I are different characters, which is probably

why we get on so well. I tease him that he’s a control freak and he knows I’m joking. His attention to detail is extraordinary. I once saw him polishing the silver barrier posts before a match because he wanted them looking right. We have good fun with each other, but underneath that is mutual respect and a shared love for Chertsey Town. One of the most touching moments came when I walked into the ground and discovered that a covered terrace had been named after me. Nobody had told me. I’m

not somebody who looks for praise, but everybody likes to know their contribution has been appreciated. What I love most about Chertsey is its continuity and inclusiveness. There is a stability about the place that comforts me. People say hello, people know one another and generations have passed through the same ground. After all these years, Chertsey is no longer simply somewhere I once lived or a football club I support. The name itself feels like part of who I am.

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BROADBRIDGE HEATH FC

“It’s quite simple really. It’s people.” CHRIS HIGGINS CHAIRMAN

“There needs to be a sense of team off the pitch as much as you find on the pitch.” Some of the most important thing’s football gives us will never appear in a league table. For me, football has always been about connection: the friendships you build, the people you meet and that feeling of belonging to something beyond work and family life. I think we sometimes underestimate just how valuable that is. I’m from West Sussex and moved to the Broadbridge Heath area in 1995. I played football throughout my youth and into adulthood, eventually finishing my playing days with Broadbridge Heath at 36. Afterwards I ran the Under-18s before life took me to America for a few years. When I returned in 2017, I became involved with the club again and, within a couple of years, was asked to become chairman. What I’ve learned is that the strongest clubs create an environment where people enjoy contributing. It has to be collegiate. There has to be camaraderie, belonging and a sense of team off the pitch just as much as there is on it. When you create that environment, people can express their love for the game and also take something meaningful from the time they give. Volunteers are the lifeblood of football in this country. It still amazes me how many people freely give their time to support our national

game, often without receiving anything like the recognition they deserve. Those relationships look after us in life too. Through sport you build friendships and connections. Sometimes it’s as simple as having a pint, a bag of crisps and a conversation. But those conversations matter. Sports clubs provide places where people can talk about life and occasionally even share the more difficult things they might not discuss elsewhere. That is enormously valuable. I feel equally strongly about what football can offer young people. Facilities have improved enormously and I would like us to continue improving the quality of coaching while ensuring it remains accessible and affordable. Children deserve the opportunity to become the best version of themselves. I also think clubs can look beyond football itself. We can involve parents, talk about nutrition, wellbeing and healthy choices and think about the whole person rather than simply producing better footballers. At Broadbridge Heath we are ambitious. This is our third season at this level and I believe Chris Simmons has assembled an excellent

squad. But whatever happens on the pitch, progress has to include everybody. As chairman, my responsibility is to help establish where we want to go without moving so quickly that people get left behind. Volunteers have jobs, families and limited time. We have to respect that and find the right place for people to contribute. We are a village club competing against teams representing much larger towns, and I think what we have achieved is testament to everyone involved. Because ultimately, Broadbridge Heath is not buildings, pitches or league positions. It is people choosing to turn up, contribute, talk, laugh, help one another and travel in the same direction. That sense of belonging is what brought me back — and it is what continues to make this club feel like home.

CHRIS SIMMONS FIRST TEAM MANAGER

“When you see the love people have for it, that’s the special bit of the football club.” “When talking about the 1st team-work rate and a willingness to learn are 100% non-negotiable.” Football has given me far more than anything that happens during 90 minutes. Most of my friendships have come through the game. I met my wife through football. When I look back, I genuinely think my life would have been completely different without it. As a player, I was never someone who would tell you I was blessed with extraordinary talent. I was heart and desire. I worked hard, ran a lot and gave everything I had. I would probably have carried on playing until I couldn’t walk if my body had allowed me. Unfortunately, injuries eventually had their say. I ruptured my ACL, broke my kneecap and at another point

broke my left leg badly. I actually played considerably longer than I was originally told I would, but eventually management became a way of remaining involved in the game I loved. I started coaching around ten years ago, initially helping with Under-23 football. I had played for Broadbridge Heath, Billingshurst and Loxwood, so there were already strong connections within local football. After spells in management elsewhere, I returned to Broadbridge Heath and was working with the Under-23s when I was asked to take temporary charge of the first team in 2020. Temporary became permanent, and we have been on quite a journey since. After my first full season we finished seventh in the Southern Combination Premier Division. The following season we became champions and took Broadbridge Heath into Step Four football for the first time in the club’s history. Initially, our objective at this level was simple: establish ourselves. We didn’t want to be a club that celebrated promotion and immediately went back down. We have achieved that stability and now naturally start looking towards what might come next. We don’t have the resources of some clubs, so our approach has to be different. We have a young squad and that means coaching and developing

people. Head coach Carl Downs has brought another level of technical detail to our work, while Sean Jarvie and the rest of the coaching team contribute enormously. I’ve learned to recognise when somebody else is better at something than I am. That’s not a weakness in management; it’s one of its strengths. You never know everything, and I’m still learning from the people around me. With players, work rate is non-negotiable, but so is a willingness to learn. Just as importantly, they have to fit the football club. Broadbridge Heath is a friendly, family-orientated place. Players are welcomed and treated well, and our supporters and volunteers create an environment people want to be part of. Ability matters, of course, but character matters too.

The history behind what we have today makes that even more meaningful. For years the club didn’t have a home of its own. Volunteers and committee members kept it alive, giving their time and sometimes their own money while campaigning for facilities. Today we have our own home, a huge junior section, Under-18s, Under-23s, women’s football and a pathway towards the first team. None of it happens without people. I have seen supporters arrive here almost by accident, experience the warmth of the club and keep coming back year after year. That’s what Broadbridge Heath means to me. Football brought me friendships, my wife, memories and a life in the game. At Broadbridge Heath, you see that same love being passed from one person to another — and that’s the special bit.

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ANTONY HALL MANAGING DIRECTOR, SPLENDID CARE SPONSOR OF BROADBRIDGE HEATH FC

“THE BOND IS INCREDIBLE” Some of the friendships football gives you can last almost an entire lifetime. I became a Grimsby Town season ticket holder when I was seven years old and, around 45 years later, I still see some of those same people in the stand. We have lived through the highs and lows together. That sense of belonging has always meant an enormous amount to me. Football was also an important part of my son Lauchlan’s childhood. He played junior football from the age of five through to his late teens, and watching his journey reinforced my belief in what being part of a team can give a young person. You learn to communicate. You learn to support people. You understand that you are part of something bigger than yourself. Those lessons have stayed with me professionally too. I now lead teams within the care sector and I often recognise those qualities in people who have grown up around team sport. I have worked in care for around 30 years and today I am Managing Director of

Splendid Care. We are a family owned organisation with strong roots in Sussex, so when I had the opportunity to support something within the local community, Broadbridge Heath immediately resonated with me. I visited the club and was blown away. It wasn’t simply the ground or the first team. It was seeing the number

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of children involved, girls football, disability provision and families from different generations all connected to the same club. That intergenerational element is particularly important to me. Through my work we support people living with dementia, and I have seen the response when older people watch children and younger people enjoying themselves. I have taken residents to Broadbridge Heath and there can be something incredibly powerful in those moments. The residents receive stimulation, companionship and enjoyment, while younger people can see that simply by participating and being themselves they can have a positive effect on somebody else’s life. That is community. Splendid Care now sponsors the club and two first team players, but the relationship feels much deeper than simply placing a company name alongside a football team. What impresses me most about Broadbridge Heath is the thought behind everything they do. It is a very professional organisation, but the message around young people remains consistent. Enjoy yourself. Develop. Become part of a team. Be proud of the badge you wear. Football has given me friendships that have lasted since childhood. I have watched it give my son friendships of his own, and through Broadbridge Heath I can now see different generations sharing that same experience. That connection is incredibly powerful, and for me, that is what a community football club should be.

We are a small village club, but the people here are passionate and that is what makes Slimbridge special.

