Football Focus FF84 Web | Page 16

Hornsea Town FOLLOW US ONLINE TWITTER.COM/FOOTYFOCUSMAG Hornsea Town FOOTBALL CLUB After living in Hornsea for several years, I became involved in coaching girls’ football with Hornsea Sporting FC but was later approached by Hornsea Towns 1st team manager, Geoff Whitehead, to join the club as their Sports & Remedial Therapist. Since then I have been part of the club for around seven years, and for the past three, in the role of Chairman. Hornsea Town FC (HTFC) has been around since 1904 when it was one of the founder members of the East Riding County League. It currently has five adult teams; the 1sts who play in the Premier Division of the Humber Premier League (HPL), the Reserves who are in Division Two of the East Riding County League (ERCFA), a 3rd team in Division Five, a Veterans team in Division Two of the Hull & District Veterans League (HDVL), and our recently affiliated Walking Football team, which as well as being very active in friendly games, competes in local tournaments, the FA Peoples Cup, and the ERCFA Walking Football League. Those involved in running a club will fully appreciate that the administration, finance and fixtures etc., are very time consuming and not always the easiest things to deal with. The most challenging aspect of my role as Chairman is ensuring that everything runs smoothly in the background so that players can turn up and do what they do best; play football. I am very lucky to have a great set of managers and a committee who continue to give a lot of their personal time to that end. The most rewarding aspect of my role is to see the lads enjoying playing in their respective leagues, and their 16 Issue 84 successes, as well as continuing the friendships they make off the pitch. After a slow start and a more than fair share of injuries, the 1st team’s hard work and determination in training has paid off. Seven wins in a row gave them massive momentum, did wonders for their confidence, and now sees them looking to cement a top four finish in the HPL for the first time since 2009. The ever-changing faces that make up the Reserve and 3rd team squads have taken some time to gel. With a crop of talented youngsters finding their feet in adult football for the first time, finding the right formula is never easy. But they’re resilient and continue to battle hard. Their results are improving and no doubt some of them will be knocking on the 1st Team manager’s door in the not too distant future. Following their championship success last season, the Veterans have consolidated their position at the higher standard, fancy their chances in the Veterans Cup, and look forward to an influx of 36+ year-olds next season to take them to the next level. And last but by no means least, the Walking Footballers prove that there is still the opportunity to play— and win—for those approaching fifty (many members are over sixty). As well as playing Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings, just for fun, they regularly compete in local leagues and other tournaments. Just recently, their Chairman issued a ‘Firkin’ challenge to