WFCSA Newsletter November 2021

Terras Times The newsletter of Weymouth FC Supporters Association.

November 2021

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

Hello to all and welcome to our November Terras Times newsletter.

I have started this months editorial three times now trying to find the right words to convey how I still am nowhere close to getting over the FA cup reversal to Yeovil Town.

However. I would like to thank the management and team for making us believe they were beatable and for two late goals (and a late penalty save) that had the roof lifting from wherever our fans were watching.

It looked for a couple of weeks like our performances were a positive reaction to that defeat and we rocketed up to lower mid table. We need to get those vibes back after a couple of heavy defeats and red cards which not only hurt us on the day, they affect us with suspensions in the matches after.

We can do it and that’s the part that is frustrating for fans, players and coaches alike. I watched a bit of the Solihull vs Wigan match on tv thinking that it was only a matter of weeks ago that we won a thrilling match there.

Consistency is the vital key to the door that everyone connected with WFC will be looking to find in the run up to the busy Christmas period. Good luck to all of our teams in their upcoming matches.

In this months edition we have an interview with Chairman Ian White who gives his thoughts on contracts and the potential for a National League salary cap, something fuelling the gold rush to get promoted out of this division quickly for the established full time clubs.

It's an interesting read and if you have any comments or further questions I would be happy to catch up with Ian again.

Finally for this month we have to say goodbye to a legend of the club in Calvin Brooks. I am upset that he is gone and more so that its to an old rival in Salisbury. But his reasons are sound and his legacy will be felt for years after over 300 appearances and close to 30 goals. Thanks for the memories Calv.

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

Terras Times The newsletter of Weymouth FC Supporters Association.

Chairman's Update Hello everyone and welcome to the November issue of The Terras Supporters Club newsletter.

It has been a busy time on the pitch since my last chatter, the two massive games in the FA Cup and a decent run of form which bagged us seven valuable points! More of the same as we move into another crucial round of fixtures against teams around or very near us in the league table. I think it is important that we all keep our nerve and keep sight of where we are and what we are up against, and most importantly, what is achievable and acceptable as a club! We continue to be run as a business and this is so important for our sustainability in the short to medium term. I would like to appeal to you all to just try and relax and enjoy the moment, bask in the level of football we find ourselves playing at right now! We spent long enough trawling round some fine outlying grounds, but here at the top table of non-league the fare on offer is much richer, in more ways than one! In this current league campaign, we are still to host Torquay United, Southend United, Grimsby Town, Chesterfield, Wrexham, Halifax Town and Aldershot, all teams with a rich history of plying their trade in the Football League.

I want you to be excited and looking forward to these games and not worrying about our league position or run of recent results, you all deserve a break from that!

We are moving ever closer to the festive season and a reminder that our Christmas Raffle tickets are now on sale at £1 each of £5 per book of five. Some great prizes are on offer including a JVC 43” Smart Full HD HDR LED TV, Android Fire HD 8 Plus Tablet, Amazon Echo Dot 4th Gen, Little Angus Meat Voucher, Howleys Toy Voucher, Marlboro Restaurant Vouchers, Dormeo Mattress Topper, Hamper, Gallon of Beer at The Royal Oak Dorchester Rd, Bottle of Famous Grouse Whisky and many, many more to be added! So please help support us with this fundraiser if you can. If you are one of our many exiles, tickets are available via the online shop, and we will get your prize(s) to you, even if you win the telly!

There is a flat 80p fee added to cover postage!

The link is here: www.wfcsa.co.uk/shop/index.php?id_category=24&controller=category Before I sign off for this month, as it is a busy time of year purchase wise, we would ask you to consider using ‘easyfundraising’ to buy your goods when shopping online! This raises money for the football club! I have managed to get it up and running so it can’t be that difficult because the internet is not my natural habitat! My understanding is, it is a portal through which you then visit the online store and that retailer donates generally between 0.5%-1.5% of the purchase price to the chosen cause, in this case Weymouth FC! At the time of penning this, 53 supporters had raised £360 for the club, just by using this method! It does work and every little is going to help the club as it is all money we would not otherwise raise.

There is a link on the clubs main website under COMMERCIAL heading or the link is here: www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/weymouthfootballclub/?utm_campaign=raise-more Thank you for reading, stay safe and stay well.

Best wishes to you all. Pete

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

Terras Times The newsletter of Weymouth FC Supporters Association.

Membership update - with Ken Willis Boxing Day Raffle - We still have tickets for sale for this years raffle with many great prizes up for grabs including...