SLIMBRIDGE AFC

BARRY GAY CHAIRMAN

Hellenic League Premier Division Champions 2025/26 Promoted to the Southern League Division One South For me, Slimbridge AFC has always been about people, community and football giving something back to a village. I was born and bred in Cam, just a mile up the road from the ground, and I have been football mad all my life. I am a big Bristol City supporter, and when I am not with Slimbridge, I follow them whenever I can. I played football at amateur level, not quite at the level Slimbridge are at, but I loved the game and it has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. My playing days finished with Coley Rovers, where I played for about seven years. Around the age of 35, when I realised I was probably getting a little bit too slow, my teammates started pushing me towards management. They kept saying I should be managing, and that encouragement was really how it started. I went on to manage Coley Rovers for about 18 years. After that, I needed a break, and that was when Slimbridge came in. I started by running the under 16s and under 18s, then became involved with the first team backroom staff. When the previous chairman stepped back, around the time we first reached the Southern League, I was asked to take the reins. I have now been chairman for around 11 seasons and involved with the club for about 14 years. Youth football has always mattered to me. We have a very good under 18 set up and this season they won the double, which was tremendous. There is a natural pathway into the first team, and we have had young lads come through and become involved with the senior squad. That is important for a club like ours. This season has been wonderful, but we also know what is coming. We have been in the Southern League before, so we understand the travelling, the cost and the pressure. We are a village club, and financially it will be difficult, but on the pitch the boys are buoyant. Most of the squad are staying, and we will look to add a few to improve the side.

Tom Deakin and Michael Palmer are ambitious, and so are Ben Powell and Sam Prior alongside them. The four of them worked superbly last season. They are passionate about the club and about football, and that gives us confidence. I do think clubs at this level need more help. The travelling can be horrendous, especially for lads who have to go to work the next day. Grassroots and non-league football is full of good people working hard, but it is still a struggle. What makes Slimbridge special is the people. The committee, the fans, the volunteers, the players and the wider community all

care deeply. My brother is chairman of the sports club, and we have always put the emphasis on being family run. There is a great spirit around the place. We are a small group, but we are enthusiastic and passionate. We are a village of around 500 people, and when you go to bigger clubs and see smiles on the faces of our supporters and players after a win, that means everything. That is what I take from football. The highs, the lows, the work, the worry, the friendships and the joy. Slimbridge is a special club because of the people who support it, and I am proud to be part of that.

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ALENA WRIXON CLUB SECRETARY

I sometimes think Slimbridge AFC found me rather than the other way round. Football has always been somewhere in my life. My father was a very good footballer, and I can remember going to watch him play many times. Because of that, I had a very football orientated childhood. Then, for a while, I lost my love of it. Life became about children, grandchildren and everything else that comes with family. Then I met my husband, Ian, who was absolutely football mad. He worked at Forest Green for years,

our son started playing for Slimbridge Reserves, and our son in law played for the Slimbridge first team. Then one day Ian came home and said, “They’ve got nobody to cook at the football club. Can you just do it this Saturday?” I said yes, and 12 years later I have gone from chef to secretary, treasurer, cleaner and sponsorship as well. That is how it happens at clubs like ours. You help once, then you become part of the furniture. I always joke that I am not distracted by watching the football, which apparently makes me the best kind of

volunteer, because I just get on with the jobs that need doing. There is always something to do, and over the years it has become a real family affair for us. My grandsons have been ball boys, my granddaughter Emily helps me in the kitchen, and my grandson Cameron Smith was part of the under 18s side that won the league and the HFA Giantkillers Cup. Charlie Ellis and Oliver Smith have also been involved around the club. That means a lot to me because, as children get older, they naturally drift towards their own friends

"" Football does not finish at quarter to five. There is still lots to do after.

and lives. Football has given me extra years with my grandchildren. It has kept that bond close. This season was absolutely amazing. The last day for both teams was unbelievable, and presentation night was wonderful. To see the first team promoted back to Step 4 and the under 18s doing so well made everybody at the club feel proud. But non league football is not easy. There is no money for luxuries or extras. Even when grants are available, clubs still have to find their share. At this level, you do not make money. You survive because people give their time. That is why I believe football needs more support. Young people need places like this more than ever now. With phones and iPads, they need to get out, be around people, and feel part of something. Football is a great atmosphere, and it is good for mental health. For me, Slimbridge is special because of the people. The supporters, the volunteers, the committee, the players and the families all gel together. Nobody gets paid. Everybody gives what they can. My saying is simple. Football does not finish at quarter to five. There is still lots to do after. At Slimbridge, that work is done with love.

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MICHAEL PALMER CO MANAGER

For me, Slimbridge AFC’s title winning season was never just about tactics, tables or trophies. It was about people. I was born in Newport, and football has always been at the centre of my life. As a young lad, I played for Cardiff City and represented Wales at schoolboy level. I was never the quickest or the most skilful player, but I played in midfield, I captained teams, and I learned very early that if I was going to make an impact, I had to understand the game properly. That probably shaped the way I coach now. I was fortunate to work under some excellent managers and coaches, and even from the more old school ones, I still learned alot. I remembered how certain approaches made

me feel as a player, and I carried those lessons with me. When I moved into coaching, I worked with young players at Cardiff City and then Gloucester City Academy, and that was a really important period for me. I saw young players grow, not just as footballers, but as people. That had a big impact on me. It made me realise that coaching is not just about organising a session or giving information. It is about relationships, confidence, trust and helping people believe in themselves. For me, the person has to come first. A player can be a fantastic footballer, but they have to fit the environment, and the environment has to be right for them as well. If someone is happy, valued and respected, they produce their best work. That is true in football and in life. When that happens, it carries onto the pitch, and suddenly the whole club becomes a happy place that people want to be part of. That was a massive part of what happened at Slimbridge. When we came in, the club had finished 16th. A lot of people probably looked at the negatives, and I understand that, but I also saw loyal people, good people and players who were willing to work hard. The most important thing was to keep those people with us, let them know they were valued, and build around them. Going from 16th to first

was not down to one thing. It was recruitment, hard work, belief, standards and a group of people who genuinely wanted to achieve something together. We worked hard to build a culture and create a togetherness. Everybody was pulling in the same direction, and that does not happen very often in football. It has been a bit of a fairytale story, but I also feel a real sense of responsibility now. Even when we lifted the trophy, I was already thinking about what comes next. You cannot get too high with the highs and you cannot get too low with the lows. We have to keep building, keep improving and make sure we keep the club moving in the right direction. We are excited for Step 4 and the Southern League Division One South, but we know the hard work starts

again. We have worked hard to get there, and now we have to work even harder. What makes Slimbridge special is the people. The volunteers, the supporters, the committee, the staff and everyone behind the scenes all genuinely want the club to do well. From the day I walked in, people have been so welcoming, and it has been refreshing to be surrounded by such genuine, nice people. Without those people, the club would not be where it is, and I would not be in the position I am in. That is what drives me now. I want to do the best job I possibly can for them. I want those people to go home smiling every weekend. For me, football is about people. At Slimbridge, we have got very good people, and that is why this season has meant so much.

Football is about people. When the environment is right, the results follow.

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TOM DEAKIN CO MANAGER

For me, Slimbridge AFC has always felt like home. I grew up in Cam, about half a mile from the ground, and I am moving back to the area now, close to the school where I will be working from September. I played under 18 football at Slimbridge, my brother played here, and it has always had that friendly, local club feeling. It is a place I have loved being part of. Football has been there for as long as I can remember. It started with my dad buying me a goal and a net for the garden, then it was street football, cones for goalposts, garage doors, security lights, balls going over fences and all the things’ people remember from growing up with the game. From there I played youth football locally, then men’s football, and eventually coaching and management became the path I followed. My coaching journey actually started when I was 14. I used to watch my brother’s team and help warm up the goalkeeper. I was picking up cones, kicking balls at the keeper and gradually getting more involved. That team later became part of Forest Green Rovers before the academy came in, and over time I worked through age groups, then spent two years as an academy coach there. I came into Slimbridge as a coach under Lee Driver Dickson, then became assistant manager, then joint manager. In February 2025, Michael Palmer and I sat down and talked about what we could do differently. We were both at clubs that were struggling a little bit, and we felt there was a chance to build something together at Slimbridge. Did we think we would go from 16th to 1st? No. One of our coaches, Sam Prior, even said in pre season that you do not go from 16th to 1st because it just does not happen. But we did it, and to achieve that with Michael, Sam, Ben Powell, Dave Beese and a group of good mates in football probably supersedes anything I have done in the game. The biggest thing for us was finding the right people. We spoke to players early, worked out who would fit, and built the group around character as much as ability. Our main mantra was simple. We look

after the person before we look after the player. That meant getting to know people properly. Their jobs, their families, their children, their goals, their lives. We do not call it a policy, but we have always believed that if you bring in good people, it will work. This season, that was true almost all the way through. The togetherness was incredible. We scored 36 or 37 goals in the last five minutes of games, which gave us 26 extra points. That shows the spirit of the group. We never gave up until the final whistle. What makes Slimbridge special is the people. Baz and Malcolm working on the ground, Alina, the committee, the volunteers, the supporters, the players and their families. We have had players with babies, players with family situations, and everyone has supported each other. It is a proper family club. When you walk off at the end of a game and see 150 or 200 people on the veranda, cheering, clapping, smiling, sometimes crying, you realise what it means. People ask me what the next step is, but right now there is no next step. I want to take this club as far as it can possibly go. When everyone pulls in the same direction, there is nothing stopping Slimbridge.

