Football Focus Issue 73 | Page 75

Grays Athletic “I first started watching Grays Athletic when I was ten; that was forty four years ago. The team have been doing well lately especially considering they don’t have the budget of some other sides. As a company Kempsters have been sponsoring the club for two years now and would like to take this opportunity to wish them all the best for next season.” No Agent Does More to Sell Your Property.... Why Settle for Anything Less? Glenn Kempster, Kempsters FF: What are your plans for the rest of 2017? RS: The squad is coming along nicely with some great players being signed. Manager Jamie Stuart alongside his no 2 Darren Manning have been busy building a squad that they believe can take us up next season. The club is now officially owned and run by its supporters and the new board of directors were elected in early June. We have over 200 shareholders of the club and I think everyone is pulling together to ensure Jamie has the best possible financial input he needs. FF: How important is youth football to the club? RS: When we were in our own ground back in Grays and playing in the conference we had quite a substantial youth set up. Unfortunately, after losing our ground and almost going out of existence we could not keep the youth sides running. This season we have, I believe, seven youth sides affiliated to the club. I know that the board believe strongly that the club should have a good youth set up. Our U18’s team from last season had a great season; there are some very talented kids in that squad and some will make the step up to the first team next season. We want our youth players to come through and be able to play for the first team; I believe it is an integral part of a community football club. We understand that selling or letting your home is not just a "property transaction", its about helping and advising, both you and your family, to make informed decisions based on our years of experience in every aspect of buying, selling and letting your property. Proud Sponsors of Grays Athletic FC Sales: 01375 394732 Lettings: 01375 377839 www.kempsters.com | [email protected] 37 Orsett Road, Grays, Essex, RM17 5DS FF: How do you ensure that young players enjoy a smooth transition into the senior game? RS: We have some fantastic coaches who run our youth squads. The club has invited some of the youth players to train with the first team, this gives them invaluable experience and I know that Jamie Stuart believes that this is an integral part of the clubs future. www.footballfocusmag.com 75