Great
Yarmouth Town
shall continue to be honest and transparent in all its dealings in
order to put the “great” back into Great Yarmouth Town FC.
FF: How would you say the season has gone for the club?
KC: On the field of play the first team has overachieved
this season as they were promoted from the Thurlow Nunn
First Division in third place in season 2015/16 and this season
finished in a creditable fifth position in the Thurlow Nunn
Premier Division.
Adam Mason and Martyn Sinclair, joint first team managers,
have done an excellent job in assembling a group of players,
several from lower leagues, to mount such a challenge in their
first season back in the Premier Division that many
thought was not possible.
The Reserve team this season applied
to rejoin the Anglian Combination
Football League and starting in their
lowest league, Division 5 South,
gained promotion at the first
attempt as champions winning
the League with 69 points,
losing only one game and
finishing nine points clear of
second. The U18 team who
play in the Thurlow Nunn
Youth League East Division
finished in fourth place and
in reality had a disappointing
season.
I also have to mention
the hard work of Alan Smith
in cleaning the dressing room
after every away game and this
has been posted regularly on
“Twitter” and now more and more
Clubs are following in our footsteps.
Our charity work is second to none as the
Football Club has presented cheques to the
Anchorage Trust, Sandra Chapman Centre and
Newmarket Town Football Club.
FF: What are your plans for the rest of 2017?
KC: On 11th June 2017, the Grandstand at the Wellesley
Recreation Ground celebrates its 125th Anniversary, being the
oldest remaining football stand still in use today and the Football
Club has produced an information leaflet and on the day badges
will be available to celebrate the occasion.
On 22nd and 23rd July 2017 the Football Club is hosting a
Youth Tournament and on the 23rd July following its success
from last year the Football Club will be holding its annual “Fun
on the Front” day raising much needed funds for the Football
Club.
The Football Club are proud to announce that they are in
the process of setting up a Community project which involves
under-privileged people, an education provider, a sporting
company and the Football Club in providing these people with an
opportunity to gain a qualification to give them an opportunity
to gain employment at the same time as improving their quality
of life and fitness.
Plans are in place to redevelop and rename the Clubhouse
“Smudgers” in memory of the Club Treasurer who sadly passed
away on 30th March 2017 after spending a lifetime at his beloved
Football Club.
FF: How important is youth football to the club?
KC: Youth football is very important to the Football club as
they are the future of the GYTFC and the Committee shall be
working extremely hard to ensure that the Football Club has
more than one team in every development junior age group
from U7 through to U11 and one team in every competitive
youth age group from U12 through to U16 for the 2017/18
season. We already have an established U18 team which plays in
the Thurlow Nunn Youth League East Division which gives the
young players something to aim for when moving through the
age groups and finally into adult football.
FF: Regarding your facility, are you happy
with what you currently have? Are you
keen to expand/improve in any areas?
KC: There are plans for
redeveloping
the
Wellesley
Recreation Ground site with
a 4G pitch, new changing
facilities whilst improving
security against vandalism
and the Football Club are in
the process of producing a
business plan and forming
a Trust to run the venue
on behalf of the Football
Club as the Great Yarmouth
Borough Council are looking
to off load the site.
FF: What do you believe could
be some of the biggest challenges
the club may face in the next 5
years?
KC: Players commitment and attitude
is probably the biggest challenge these days as
there is a total lack of commitment in the modern game
of football. Gone are the days when players put football first;
instead there is a multitude of excuses for not being available on
a Saturday afternoon. 180,000 people have walked away from
grassroots football throughout the country in recent years and
teams have disbanded as football is now the fourth most popular
sport behind swimming, cycling and athletics!
FF: What are the clubs ambitions for the next 5 years?
KC: To run its own lottery scheme to help raise much needed
funds and to help gain a regular income as financial stability is
crucial in the survival of the Football Club as imposed fees and
fines continually to rise every season.
It is also important to continue to improve the image and
profile of the Football club within the local community and
throughout the game of football and to produce its own talent,
nurture, encourage, and promote skill and continually strive for
the highest standards to be simply the best.
Club Team Managers, Assistants, Coaching Staff and Medical
Personnel shall all be encouraged to undertake continued
development in their skills base by taking relevant training
courses or joining appropriate organisations such as the “FA
Coaches Association”.
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