We look after the person before we look after the player.

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EXMOUTH TOWN FC

TERRY MOORE CHAIRMAN

“If we’ve not got engagement with the community, then we’re lost.” Football has been part of my life for a long time, but for me it has never really been just about what happens on the pitch. It is about people. It is about relationships, families, friendships and that feeling you get when you walk through the gates of your local club and know you are somewhere that matters. That is what Exmouth Town means to me. I’m from Devon and moved to Exmouth eight years ago. My involvement with the club originally came through my son, Jamie. He started playing for Exmouth when he was 17 and was there for around seven or eight years. Before that he had progressed through youth football and was at Exeter College Academy, so football had already been a big part of his life. I had also been involved in football through my other son, Gary. When the boys were younger, I coached Gary’s team at Dawlish United and was involved with the committee there for around

six years. So, I suppose football has run alongside my life for quite a long time. I had a spell away from Exmouth Town, but I kept in touch with people at the club. Last season, Kevin Hill and Bob Chard asked me out for a drink. The promise was that we wouldn’t talk about football. That lasted about five minutes! Before long, we were talking about the club, and that conversation eventually led to me discussing the chairman’s role with the then chairman.The rest, as they say, is history. When I came back, I knew there was work to do, particularly away from the football side. The club needed to strengthen its foundations, so we concentrated on getting the finances under tighter control and making better use of the clubhouse. We have looked at parties, weddings, bingo, darts, functions and other events as ways of bringing additional income into the club. We’ve made really good progress. In my first year, we cleared around 75 per cent of the debt, which was a huge step forward. We are now in a much healthier position and can look ahead rather than simply concentrating on what is immediately in front of us. Commercially, we want to keep building too. We have a commercial manager working on match-day sponsorships, match-ball sponsorships, advertising boards and developing relationships with local businesses. Those relationships are hugely important because football clubs don’t exist in isolation. For me, though, the heart of Exmouth Town is the people of all ages. We’ve got a fantastic core

of volunteers, and we’re also developing relationships with Bicton College, including work involving young people with learning disabilities. We want to encourage youngsters to come through the gates and feel that this is their club. We let children under 16 in free because we want them to experience what a football club can give you. You never know where that first visit might lead. A youngster who comes through the gates today could be volunteering, sponsoring the club or even managing the team in twenty years’ time. That’s why community engagement is so important to me. If we’ve not got that connection with the community, then we’re lost. We’re an open club and we’re a welcoming club. Whoever we’re playing, we want them to feel welcome, and anybody coming through our doors for the first time should receive that same welcome. There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes during the week, and sometimes people don’t see that. But then Saturday comes around and you get together with the players, volunteers and supporters. If you win, it makes all that hard work worthwhile. You get that feelgood factor, and hopefully people go home thinking, “I’ll come back next week.” That is what I want Exmouth Town to be: a club people feel connected to, a club they are proud of, and somewhere football brings people together. Because when the community and the football club are pulling together, that’s when you really feel what Exmouth Town is all about.

KEVIN HILL FIRST TEAM MANAGER, EXMOUTH TOWN FC

“What goes around comes around.” There is something special about walking into Exmouth Town and seeing people happy. I can remember when there were far fewer people coming through the gate and the ground needed a lot of love. Now I look around and see supporters returning, volunteers helping, players enjoying themselves and the clubhouse full of life. That gives me a huge amount of satisfaction because, for me, football has always been about people. I grew up just down the road in Budleigh Salterton, and I was the typical young lad who wanted to be a footballer. I was fortunate enough to make a career out of it. I joined Torquay United in 1997 and went on to make 474 appearances in all competitions, becoming the club’s record appearance holder. I was part of the side that won promotion under Leroy Rosenior in 2004, and I learned a lot from Leroy

about managing people, not simply footballers. One thing that stayed with me was how important it is to know when players need pushing and when they need understanding. That is a massive part of how I manage now. The lads at this level work all week. Some have families, children and all the pressures everybody else has. I never want football to become another chore for them. We will work hard, we will be organised and we will take winning seriously, but I want players coming around that corner on a Saturday afternoon with a smile on their face. If they are doing that, I know they are here for the right reasons. My first experience of management came back home at Budleigh when the club was struggling and there was a real concern about its future. I wanted to help. We brought some enjoyment back, got people together and created a good atmosphere. When the opportunity eventually came to take over at Exmouth, I thought that if I did not take it, I might regret it. Since then, the journey has been incredible. We have earned two promotions and established ourselves in the Southern League, but I have always believed in being realistic about where we are. I am not interested in pretending to be something we are not. The same applies tactically. I play to the strengths of the players I have. I do not want to impose some fashionable style

simply because everybody else says that is how football should be played. Some of the lads have travelled through the leagues with me because they are grafters, runners and people I trust. They understand what we are about. If an opportunity for promotion comes, of course we will embrace it. You never turn that opportunity down. But progress has to be sustainable. The football side has moved forward incredibly quickly, and the rest of the club is developing alongside it. Sometimes little strides are better than trying to do everything overnight. The small things matter to me too. I can spend evenings at the club sorting the kit, hanging everything properly and making sure the dressing room looks right. At Christmas we have put presents on the players’ seats. At Easter there might be a Creme Egg waiting on their peg. None of that wins you a football match

by itself, but it tells somebody they matter. I think that comes from my family. We did not have loads of money growing up, but we never went without. I remember watching my dad give somebody his last £20 because that person needed it. That stayed with me. That is probably why Exmouth means so much to me. I love seeing the ground looking better. I love seeing local people coming back. I love watching volunteers become part of something and players wanting to stay because they enjoy being here. Football will always be about results, but a football club can be much more than that. I want people to feel valued, I want them to enjoy the ride, and I want them to leave this place feeling better for having been part of it. I have always believed that what goes around comes around. Looking at Exmouth Town today, I think we are seeing that happen.

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Jordan Harris, Max Gillard, Andy Rawlings & Mark Lever

Andy Rawlings & Kevin Hill Winning Promotion to the Western League! ANDY RAWLINGS FIRST TEAM GOALKEEPING COACH, EXMOUTH TOWN FC SEARCH4LOCAL, STADIUM SPONSOR

“IT JUST FELT LIKE ONE BIG CLUB.” Football has been part of my life for as long as I can remember, but some of the greatest things it has given me have very little to do with results. I am an Exeter lad and played local football for years. When my playing days began winding down, my three boys gave me my route into coaching. My eldest is Jonny, and then I have twins, Jack and Sam. All three played football, with Jack and Sam also playing for Exmouth. When they were about seven, I took them along to a team and somebody realised I had played a bit and asked if I could help. Before I knew it, I was running the team. I stayed with those boys from under sevens right through to under eighteens. They became a successful group and won their league while competing against players a year older. Watching my own sons grow through football reinforced everything I love about the game. It gets young people out, allows them to mix with others and teaches them what being part of a team means. Teammates become proper friends. Most of the great people I have met throughout my life have come through football. My journey with Exmouth Town began in 2017. The club needed results and I came in alongside my good friend, the late Kevin Miller, a fantastic goalkeeper who had played in the Premier League with Crystal Palace. We became joint managers and helped move the team away from trouble. Kevin’s distinguished career and his later coaching work are well documented, and his recent passing was a

huge loss to football in the South West. When Kevin moved on, Kevin Hill came in and I became his assistant. Hilly is infectious. He cares about people, understands players and wants them leaving the ground with a smile on their face.

