Chertsey Town
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The season could not have gone better
other than an exit at the first bite in the
FA Cup away to Arundel but it certainly
focused the team and management in
ensuring what lies ahead of us has to be
earned and worked for.
For 2018/19 promotion is our goal
and a return to Isthmian League Football.
With this in mind who knows what is
possible in the F.A.Vase, League Cup
and County Cup. Success breeds success
as was proved 25 years ago and winning
becomes a habit that can be enjoyed by
us all. This in turn will help reintroduce
a community environment which is so
important to run non-league clubs at the
lower levels.
At Chertsey Town we have an under
18 Team that has for several years been
run by Josh Henry and assisted by Sean
Norton and in the past three years seen
five players advance to the first team.
With no training facilities at Chertsey
it is difficult to use the pitch as often as
wished by involving junior sides but
longer term plans are to find ways of
increasing the number of Junior Teams
that can become part of Chertsey Town
FC.
68 Issue 81
The current manager has encouraged
players from the youth team to train
with the side and several are signed up
for the first team and have been included
within match day squads and come on
as substitutes in certain games to gain
experience.
Non-League Football is dependent
on being part of the community if it is
to survive and our current objective is
to involve local schools, junior clubs,
businesses and supporters so that
there will be a stronger foundation
going forward with them all enjoying
the current success and developing an
attachment to the club.
Chertsey, like every other club, needs
fresh blood at committee level with new
ideas and enthusiasm which will extend
to the whole local community. Our motto
this year is ‘Supporting Chertsey Town
Football Club in Supporting the Town’.
Looking forward, the next five years
is full of challenges but the first one was
to rejuvenate the ground and bring it
back to life after years in decline which
has been completed.
On the back of this will come a
winning team by management, players
and committee prepared to work for
success at a level where income is hard
to generate and running costs are high in
maintaining the facilities.
Non-League Football is not flush
at this level so the biggest challenge
is to create a solid financial structure,
controlling overhead costs but being
aware that success means promotion and
with each step the structure changes as
does the team. In simple words it needs
to change from volunteers to a business
on all fronts.
This season is the start of new life in
Chertsey Town FC but the future after
that will be governed by the response of
the people of Chertsey and their desire to
have a successful team. Experience over
40 years has told me you cannot buy
success on a long term basis, it has to be
planned around good committed people
and strong guidance.
Non-League at this level is all about
giving not taking. If you can give and
become part of a successful team it is all
the sweeter but at the end of each season
there are only one or two winners. The
important thing is every other team has
contributed to maintaining our great
national sport ‘FOOTBALL’.