WFCSA Newsletter April 2022

Terras Times The newsletter of Weymouth FC Supporters Association.

April 2022

2018/2019 Southern League Champions 2019/2020 National League South play off winners.

Sorry… I am on a bit of a rant this month so please skip straight to Pete’s column if you aren’t feeling in the mood!

Here is the thing. I support Weymouth FC as strongly as I can emotionally and financially with the desire to see us successful and stable.

Lots of people join that journey and have exactly the same intentions. But not all volunteers of the club are able to commit to a lifetime of service (myself included) and that pressure for family time becomes a hell of a lot to bear after lots of success followed by a perceived fallow period for the club. .

I have no axe to grind with anyone spending their leisure time doing something other than serving WFC unconditionally. Any help is brilliant and I am sure much appreciated at the BLS. Where I do object is that when, as in this period, the club is operating a few bodies light, that it is easier to take to social media to send a pelter for not updating a player signing within seconds of it happening, or putting out enough content on the U23s. Granted this is important content but it has to be uploaded when someone is in a position to do so.

What I also don’t get is that some of this social media content comes from people who are “way too busy” to help and support the club in a voluntary capacity, to make things better. But they do have sufficient time to criticise others on the internet…

Unless this cycle of tribalism and sniping is changed into a unifying plan to make this club even more successful then we will be forever doomed to non-league. A sleeping giant that falls out with itself and can’t move forward.

So during this close season we should all take some time to think about the Weymouth Football Club that we want, and come back, regardless of what league we are in, ready to work towards a vision.

Rant over.

James https://www.wfcsa.co.uk/

Terras Times The newsletter of Weymouth FC Supporters Association.

Chairman's Update Hello and welcome to our latest edition of your supporters newsletter. I would just like to start with a thank you, to all of you for your continued support.

Our membership still remains very strong with nearly 250 members of which almost 150 are on the five-year membership plan! These are historically high numbers and so it must be stressed that we are much stronger as an organisation with you all supporting us as you do. We continue to represent the interests of all our supporters, be they members or not and we will continue to work hard on your behalf. It has not been the most enjoyable season compared to the past few years, but we stick to the task, and hope for better times ahead.

Congratulations go to Weymouth FC Women who have won the Dorset Women’s League, a fantastic achievement. Also, Weymouth FC Women’s Development Team have won their league also, so a huge congratulations to them also. I won’t steal any more thunder! I personally believe Woman’s football at all levels is going to see the biggest growth in the game in the coming years, and this will be evident here at Weymouth, as our teams are only just starting out on their journey. The Women’s Euro tournament is happening in the UK later this year and the England Women’s matches have all sold out, as has the final at Wembley which is destined to set a new attendance record. This is all great news for the strength of the Women’s game overall and bodes well for the future.

The Away Travel Club is being wound up at the end of this season as Pete Pavey has made the difficult decision to retire from the role. This will also mean the end of the very popular bingo evenings held at the club. Pete has done a fantastic job over the years he has run it and it has been no easy task. The fundraising has been exceptional allowing Terras supporters to travel to away games at reduced fares for many years. It has been very challenging this season with some of the long distances required in the National League. I wish to place on record our sincere thanks to Pete for everything he has done for the Travel Club, and the other amazing volunteer work he has done around the club over the years. Happy retirement Pete.

Cont.

https://www.wfcsa.co.uk/

Terras Times The newsletter of Weymouth FC Supporters Association.

Chairman's Update - Continued On another sad note, Football Club Chairman Ian White will be winding up the Wessex Fantasy Football at the end of this month. This initiative has provided vital funds to the playing budget over many, many years and it will be a sad loss. I know there are many supporters who enjoy the challenge of playing every season. It has also been a vehicle for donations, and many have chosen this route. But all the money raised has gone through an account managed by the Supporters Club, which we have repeated many times before, and all the money has benefitted the playing budget. There are some who chose to criticise this venture, mainly via social media, and denigrate its value. As someone who has played the games for years, I fail to see what the problem is or why the level of vitriol against Ian running it has been so personal at times? If you don’t want to play or donate, that is fair enough and is your free choice. But to criticise a venture that has had such a positive impact upon the playing budget for so many years is very sad, maybe even a cry for help by sad and lonely people or just petty jealousy? I don’t understand the reasons, I will let you decide that for yourselves. We put on record our sincere thanks to Ian for all the work and fundraising he has done through Wessex Fantasy Football.

A few final bits and pieces before I sign off this month. We will have voting forms for Supporters Player of The Season available at the Wrexham and Solihull home games, with presentations to be made at the final home against Barnet. Thank you to everyone who has sponsored a trophy for the first team and also the Women’s team awards, we really appreciate the support.

Until next time, best wishes to you all. Stay safe and stay well.

Pete Nash Chairman, The Terras Supporters Club

https://www.wfcsa.co.uk/

Terras Times The newsletter of Weymouth FC Supporters Association.

Pre match routines #1 - Shakira Howard Weymouth Ladies Before the game on a Sunday, I like to set out all of my football kit, boots, headband and other bits the night before so then it’s ready to pack in my bag on the morning of the game.

I wake up usually an hour before we leave for the game and I cook my breakfast, which is always without fail; bacon, scrambled egg, sausages, beans and one piece of white toast with butter.. very precise and it never changes!

I boil brown pasta to take with me in the changing rooms to eat when I get ready so I have some carbs that are slowly releasing energy.

When I eat my breakfast my mum comes upstairs and french plaits my hair for me, once that is all complete we leave for football.

The team and I like to arrive an hour before kick off, where we have music playing in the changing rooms whilst we are getting changed and ready for the games whilst Dan is usually setting up the warm up for us outside..

We like to do the same warm up each week without fail (two rows of cones) as I do feel like this is a pre match ritual for the girls as the only game we did a different warm up in we ended up losing the game.

My pre match rituals are; eating brown pasta in the changing rooms, I always wear my white pair of boots (I won’t wear any other colour) and I like to match my headband with the colour of the kit we are wearing.

There are some other pre match rituals in the team other than mine; some players keep their boots untied whilst doing the warm up and then tie them up before the game starts, another one is wearing the same lucky pants each Sunday to bring us luck for the game!

Shakira

https://www.wfcsa.co.uk/

Terras Times The newsletter of Weymouth FC Supporters Association.

https://www.wfcsa.co.uk/