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Together we experienced something very special when Exmouth achieved promotion to the Southern League for the first time in the club’s history. I have since been manager, assistant manager and Vice Chairman, but this season Kevin asked me to return to the

coaching team as Goalkeeping Coach. That is where my heart is, on the sideline. My business, Search4Local, has also supported the club for four seasons. This year we moved from being the main club sponsor to becoming the stadium sponsor, something that gives me enormous pride. Exmouth’s own current material confirms the ground as the Search4Local Stadium. What has always struck me about Exmouth is that it is never about one person. Someone is cleaning, somebody is painting, somebody is doing the weeding, supporters are helping and volunteers are constantly giving their time. I arrived from Exeter not really knowing the Exmouth community. They welcomed me into a family. Years later, after everything we have experienced together, that is still what this place feels like. One big football family.

Jack, Jonny & Sam Rawlings

LARKHALL ATHLETIC FC

ONE CLUB ONE VISION!

100

PAUL RANKIN CHAIRMAN

“In my fourth decade at Larkhall, it’s still the people who make the Larks such a special place to be” When you have been part of a football club for nearly four decades, it becomes much more than somewhere you go on a Saturday afternoon. Your family grows up around it, friendships are formed there

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around 13 years before work commitments led me to step away and eventually become chairman. I’ve now held that role for around 15 years, but I have never viewed the club as belonging to me or any one individual. Someone once said to me that Larkhall was here before me and will be here after me. That stayed with me. I see myself simply as a custodian, with a responsibility to leave the club in a better position for whoever comes next. That is what One ClubOne Vision means to me.

Success cannot only be measured by where the first team finishes. Of course we are ambitious, and I believe John Durbin has developed a tremendous group of players who genuinely want to represent this club. But success also means creating facilities and opportunities for the whole community. We now have more than 600 young boys and girls involved, with a pathway stretching from junior football towards our senior sides. The investment in the 3G pitch, stands and facilities

at Plain Ham is about building something that can serve people for generations. We have to do that sustainably. Our income comes predominantly through attendances, sponsorship and the tremendous work of volunteers. We do not want Larkhall’s future dependent upon one individual; we want strong foundations underneath everything we build. After all these years, what makes Larkhall special? It’s still the people. People set the standards of a football club. We will not always agree with one another, but we can respect each other’s opinions and always ask what is best for Larkhall Athletic. This club has been here for more than a hundred years. My hope is that the decisions we make today help ensure it is here for another hundred. My family has grown up around Larkhall and I’ve received an enormous amount from being part of it. It’s the people, the place and that shared vision. After almost four decades, that is still what being a Lark means to me.

Images taken and supplied by Jeremy Richards, Av Bains & Phil Scovell

and, somewhere along the way, it becomes part of who you are. I first became involved with Larkhall Athletic in 1989. I started playing for the Sunday side, was asked to step up to the first team and eventually became a player-manager. At one stage the club was in a difficult position near the bottom of the old Western League First Division, and another player and I took responsibility for the team and helped keep us up. I was involved at management level for

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TRACEY HILL – FOOTBALL SECRETARY & CLUB DIRECTOR

“We look after our players – they know people here genuinely care about them” Some places simply get under your skin, and Plain Ham did that to me almost from the moment I first walked through the gate. I’d moved to Bath for work in 1993 and to Larkhall the following year, but it wasn’t until 2007 that I was persuaded to watch the Larks. I fell for it completely. There was something about the beautiful ground, the people and that genuine sense of belonging. I’ve loved football since I was a girl growing up in the 1970s, when the opportunities for girls simply weren’t there. I had football posters on my bedroom wall, but I didn’t get to my first match until I was 17. I once played mixed six-aside and even scored a goal, but I would simply have liked the chance to play properly. Perhaps that is why seeing girls’ football flourishing at Larkhall now means so much to me. I’ve been involved with the club for nearly 20 years and Football Secretary for around 14 of them, as well as serving as a director. What keeps me here is the culture. We have families where three generations volunteer. One of our longest-serving volunteers joined as a 17-year-old player and is still helping the club as he approaches 80; his son now manages our new A team and his grandsons play in it. That tells you what Larkhall Athletic is about. The structure is growing too. We have our Southern League first team, managed by John Durbin, a development team and now an A team, creating a

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stronger pathway into senior football. Our youth section has more than 600 children from Under-5s to Under-18s, with girls’ football becoming increasingly important. The new 3G pitch has opened possibilities we simply could not have contemplated before. John took over the first team during last season and the response from the players was really encouraging. A large proportion of the squad stayed with us, and I think that says something. We look after our players. They know people here care about them and most respond strongly to that atmosphere. Players move around in non-league football, but quite a few come back. We may joke that we are the “gold standard for midtable”, but success to me is about more than a league position. It is seeing young children making noise in the stand, players making them welcome, volunteers giving their time and people meeting friends in the clubhouse. I’m ridiculously sentimental about this place, and I make no apology for it. Larkhall is technically a suburb of Bath, but to us it feels like a village. The club belongs to that village. It is a warm community, treasured by the people within it – and after nearly two decades here, I still feel very lucky to be part of it.

JOHN DURBIN FIRST TEAM MANAGER

“You can always be honest, and you can always do an honest day’s work” Football has been part of my life for as long as I can remember, but perhaps I understand its importance even more now. I lost my dad in March and, when I think about the way I manage players and the standards I try to live by, so much of it comes back to him. Dad managed my grassroots team when I was young. He was incredibly honest with me. I could do nine things right and one thing wrong and he would praise me, but he would also tell me where that one thing could have been better. He was my idol and, right through my playing and management career, he remained the person I would bounce ideas off. Whether I liked his answer or not, I knew I was going to get the truth. That has become fundamental to my own management style: respect, honesty and hard work. I ask players to give me the same commitment they expect from me. If somebody isn’t playing well or isn’t going to be selected, I would rather sit down and have that difficult conversation faceto-face. Players are human beings. They have jobs,

families and things happening in their lives that we might know nothing about. I only get a few hours each week with them at this level, so management has to be about understanding people and trying to bring the best version of each player out on that particular day. Technically, things sometimes won’t happen for you. Passes go astray and everyone has bad games. But you can still run, work and give an honest performance. I came into Larkhall as assistant to Ollie Price and, when Ollie stepped down, I initially took charge because I felt a responsibility to the club and the players. We went on a tremendous winning run and eventually I was offered the position permanently. The players made that transition easy for me because they bought into what we were trying to build, and finishing ninth last season gave us something positive to build upon. Now I want to bring the whole club together. I love the idea of young players coming through the pathway, reaching the Under-18s and development football and believing there is genuinely an opportunity to play for my first team if they are good enough. Larkhall doesn’t have to be the biggest-spending club. What excites me is that it is being built sustainably, with investment in the facilities, the pitch, the stands and the pathway beneath the first team. Ultimately, though, football clubs are about people. People like Paul Rankin, Tracey Hill and those volunteers who give so much of themselves to Larkhall. Walking into that clubhouse at five o’clock on a Saturday after winning and seeing what those three points mean to them is a wonderful feeling. My dad taught me to treat people how I would want to be treated myself. That applies to football, but it applies to life as well. If we can build Larkhall around those values, compete, develop our own players and give something back to people who love this club, then I think we will have built something worth being proud of.

