Football Focus Issue 73 | Page 37

Nailsea and Tickenham “We’ve sponsored the club for three years and Cal Parson and Jamie Smith, the found- ers of the club are close friends of mine. The lads drink in the bar after their matches so I always get to hear how they have gotten on. I’d like to take this opportunity to wish them good luck for next season – I expect great things from the club.” Dave Green, Ring O Bells We are a traditional english pub serving great food, using locally sourced ingredients. Great selection of beers, cider, wines and spirits Large gardens and kids play area Large function room available for hire Tel: 01275790009 Web: www.ringobellsnailsea.wixsite.com/ringobellsnailsea 4 St Marys Grove, Nailsea BS48 2UJ teams had different needs and it was identified that there were mutual benefits all-round, as a club we aspire to provide a team for the community to be proud of and aim to give the supporters the best possible standard of football in the area. The merger progressed and neither party have looked back. demanding and there is always room for more help. If anyone is interested in a volunteer role, please let me know as there are plenty of opportunities and different ways to support the club. FF: What are the most challenging and rewarding aspects of your role? AP: Myself and my assistant Jim Sage are standing down after two years in charge of running the first team but we just appointed new management in the form of the well experienced Alan Smith and his staff. The club is continuing to move forward and the mood in the club is tremendous, we really haven’t ‘taken our foot off’ and continue to grow and develop in all areas. That sort of ambition really is infectious. I often hear players and committee members talking and it is not un-common to hear things like “I have never been with such a great bunch of lads” or “There really is no club like this …”. AP: For anyone involved in grass roots football, I am sure they will agree that the rewards come in the form of three points. When all your hard work on and off the field is paid back with a ‘win’ you know you can celebrate with the team. Since the merger, the club has done brilliantly, for the first team we have finished runners-up and 3rd in the league for the first two seasons and secured a Trophy in the form of the county cup last season; something which was unfortunately not to be repeated this year when we finished runners up. The reserves have also gone from strength to strength by winning the league in style and securing promotion with games to spare. Trophies are always nice to celebrate but we also have our ‘plan’; in order to progress we must improve our ground and facilities and this is where we often experience our greatest challenges. Come 3pm when Saturday arrives, the actual game is a fraction of what goes in to a football club and it really is all hands on deck. We have a cracking committee who pull together and get games on so lads can go out and enjoy themselves but it can be FF: How’s the general mood down at the club at the moment? FF: How would you say the season has gone for the club? AP: The season is always challenging, and it is great to be part of such tough competitions. As a club, on the field we have celebrated another season with silverware and off the field we continue to build relationships in the community. This affords us opportunities to expand the facilities and work our way through the 5 year plan. If, back in 2015 we were able see what has been achieved throughout the club I am not sure I would have believed it. www.footballfocusmag.com 37