With the start of pre-season just over a fortnight away I thought it would be an ideal opportunity to give an update about what’s happening at the club both on and off the pitch.
Talking about the pitch the annual renovation has been completed however a very dedicated band of volunteers are spending every spare moment getting water onto the pitch. I can honestly say I’ve never seen it look this good at this time of year (no offence to anyone else that has worked hard on our pitch previously), hopefully the summer is kind to us, and we are able to keep it in tip top condition. We have increased the budget for the pitch this summer as last year not all the work was completed. The Supporters Association have been instrumental alongside Directors and Tony our Groundsman in getting on top of it.
The main bar has had a makeover, which now makes it look lighter, brighter and more attractive, we have bigger plans for the bar area which we hope to unveil in the new year. A big thank you to Andy from Handyman Solutions for carrying out the work.
Pete Pavey and his band of decorators have been hard at it sprucing up the ground and have been relentless this summer. Lloyd our kitman has been busy in the changing rooms tidying them up and giving them a lick of paint amongst a long list of things he has been busily doing.
Commercially we have been hard at it and have managed to attract new sponsors to the club as well as our long-term loyal ones. Keeping and developing those relationships are so key to our future. The patron’s draw is going well, and you still have time to tap up a boss or enter your business. If you would like details of that or other packages, we have please get in contact with the office and they will happily give you the relevant information. We will be operating a new on-line club shop which is currently being built and stocked with a variety of products. Hopefully you have seen that a quiz night is being held on Friday 23rd June and will be a fundraiser in aid of the club.
The Board has taken the decision to amend the ticket price for a Youth ticket, having listened to feedback and carried out additional research the price of Youth matchday ticket will be £6.
Our new home and away kits are already in production, and we hope to have details of how you can pre-order them very soon. All being well both kits will be with us in early pre-season and once we have some images, we will share with you.
We have plenty planned for this season which we hope will help to show our ambition towards the community of Weymouth, we have various days planned for the season. Including Sponsors, Former players, Charity, Volunteers and Schools days. I’m pleased to say we will see the return of flag waivers and mascots and we hope to involve our own Youth Section a great deal more, a monthly meeting will be held now with the managers of the Youth Section in a push towards bringing that branch of club more under the central umbrella. I’m delighted that we will have an u18 team this season run by Ray McNab and he will also link up with Craig Adams our new u23 Manager.
The Women’s section of the club is evolving every day, and they appear to be well underway in preparation for the new season and will be looking for more progression this season after a period of stabilisation.
Bobby and his management team haven’t really taken a breather since the season finished and have been busy planning both pre-season and the season itself. A lot of new faces are joining the club and it will be great to see how it all comes together. Pre-season friendlies have been arranged and although so far only the confirmed away games have been advertised, I can reveal there are three home fixtures are in place, we are just waiting on one of the clubs before we announce these games.
A huge amount of work is being undertaken all the time and I have been really pleased with the amount of people who have offered their time and assistance. We have our volunteer’s day coming up on the 1st of July and it would be great if any of you can spare some time to help. Hopefully, this will be followed by a game in the afternoon.
Finally, please keep an eye open for details of the summer holiday football camps we will be running in conjunction with Champion, details will be released very soon.
I hope you are all enjoying the summer break and I look forward to seeing you all very soon.
#terrastogether
Paul