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LITTLE OAKLEY FC

MICHAEL GOOD CHAIRMAN

“We never thought we’d play at step five, let alone step four” There are moments in football when you have to stop and look back at where you have come from. For Little Oakley, this is one of those moments. We are a village club, rooted in our community, and now, for the first time in our history, we are embarking on a season at Step Four. There is excitement and a little trepidation, but above everything else there is pride. This coming season will be my 30th year as Chairman. When I first took the role, the club was playing at what would now be Step Seven. We had two Saturday sides and that was about it. I certainly never imagined that one day we would be competing at this level. The real development began when we became more ambitious, built our youth structure and invested in the facilities. Around ten years ago we installed a small 3G facility, helped by Football Foundation funding and other grants. That gave our teams somewhere to train, generated income and allowed us to keep improving the Memorial Ground. Floodlights followed, and gradually the club moved forward. Today we have around 21 youth teams, two Saturday sides and six walking-football teams, with age groups ranging right through to over-75s. Some of our walking footballers have represented England. Five players in this season’s first-team squad have come through our youth ranks, and maintaining that pathway remains important to us.

Last season everything seemed to click. With the exception of two players, the squad was under 23 and there was a tremendous togetherness. Paul Phelan and my son James Good had worked together within the management set-up for four years, and the players believed in one another. We were exceptionally strong defensively and developed a habit of finding the decisive goal late in games. What makes me proudest, though, is not simply promotion. My wife Karen is an integral part of everything we do, and without her we would be nowhere near where we are today. Over the years we have made lifelong friends and watched young boys come through the club and grow into men with families of their own. We are probably punching massively above our weight now, and Step Four will be a huge challenge. But Little Oakley has never been built by one person. Good people, on and off the pitch, have grown this club together. Football matters here because the club matters. We want Little Oakley to remain at the heart of its community - a place where people belong. Whatever happens next, nobody can take away the journey that brought us here.

A Special Mention: Little Oakley FC has benefitted greatly from the work and commitment of our secretary, David Chopping, who has been with the club, in that role, for over 35 years. David also has a strong family connection to the club with his nephew Lewis Wood having played for over 20 years and been 1st team captain for many of those!

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STEVIE GAWN CHAIRMAN, LITTLE OAKLEY MEMORIAL CLUB

“Just the community — everybody buys into it” Some places become part of your life almost without you realising it. You arrive through one door, meet people, make friends and, before long, decades have passed and

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the place feels like part of your family. That is what Little Oakley and the Memorial Club have become for me. I’m originally from the Isle of Wight and came to this part of the world through work. I met my wife here — she was born about 60 yards down the road from the ground — and I started playing for

Little Oakley around 1980, representing both the first team and reserves. My work was at sea, so there were periods when I was home and away and inevitably drifted in and out of the team. But I never really drifted away from Little Oakley. Today I’m Chairman of the Memorial Club, remain closely involved with the football club and still play the game through our thriving walking-football section. The history here matters. The Memorial Club goes back to the years immediately following the Second World War, while the present football club was formed here in 1947 as Little Oakley War Memorial. Over the generations it has developed into something that means far more than simply football. We have the clubhouse, social activities, tea mornings, bingo, darts, functions and, at the heart of everything, people coming together. Little Oakley’s promotion to Step Four has been incredible. My house overlooks the ground, so I could hardly escape last season even if I wanted to! I never envisaged

us winning the league. There was tremendous camaraderie, everyone pulled together and defensively the team was outstanding. Watching a village club achieve something like that was fantastic. There is another reason this place means so much to me personally. My late father-in-law, Gordon Carter, devoted around 70 years to Little Oakley and did virtually every job imaginable, from helping with the pitch to serving the club in numerous roles. Having a stand named after him was a wonderful and fitting recognition of everything he gave. That family connection continues. My daughter Rebecca remains involved through sponsorship, and I remain involved because this is more than a sports ground to us. When I look across that pitch, I don’t simply see football. I see Gordon’s stand, friends made over decades, generations of local families and countless memories. That, ultimately, is Little Oakley to me. It’s the community. Everybody buys into it.

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PAUL PHELAN FIRST TEAM MANAGER

“It’s just the never-say-die attitude that the whole club’s got” There are moments in football that mean more because of how long you have waited for them. I have been involved in the game as a player, coach and manager for most of my life, but until last season I had never won a league. I had won cups, been involved in play-offs and experienced promotions, but never actually finished top. So, to finally do that with Little Oakley was incredibly special. My playing career took me to a decent level and, after a serious leg break at 29, coaching gradually became my path. I moved into an assistant manager’s role at Step Three and have now been managing for around 26 years. Through all those years I have been at some good clubs, but I have never experienced the camaraderie I have found here. That togetherness gave us an edge last season. A number of the lads had known each other through the AFC Sudbury Academy and arrived already sharing friendships and an understanding of one another. Add some very good footballers to that and you have a powerful combination. My biggest non-negotiable as a manager is hard work. It sounds basic, but it matters. I work hard and I expect the players to do the same. These lads have bought into that completely. We are not always going to be the prettiest team to watch, and some

people might describe our football as direct, but we play to our strengths and work relentlessly at the details, including set pieces. The defensive side was hugely important. James Askew was outstanding in goal and our goalkeeper coach Andy Perry deserves enormous credit for the work he put in, often in the cold and wet when nobody was watching. That is what this club is full of: good people doing important work behind the scenes. Michael and Karen Good have also been unbelievable with me. I have worked with many chairmen over the years, but their support is different. Even after defeats, Michael keeps you grounded, looks for the positive and never allows you to stay down for long. Now we step into Step Four knowing how difficult it will be. We are under no illusions. But last season was difficult too. So many games were decided late because this group simply stayed in matches and refused to accept they were beaten. That is probably our greatest strength: the neversay-die attitude that runs through the whole club. Little Oakley has given me something I waited a long, long time for. But the medal and the league title are only part of it. For the first time in all my years in football, I genuinely feel I have found a community where everyone is pushing in the same direction. That is what makes this place special.

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ANDY BLOOM MEDIA TEAM & CLUB PHOTOGRAPHER

“It’s the family — it’s a family club” Some football clubs give you matches to remember. Others become woven into your life, your friendships and your family. Little Oakley has become all of those things to me, and that is why seeing this club make history means so much. My connection goes back through my dad, Dick Bloom. He played for Little Oakley in the 1960s and was heavily involved around the club and helping develop the ground. I never really became much of a player myself — apart from once coming on for about ten minutes for the reserves when I was supposed to be running the line! — but Little Oakley has always been part of my life.

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Today I look after much of the club’s media and photography. My son Jack is involved alongside me, particularly with the videos and social media, while I take the photographs, produce graphics and help tell the story of the club. That feels important because the photographs I love most aren’t necessarily the perfect action shots. They are the

human moments. I have one of one of our players, having finished work and then played on a wet Tuesday night, with his two young boys coming onto the pitch afterwards, their faces lighting up as they see their dad. To me, that is nonleague football summed up. And what a season we have just experienced. Winning the Essex Senior

League and earning promotion to Step Four gave me one of the greatest days of my life. Nobody really expected Little Oakley to win that league. We had an outstanding defence and goalkeeper, but more importantly there was a togetherness throughout the club. Defences may win leagues, but people build football clubs. That is why Michael and Karen Good deserve enormous credit for what they give to Little Oakley. Everything I do here is voluntary and done because I love the club. I don’t need anything in return. When my dad passed away in 2019, the club held a minute’s silence and applause for him. Even talking about that now gets me emotional. It showed me exactly what Little Oakley is about. I still love football, but this is where I find the personal connection — knowing players by their first names, sharing a pint afterwards and standing alongside people who genuinely care about one another. It’s family. And that, for me, is the magic of Little Oakley Football Club.

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BIGGLESWADE FC

We are a family that is close and supportive, but also outward-looking; we want everyone who comes here to feel welcome.

