Chertsey Town
“I watched the team in my early teens, became a
referee for a while, lost interest in football for seven or
eight years then joined the club’s committee in 1974. I
became secretary midway through the 1976/77 season,
supposedly as a temporary measure to cover for the then
secretary.
I was raised in Chertsey so the club was my ‘home’
side. I moved a half hour away after getting married
in 1970 as house prices in Chertsey were too high, but
retained my connection with the town and community.
Although two disciplines of on and off the park go
hand in hand, having a well-run club gives me greatest
satisfaction so that success on the field can be seen as the
icing on the cake and a reward for getting through less
vibrant years.
After the club’s most successful season, a pause for
breath in the immediate end to active football is about to
give way to high expectation for the new season.
The plan for the remainder of 2019 is to set the club’s
organising stance to meet the challenge of the promotion
just won to the Bostik League and create a firm base to
sustain even further, the progress attained over the past
year.
The club is situated both physically and mentally
in the heart of the community. Chertsey Town Juniors
provide a host of sides through the formative years,
culminating in two Under 18 sides, one of which
competes in the stiff competition of the Bostik League’s
Youth Division.
Transition to the senior side is a proven fact in that five
players from recent Under 18s membership, including
this past season, have been on first team duty.
The club had similar success as this year in past decades
but was unable to expand. Out of that experience, the
goal now is to create a firm base from which to sustain
the club at higher and more comprehensive levels in a
robust manner. This will certainly take up the prime
challenge for the next five years.
Football is such a volatile environment so who
knows what can be achieved beyond the initial task
of sustainability at higher levels, but the intention that
abounds is to make the name of Chertsey Town FC a
respected title in the sporting world.”
Chris Gay, Secretary
www.footballfocusmag.com
31