Football Focus Issue 70 | Page 39

Armthorpe Welfare Armthorpe Welfare FOOTBALL CLUB I t would be fair to say that Armthorpe Welfare FC has endured a difficult campaign on the field this season but they have worked hard to improve their overall set up and are optimistic about their future. We recently caught up with their Football Secretary Martin Turner to find out more about the club. FF: How long have you been involved and what first attracted you to the club? FF: What are the most challenging and rewarding aspects of your role? FF: How’s the general mood down at the club at the moment? MT: I joined the club officially as secretary in 2010, though I shadowed the previous secretary in his role for the last few months of the 09/10 season. I have always supported the club in some capacity being an Armthorpe lad. My Dad has been involved in the club for many years (and is the treasurer now) and as a youngster I remember many summers down at the ground helping with painting and cleaning whilst taking breaks and playing on the pitch with a mate! MT: By far the most challenging aspects of the secretary role are maintaining the endless flow of paperwork and emails and various other tasks that land at my desk whilst keeping up a full time job and maintaining my own personal life! It’s just par for the course with a club like ours that have limited volunteers and even more limited volunteers able to keep up with how everything is now done online! The rewards come when you are complimented by league officials and other committee members for how well run the club is in challenging circumstances. MT: The club was reaching a very low point at the end of last season after a number of years struggling and fighting to maintain our step 5 status. Not only that, but the committee was getting smaller and the manager was losing motivation. The manager quit after only a few games of this season which really put a dent in the season very early on and definitely has contributed to the position we currently find ourselves in. Having said that, the mood around the club has gradually become more positive. We recruited a young and enthusiastic manager who has expressed www.footballfocusmag.com 39