JEREMY REYNOLDS CHAIRMAN

“What we have is very good people; and that is what makes this club special.” Sometimes in football you have to stop looking at how far there is still to climb and turn around to see how far you have already come. For me, that says a great deal about Biggleswade FC. We are only ten years old, we operate without a ground of our own and without the resources enjoyed by many clubs around us, yet we have built something genuinely special. My route here began

through my son Matthew, a talented young footballer who later played under Dave Northfield. When Dave and Mark Inskip had the idea of creating a senior club that could give young players a pathway after academy football, Dave asked me to become chairman. I prepared our appeal at Wembley to enter Step 6 and, when that succeeded in 2016, the journey really began. I was a teacher for most of my working life, finishing as Head of Geography at a sixthform college in Luton, and that background has shaped the chairman I have become. Teaching, for me, was always about communication and engagement. Football is not so different. People need to feel valued, whether they are players, volunteers, officials, supporters or visitors. I am very conscious of what I am not. I am not a wealthy owner able to pour large sums into the club. But Ruth, my wife, and I have tried to bring the interpersonal skills we learned through education. We have a

committed committee and a culture built around making people feel welcome. Life has also taught me perspective. I lost my brother to a brain tumour when he was only 34. Experiences like that remind you how precious time and people are. At the other end of life, we now have a young grandson, and that brings its own sense of gratitude. Football matters deeply, but a defeat is never a disaster. A setback is something to learn from. That philosophy runs through Biggleswade FC. Hospitality is not simply putting food on a table; it is sitting beside people, asking about their journey and making them feel genuinely welcome. We also work hard to maintain our connection with Biggleswade and the local community even while playing away from the town. Now, perhaps more excitingly than ever, we are closer to the possibility of establishing a home of our own. There is still work to do and I have to be careful about what I say, but we are hopeful. Ultimately, Biggleswade FC feels like a family: close, supportive and outwardlooking. If people leave us feeling that they belonged for an afternoon, a season or many years, then for me that is what makes this club special.

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DAVE NORTHFIELD JOINT MANAGER

“My biggest strength is people. I want people to say, ‘That’s a nice club. That’s a good club.’” Biggleswade has always been part of me. I was born here in 1960, and football has been in my life for as long as I can remember. I was football mad as a kid, although I will happily admit I was never the greatest player. In many ways, management found me before I realised how important it would become. I was only 18 or 19 when I first found myself managing a reserve side. Looking back, I understood the game, but

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more importantly, I understood people. That has followed me through football, business and life. My biggest strength has always been man management. My journey eventually took me into Biggleswade Town and later into youth football. When my son Lee and a group of other talented youngsters came through the academy system, many suddenly found themselves released. I knew how easily young players could drift away from football, so we created an Under 18 side and gave them somewhere to belong and develop. That group won its league two years running and included Keinan Davis. Keinan had been released by Stevenage, but I always believed there was a footballer there. Aston Villa began watching him and eventually signed him. I helped him through some early decisions, including meeting prospective agents, but I never wanted anything financially. It was about Keinan and what was right for him. We remain close today, and seeing the career he has built makes me incredibly proud.

When that youth team reached the end of its age group, we did not want everything we had built to disappear. That became the beginning of Biggleswade FC. We successfully appealed for a place at Step 6, won the division in our first season and kept progressing. In 2018 to 19 we won the league, the league cup and a charity cup. Most recently we reached the 2026 play off final. What makes me proudest, though, is not simply trophies. Mark Inskip, or Skippy as I have always known him, has been beside me throughout this journey. We think very similarly. I would rather lose trying to pass the ball than win by simply kicking it long. But even more important than our style is how we treat people. I want us to be respectful. I want players to know we care about them as human beings. Sometimes somebody needs an arm around them rather than a roasting. That probably comes from my family. My dad was a tough taskmaster when I was young, but he became one of my greatest supporters. When my first business was struggling

as it grew, he even cashed in pensions to help keep us going. He passed away a couple of years ago, and I will never forget what he did for me. Today my family remains my world. I have four children and nine grandchildren, and every Sunday I cook for around 21 of us. Football sits very close behind them. Maybe that is why Biggleswade FC means so much to me. Underneath it all it is people, friendship, loyalty and belonging. Whatever happens on the pitch, I want people to look at Biggleswade FC and say one thing: they are good people, and that is a good club.

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NICK SMITH, THE COCK FREEHOUSE, BROOM LONG STANDING BIGGLESWADE FC SPONSOR

The Cock Inn Pub | Food | Inn

www.thecockinnbroom.com

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“We started from day one really. If we can help them out, we will.” I would never pretend to be the biggest football expert in the world. In our house that title definitely belongs to my partner Michelle. She is mad about football and usually knows far more about what is happening than I do. What I do understand, though, is people, and that is probably why Biggleswade FC has meant so much to us over the years. Michelle and I have been at The Cock in Broom for nearly 14 years, and our association with

Biggleswade goes right back to the club’s early days. Jeremy Reynolds lives in the village, and we already knew him through the pub. When he spoke about what they were trying to build, we wanted to support it. We were there from the beginning really, and we have continued ever since. The Cock became part of the story too. In those early days meetings were held here, and as the club grew, they eventually became too big for the pub. They still use our cabin for meetings and Annual General Meetings, so in a small way the club has grown up around us. Over almost ten years we have watched that journey unfold. We have seen the players develop, watched the standard of football rise and seen the work that Jeremy, Dave Northfield, Mark “Skippy” Inskip and so many others have put into making the club what it is today. What has always impressed me most is how welcoming everybody is. They desperately want to win football matches, of course, but it never seems to come at the expense of how people are treated. When visitors arrive, there is tea, coffee, food and conversation. People are made to feel welcome. That says a lot about a football club. Michelle and I would love to get to more games, but running a pub is seven days a week and Saturdays are naturally one of our busiest times. Michelle is usually working in the kitchen, so getting away is difficult. We therefore try to contribute in whatever other ways we can. The club is also working incredibly hard towards having a home of its own, and I have been doing what I can to spread the word and encourage people to support that ambition. After all these years, you become emotionally invested in seeing people you care about succeed. That is how I feel about Biggleswade FC. We have watched them grow from the beginning, and if there is something Michelle and I can do to help them keep moving forward, we will.

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MARK INSKIP JOINT MANAGER

“The rule of thumb for me is simple: you treat people how you would want to be treated.” I never really set out to become a football manager. Like many important things in life, it happened almost by accident. My eldest son Ryan was 12 and his team at Priory Parkside suddenly needed somebody to take charge. I stepped in, and what began as helping my son became a journey that has lasted more than 20 years. I eventually took that group through to under 18 football at Eynesbury Rovers. Even after Ryan moved into the adult game, I remained involved for another six years, coaching different age groups and later my younger son Connor. Those years gave me a grounding in something that remains fundamental to the way I manage today. You have to understand the person before you can properly manage the footballer. At younger ages, football should be about giving children opportunities and meaningful time on the pitch. By under 18 level that changes. Suddenly it becomes

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competitive. Players have to work, improve and begin understanding that senior football will not guarantee everybody equal minutes. That reality is important, and I believe managers have a responsibility to be honest about it. When somebody comes to us at Biggleswade FC, Dave Northfield and I have to assess what that player really has. We are playing at Step 4, so the margins become smaller. A player might have been outstanding at Step 5, but moving up means everything happens quicker. Suddenly the player who was the best on the pitch every week might be the one making mistakes. That can be difficult for somebody to accept. My job is not to tell players what they want to hear. My job is to understand their ability, their mentality, their circumstances and what they are realistically capable of becoming. A 32 year old with two children trying Step 4 is in a completely different situation from an 18 year old who has just been released by a professional academy. Then you might have a 25 year old who has spent several seasons at Step 5 and suddenly thinks, “How far can I actually go?”All three need managing differently. With the teenager, you are asking whether he wants to learn and whether there is development still to come. With the experienced player, you may need to ask whether he can genuinely commit to the demands. With the 25 year old, sometimes he discovers very quickly whether he can make that next step. There is absolutely no embarrassment in finding your level. Sometimes the kindest thing you can do is tell

somebody honestly that they are unlikely to get enough football with you. If that were me, I would want to know. I would want the opportunity to join another club, play regularly, improve and perhaps come back one day and prove the manager wrong. We have actually helped players find other clubs when we knew we could not give them enough minutes. That matters to me. You do not simply discard somebody because they have not made your starting eleven. Dave and I believe communication is one of our greatest strengths. You also have to read people. If somebody who normally walks into the changing room laughing and joking suddenly becomes quiet, there may be something going on beyond football. A parent might be ill. A grandparent might be unwell. Somebody might simply be having a difficult month. One player may need a strong word. Another needs an arm around him and a private conversation. Management is recognising the difference. What I look for in a footballer is actually very simple: attitude, desire and commitment. Ability is important, but ability can disguise weaknesses. Give me somebody who desperately wants to improve, who trains properly, works for his teammates and wants to learn, and you have something to work with. I also listen very carefully to one little word. We. We have had talented players arrive from professional clubs who spoke about Biggleswade as “you”. “You need to win today.” “You are going to struggle.” Straight away, that tells me

something. The players who have truly bought into our club say, “We need to win.” “We need to work harder.” When you cross that white line, you cross it together. That philosophy has been at the heart of Biggleswade FC since Dave and I became involved in creating the club in 2016. We want to win football matches and progress, but success cannot only be measured by the league table. Developing players matters. Seeing somebody such as Pemi Aderoju earn an opportunity with Peterborough United matters. Building a dressing room where players enjoy each other’s company matters. And ultimately, the club has to matter beyond the first