Smart TV/Android Tablet/Amazon Echo/Little Angus £50 meat voucher/Marlboro Fish and Chip 2 x £20 vouchers/Dormeo Octasmart Mattress Topper/Gallon of Beer at The Royal Oak, Dorchester Road/Howleys ToyMaster voucher/plus more We are looking for help from you our loyal supporters to sell tickets to your friends and family and to work colleagues to help raise as much money as we can for the club.

Tickets are priced at £1 each or £5 for a book of 5.

Please let me know by return e-mail membership@wfcsa.co.uk if you would like books to sell and the number required and I will post them out to you.

Alternatively, you can collect from the Club Shop on match days or the football club office.

Congratulations to the monthly draw winners for November Cameron Gaw, Andy Huxley and Jack Mitchell Each win vouchers to spend at the Club Shop.

There are a number of membership renewals due in December. Remember that your membership entitles you to 10% off items from the club shop and entry to our monthly draw where you can win vouchers to spend at the Club Shop. We’ve also given 2 winners Season Tickets and also winners of the Club Shirt.

Thanks - Ken

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

Terras Times The newsletter of Weymouth FC Supporters Association.

Q&A with Ian White, Weymouth FC Chairman 1 With the season settling in and things getting to some level of normality, is the workload of the WFC Chairman starting to move from fire fighting to proactively steering our club for the medium to longer term future?

The shock of the second promotion was certainly a game changer for everyone at the club and in so many ways we are still working hard to get the club into a position so we can continue to hold onto our place in this wonderful league. It is not easy, but we are determined as a club to achieve this and stay within the values that we have set up over the last three years or so. Since that second promotion on the 1st August 2020 all of us at the club haven’t stopped and we all continue to work as hard as we can to make this work. As for the future I am very optimistic that the plans we are putting in place will help us move into making Weymouth FC a solid National League football team and then who knows what could happen.

2. Is there a timeline for extending the current playing and coaching teams contracts to keep our levels of continuity?

Interesting question, during our Southern League days we worked on a yearly system. But now in the National League we are starting to look at continuity and slowly but surely we are looking at deals that in the long term will suit our plans moving forward, but these deals have to be sustainable for the club.

We have to be sensible but one thing I have learnt over my three years as chairman is that all those at the top of our football club have to work together and more importantly understand what we are trying to achieve. So, no decision is taken without the full agreement of the whole board. So, to answer your question yes we are starting to look at longer contracts, but it is important that both the player and the club are a perfect fit.

Do you still follow Bedford Town? They seem to be a giant awakening.

I do still look out for their results but of course they are not the Bedford Town I watched as a lad at the Old Eyrie ground in the Queens Park area of Bedford.

Funnily they now play very close to where I use to live in Bedford. But Bedford Town FC are firmly set in my non-league heart because that is where my non-league journey started.

Cont. on next page.

Boost the playing budget by joining the Wessex Fantasy Football this season. Click here for more.

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

Terras Times The newsletter of Weymouth FC Supporters Association.

Q&A with Ian White, Weymouth FC Chairman 4 If the salary cap comes in next season, do you still see disparity in our league based on the levels of spend that clubs can still make?

Oh, what a subject!! Let me first of all take you back to a National League Zoom meeting back in early August 2021. It featured Jack Pearce (League Chairman), Mark Ives (Chief Executive of the League) and four clubs, King’s Lynn, Aldershot T, Dagenham & Redbridge and us. Mark Ives asked me. “What was Weymouth’s view on the Salary Cap”. My answer was Weymouth would like to reach one!!

Sadly, if it does come in, it will still be far more than we will be able to afford at the moment. Will it create a level playing field? I am not sure. The league has changed beyond all believe and some of the club who are fighting for that EFL dream will still have incredible resources to pull on. But when you see what Sutton Utd did last season and how well Boreham Wood/Bromley are doing this season, perhaps it isn’t always about money and the attendances you can pull.

5 How many of the penalties in the Yeovil shoot out did you watch (a) face on (b) through your fingers (c) with your back to the pitch?

I watched them all face on; it was heartbreaking and I now know how Steve King from Dartford felt when he watch 3 Dartford penalties go over the bar. My plan nearly worked, draw at Yeovil and win the replay we got so close.

6 Home, away or third kit?

Away kit the white one, but I would love to see it in a yellow. I have a real soft spot for our away yellow kits.

Boost the playing budget by joining the Wessex Fantasy Football this season. Click here for more.

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