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team. My vision is for youth football, walking football, opportunities for former players, community facilities and somewhere people can simply come together. We work with Ivel Valley School, and I want us to continue developing projects that make a genuine difference locally. Yes, I want Biggleswade FC to win. I want us to climb the pyramid. But there is something bigger than that. If we can help players understand what they are capable of, encourage them to become better, treat them honestly when things do not work out, and create a football club where people of every age can find friendship and belonging, then I think we will have built something genuinely worthwhile.

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TONY WREN, MANAGING DIRECTOR, INNOVATION ON SITE LIMITED BIGGLESWADE FC SPONSOR

“Whether it’s sport, family or business; you’ve got to put in more than you take out!” Biggleswade has always been home to me, and football has always been part of that sense of belonging. When I think about the game, I don’t just think about results or trophies. I think about people, the friendships you make, the opportunities you’re given and the responsibility you have to give something back. I played for Biggleswade Town as a boy and was fortunate enough to spend time with Arsenal Schoolboys between the ages of 12 and 15. I played alongside David Hillier, who later went on to play first team football for Arsenal and win the First Division title in the 1990 to 1991 season. My own football remained local, playing in the South Midlands League for Biggleswade Town, Biggleswade United, Langford and Potton United. Mark “Skippy” Inskip and I played together, while Dave Northfield was often on the other side. Dave and I had been rivals since childhood. Even our families competed over who ran the best fish and chip shop in town, so there has always been plenty of friendly banter between us. One of my earliest and most special family connections with Biggleswade FC actually came through my daughter Freya. When she was just 12 years old, she entered a competition to design the club badge and won. To think that something she created as a young girl became part of the identity of the football club gives our family a lasting connection with Biggleswade FC that

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means a great deal to me. My involvement with the club then really grew through my good friend Phil Smailes. I had known Phil for years and he managed Freya’s girls team before becoming involved with the FC reserves. Once I started watching the local lads, I became more involved, and through Innovation On Site we began sponsoring kits and supporting the club. Nearly a decade later, that relationship means a great deal to me. Family is everything in my life. I am the dad of four daughters, Sasha, Chloe, Freya and Darcy, and football has run through the generations. Sasha and Chloe played at school, while Freya and Darcy grew up at a time when opportunities for girls in football had changed enormously. Freya went on to study at UCFB at Wembley, worked part time with the FA during her studies and has now started her full time career with the organisation. As a dad, that makes me incredibly proud. Now I get to see another generation coming through as well. My grandchildren include Theo, Zach and Merson, all at different stages of discovering football for themselves. Seeing them enjoy the game reminds me that football is never really just about football. It is about belonging. That is also how I try to run Innovation On Site. We have been going for almost two decades, and I have always believed the same principles apply in business, football and family. Everyone has to pull in the same direction, and you have to put more in than you take out. If you can get eleven selfless people on a football pitch, you have a chance. A business works the same way. So does a community.

That is what I see at Biggleswade FC, from Jeremy Reynolds, Dave and Skippy through to all those volunteers doing the jobs people rarely notice. Everyone wants to do the right thing. When people ask me what makes Biggleswade FC special, my answer is always the same: the people. Friendly, sincere people looking out for one another and wanting everyone around them to enjoy being part of something. For me, that is football at its very best. Family, friendship and community, all coming together in one place.

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GRANTHAM TOWN FC

“The people are the assets.”

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NICK JOHNSTON CHAIRMAN

“It’s a we thing. It’s not me, it’s we.” Grantham is my hometown, so there is something deeply personal about being involved with this football club. I never had an ambition to become chairman. I simply wanted to help. But sometimes opportunities arrive at a particular moment in your life, and you feel you are supposed to take them. I first watched Grantham as a boy in the late 1970s and followed the club throughout my childhood. I later spent 23 years living in Asia, but Grantham Town never completely left me. Whenever I came home, I would watch a couple of games, and from around 2015 I became closer to people at the club and started supporting it financially. After returning to England with my family

in 2020, that involvement naturally grew. When the previous chairman stepped down in April 2025, four of us came together and decided to give it a go. Our motivation was never to create a vanity project or simply throw money at the first team. We wanted to build something sustainable that genuinely belonged to the community. The first season could hardly have given us more encouragement. Under Mitch Griffiths we won promotion through the play-offs and lifted the Lincolnshire Senior Trophy. Mitch fitted what we wanted immediately. He is straightforward, grounded and believes in giving younger players opportunities. Having the experience of Louis Bland alongside him has complemented that brilliantly. But success for us cannot simply mean what happens

on a Saturday afternoon. When we took over, the club had around 280 players across its different sections. Our ambition is to reach 1,000 players by 2030, creating genuine pathways from boys to men and girls to women, while growing walking football and our Unity football provision for people of different abilities. My brother and I helped start the walking football section, sometimes beginning with barely enough players for a game. Now people tell me that hour of football can be the highlight of their week. That is when you understand what a football club can really mean. We have worked with schools, given family tickets away, held community and emergency-services days and invited local businesses into the club. Our aim is simple: Grantham Town should sit at the heart of Grantham.

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None of this happens without volunteers. We lease our ground, so when I look at what the club truly owns, I always come back to two things: the badge and the people. I have seen volunteers working through the night watering the pitch, people giving countless unseen hours to accounts, administration and matchdays, asking for nothing in return. That has been one of the most humbling parts of becoming chairman. People sometimes congratulate me personally, but I always correct them. This isn’t mine. It’s ours. It’s a we thing. And if we can keep bringing good people together, keep our values of respect, teamwork, fun and continuous improvement, and make this a club where the whole town feels it belongs, then I genuinely believe Grantham Town can achieve something very special. Because ultimately, the greatest asset this football club will ever possess is its people.

MITCH GRIFFITHS FIRST TEAM MANAGER

“How did we do that? What a season.” Football has been part of my life for as long as I can remember, but I don’t think I fully understood how much it meant to me until I tried to walk away from it. When my restaurant became busy, I stopped playing for a period because I thought work had to come first. What I discovered was that something was missing. When I eventually went back to training, I remember driving home afterwards and realising how much football gave me that release from work and everyday life, the friendships, the changing room and simply belonging to something. That experience stays with me now as a manager. I have spent most of my life in Lincolnshire and played across non-league football for clubs including Deeping Rangers, Spalding United and Lincoln United. Management wasn’t something I had always planned. As I became one of

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the senior players, managers increasingly asked for my opinion, and I realised how much I enjoyed helping people and trying to get the best from different personalities. Running my own business also taught me a great deal about managing people. My first experience came at Newark Town before the opportunity arose at Grantham. When I arrived, it was effectively a complete reset. Only one player remained from the previous squad, and we brought in a new group, alongside new members of the backroom team. I had around six weeks before pre-season and there were days when my phone screen-time reached 14 hours because I was constantly speaking to players. I wanted promotion, but there were moments when I wondered whether we were trying to achieve it a year too soon. What carried us through was character. I deliberately brought in players I knew and trusted, people who were leaders and

who would give everything. We weren’t always the finished article tactically because we simply hadn’t had enough time together, but we built an incredible spirit. Players fought for one another, and eventually that took us through the play-offs and back to Step Four, alongside winning the Lincolnshire Senior Trophy. My non-negotiables are straightforward. Work harder than your opponent. Run more. Be stronger. Give everything for every minute you are on the pitch and, above all, be a team player. I can accept mistakes. What I cannot accept is somebody giving up. I also want players to be part of the club rather than simply turning up, playing and leaving. Stay for a drink, speak to supporters, spend time with your teammates and understand what the badge means to people. That is why I felt such a connection with Nick Johnston when we first met. We spoke for more than three hours because our values aligned. We both wanted good people pulling in the same direction, while creating a pathway for young Grantham players to eventually reach the first team. What excites me most about Grantham is its potential, but what moves me most is its people. I have watched volunteers stay overnight simply to move sprinklers and keep the pitch watered. They give hours of their lives because they genuinely love this football club. I have only been here a relatively short time, but you feel that love very quickly. And when I eventually look back on that first season — promotion, a trophy and a group of people who gave absolutely everything for one another — I know exactly what I’ll think: How did we do that? What a season.

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SHAUN OLIVANT DIRECTOR AND COMMERCIAL MANAGER, GRANTHAM TOWN FC

“THE TOWN DESERVES A FOOTBALL TEAM THEY CAN BE PROUD OF” Football has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. My dad played into his forties and, as a little boy, I would go along and watch him. While the adults played, the kids would find a ball and make a game of their own. Those memories have stayed with me because football has always been about more than what happens on the pitch. It brings people together. That continued when

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my own boys came along. I coached my eldest son Harry from a young age and watched him develop through the game. One thing I always believed was that young players needed an environment where they could improve without having their confidence damaged. Winning mattered, but helping children enjoy football, belong to a team and become better was always more important. Harry eventually played for Grantham Town, and that gave me a very personal connection with the club. There had been a point when football had become difficult for him and he wondered

whether he wanted to carry on. Grantham gave him an opportunity, helped him rediscover his confidence and allowed him to enjoy the game again. Watching him score that memorable goal against Sheffield, in a game that helped Grantham preserve their status, remains something I will never forget. When Nick Johnston later approached me about becoming involved as a director, it felt like the right time. Harry had moved on, so I could come into the club for one reason only, because I believed in what Grantham Town could become. Nick and I shared the same values from the beginning. For me, football should be for everybody. We now have boys football, girls football, women’s football, walking football and Grantham Unity for disabled players. Seeing the Unity team play on the main pitch, with our first team players there supporting them, showed exactly what a community football club should represent. My other big belief is sustainability. I am a businessman, but I do not believe a football club should depend on somebody continually putting money into it. I would rather give my time, improve the commercial side, develop sponsorship, catering and matchday income, and help the club create the money it needs to

support itself. We are learning all the time. Nick and I even travelled to Farnham Town to look at some of the things they have done successfully. There is nothing wrong with seeing a good idea elsewhere, learning from it and adapting it for Grantham. Ultimately, I want this club to sit at the heart of its community. Grantham is a big town and it deserves a football club people can identify with, talk about and feel proud to support. Football has given me purpose, friendships and wonderful memories with my family. Now I have the opportunity to give something back. The town deserves a football team it can be proud of, and I want to help build exactly that.

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TOM BATCHELOR FORMER GRANTHAM TOWN FC PLAYER, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF BATCHELOR CONSTRUCTION AND GRANTHAM TOWN FC SPONSOR

“I WOULDN’T BE WHERE I AM TODAY WITHOUT FOOTBALL.” Football has shaped almost every part of the person I have become. I grew up in Lincoln on a council estate with two older brothers who were football mad, so there was probably never much chance of me escaping the game. Like so many kids of my generation, I wanted to be David Beckham. My mum had a huge influence on those early years. She drove me all over the country for football, always believed in me and gave me the opportunity to chase the game as far as I could. There is no doubt in my mind that I would never have had the chance to be at bigger clubs like Wolves and Shrewsbury Town without her support. I spent some time with Wolves as a youngster and later completed a scholarship at Shrewsbury Town. I came close to the professional game, but ultimately found my home in non-league football, playing for clubs including Stamford, Boston United and Grantham Town. Grantham has always been my favourite club. There was a genuine sense of community and I always felt appreciated there. That mattered enormously to me, particularly when my playing career came to an abrupt end. I ruptured my ACL at around 26. It happened not long after Grantham had reached the play off final at Ashton United, and sadly I never returned to competitive football. At that age I probably did not fully process what I had lost. Years later, after further scans and being advised that running was no longer sensible for my knee, some of those emotions came back.

When football has been part of your identity for so long, losing it can feel like having something taken away from you. Grantham supported me through that period and that is one of the reasons sponsoring the club now means so much. As my business has grown, I have wanted to put something back into a place that gave me so much. Batchelor Construction is very much a family business. My dad, Mark, and I have worked together for years and his work ethic has always been a huge influence on me. Reliability, honesty, hard work and doing what you say you are going to do are simple values, but they are the foundation of our company. In many ways I run the business like I would run a football club. Football taught me determination, courage, self motivation, teamwork and how to remain calm under pressure. I was captain at several clubs and those experiences still influence how I lead people today. Management is something I have definitely thought

about. I have spoken about it with my fiancée Maria and she has encouraged me to go for it. The problem at the moment is simply finding enough hours in the day. I am running a growing business, renovating a house and Maria and I are getting married on October 31 this year, so life is incredibly busy. Taking responsibility for a football team is something I would want to do properly, and right now I could not give it the time it deserves. I would never rule it out though. When the time is right, I can certainly see myself becoming involved in management.

For now, supporting Grantham through Batchelor Construction feels like the right way to remain connected. Some of the people I met through football remain among my closest friends and will be there when Maria and I get married. That probably says more about what football has given me than anything else. Grantham Town gave me friendship, belonging and memories that have lasted long beyond my playing days. Sponsoring the club is not simply a business decision. It is my chance to say thank you.

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AMANDA DORKES EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE PARK HOSPITAL, CIRCLE HEALTH GROUP MAIN SPONSOR OF GRANTHAM TOWN FC

“IT FEELS LIKE A COMMUNITY AGAIN.” Some of my earliest memories of football are wrapped up in family. I am a Grantham girl, and I was probably only five or six when my dad, Gordon Lloyd, first took me to watch Grantham Town on Boxing Day. Dad has always been an Arsenal supporter, as was his father, but Grantham was our local club and he and my uncle regularly went to watch them. That connection has stayed with me throughout my life. My professional career began in pharmacy. I studied at university in Brighton, returned home and worked for Boots, and later became Clinical Director for Lloyds Pharmacy

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Online Doctor in London. My journey to The Park Hospital started in an unusual way because I first experienced the hospital as a patient. I received such wonderful care that I remember thinking I would really like to work there. When an opportunity arose, I applied, not really expecting to get it. That was around eight years ago, and I have loved being here ever since. Our relationship with Grantham Town developed through former consultant Clive Pickles, who was involved with the football club. What began several years ago has grown into a partnership that means much more to us than having our name on a shirt. We help look after the players medically. If somebody is injured, we can help them access scans, assessment and treatment.

At this level of football, that can be incredibly important. The partnership works for everybody because we receive valuable exposure in the community while the players receive access to healthcare when they need it. Pasted text Pasted text What I particularly love about Grantham now is the way the club is reconnecting with the town. Under Nick Johnston there has been a real emphasis on volunteers, families, schools and bringing younger people through the gates. When I go down there now, there is a lovely atmosphere, and you can see attendance growing. I was there at the end of last season celebrating with everyone on the pitch, and moments like that remind you why local football matters. I am also delighted to see the growth of girls and women’s football. Through

our sporting relationships we have witnessed how women players are increasingly receiving the same detailed medical screening and support as the men. Grantham developing its own ladies and girls’ structure is another important part of becoming a genuine community club. Football has also given me something much more personal. When Dad was 56, he suffered a very serious heart attack. I was frightened that I might not have much more time with him, so I bought Arsenal memberships for us both. For several years we went to matches together and created memories I will always treasure. Dad is 85 now. Through our relationship with Nottingham Forest, I was later able to take him into the boardroom when Arsenal visited the City Ground, where he met people including Viv Anderson and Robert Pires. Seeing how much that meant to him reminded me what football is really about. It is families. It is generations. It is belonging. And when I look at Grantham Town today, I feel that same sense of community returning. That, for me, is something worth supporting.

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