Things continue to be good at Chesham United, on the field it has become more than just a good start to the season, play-offs are a realistic possibility now and we have to give some serious thought to the fact that we may be in with a shout of Blue Square football next season. Oh, and no idea why, I still don't really get it, but I've found the world of Twitter.
It's difficult to know where to start after another crazy week, it's probably best that I just start rambling and see where it ends up. I'll try to avoid just re-hashing my programme notes and have instead added them as an additional page on the blog site.
Last night was a genuinely interesting evening as Colin Beton and myself attended the League's regional meeting at Marlow. In all honesty, I wasn't exactly looking forward to it. Information about the event seemed in short supply and the only real build up to it was acknowledgement that failure for at least two people from each club to attend would result in a fine; only a couple of days before were we given an indication as to what would be spoken about and the fact that it might benefit clubs. Maybe it is just me being new to the game and others had a better idea of what to expect, but I do feel that the League could do so much more to make these events more successful by promoting and hosting them in a different way. I've spoken to Brian McCarthy on this several times and have no intention of getting myself in trouble, but if there was a bit of basic constructive criticism to pass on, I would strongly recommend having someone to meet and greet at these events, make people feel welcome - "hello, good to see you, which club are you from?...Ah, nice to see you, there is food through there, we hope to start in about 30 minutes...do you know anyone else here?...Have you met Bob from Bedfont?...." Maybe that is not important to everyone, but I know that sort of thing would make a difference to me. Just a thought.
Anyway after enjoying the chilli con carne laid on by Marlow, the meeting kicked off at about 7.30pm with the first of five presentations. Each presentation had varying levels of interest, either making you think "yes, we could do that at Chesham" or sometimes more of a "wouldn't that be nice, but...".
I struggled a bit with the first presentation, I just wanted that guys job! I realise I'm probably fairly exceptional as a Chairman who is not either a) retired or b) running his own business, so when someone starts up a talk with the words "I started my own business up - taking my family to football grounds" I immediately become jealous. Basically they carry out reports on football fan experiences - how was it buying tickets, what was the welcome like, the stewards, the burger van, the toilets, the people we meet, the customer service... it gets you thinking; we spend a lot of time focusing on the loyal fans and those that attend regularly, but what is the experience like for a family coming to a football match for the first time? The presentation came with a handout and a report on what football clubs can do differently, I'm sure we will be putting into action some of the simple changes suggested.
The second presentation was from the FA about "managing the game", presented by an ex-professional referee whose name I really should remember. The presentation was the same one as developing referee's at this level get. Refereeing will always cause controversy, but it was interesting to see it from their point of view (not something that comes natural to me!) and to see what they are told to look out for, and little tips for eradicating mistakes. Certainly worth listening to, if for no other reason than the fact that I do at least now feel more qualified to yell at the ref during a game!
The evening was beginning to tick on and with no sign of a beer or wee break, there were a few crossed legs and a lot of shuffling in seats for a presentation by General & Medical Healthcare. The presentation was two-fold, an option of providing Private Medical Care cover for players (you could hear the collective gulp when some of the costs went up on the screen..some quick mental arithmetic...20 players, x 52 weeks x ££ = OUCH!), but perhaps more appealing was the opportunity to take commission on selling private medical care via a personalised link on our website.
The penultimate presentation was by Frank Whittle Partnership who specialise in ground developments, the focus being on using your facilities to generate income. They have done a lot of work with Preston, Fleetwood Town and are working with the likes FC United of Manchester at the moment. The company have clearly done their homework and were spot on with their understanding of what clubs, at all levels, require. When the presentation started immediate thoughts were "yeah right mate, we're a bit stuck for funding an extra urinal in the gents at the moment"...but then as things went on...
...I don't think it is any secret that at Chesham United we need to find that magical income generator that will enable us to move forward, funding the club at the level we want to be at, without the annual scraping around for cash, sticking your hands down the back of the sofa looking for any loose change, all in the hope to get through the year so that we can get to the end of June, take a big sigh, and then start all over again. The Chess Suite does business and is an excellent venue, but to really make a difference it needs work doing. The offices at the club are practical, but not pleasant. Inside the ground, I love the rural setting, the traditional terracing; but, if we want to continue up the pyramid, we need more seats. There's nothing revolutionary in these words, we've been talking about this for 10-15 years and there have been better qualified people than me who have realised this requirement, but that shouldn't mean we should give up on the vision.
The final presentation of the evening was about trial days for players that have dropped out from professional clubs without being offered a contract, an opportunity for managers and coaches to go and take a look at.
The meeting finally finished at about 10.00pm, for the drive home Colin and I felt quite re-invigorated, there are things we can do differently and perhaps we do need to step out of the comfort zone and start thinking ambitiously. Just because we don't have the money jangling in our back pockets, doesn't mean we shouldn't actually look at what would be in our ideal world, have a consultation to see what it might cost and then get some help at putting a business plan together.
The downside to Thursday night was the fact that it was another meeting, and another night out from the family. I know there are others that dedicate a hell of a lot more time away from home than me, but we must all keep a perspective on our priorities. With that in mind I have been in consultation with other members of the Board and management team, in particular those of us that wear two hats, holding a position in the Supporters' Trust too. The proposal is that we are going to look at doubling up meeting nights to enable us to share information with Supporters' Trust members more regularly, and more formally.
Starting on 9th March, monthly board meetings are going to start at 7.00pm, they are going to be kept to 90 minutes, and then at 8.30pm there will be a meeting in The Chess Suite for Trust Members to ask any questions, but perhaps more importantly, a chance for representatives from the Board to feedback any relevant information from the Board Meeting. This should work both ways, it is an opportunity for the club to highlight areas where help is needed, but also to show the transparency that should be demanded from a Supporters' Trust run club.
In 2011 we have already hosted a Business Partners Evening, the Chesham Chamber of Commerce and then this coming Saturday we are looking to complete the hat-trick with a Life Vice Presidents meal before the game against Evesham. If we can have another successful day in the boardroom and another three points on the pitch, it promises to be a good weekend.
Three points on the pitch? Of course, I almost forgot to mention the football. After finally losing a game this year, away at Hednesford 3-2, on Tuesday night we bounced back in style with a 6-1 win over Cirencester Town. New signing Paul Robinson started a game for the first time and scored within 3 minutes, the first goal on his way to a hat-trick. Dave Jeffrey worked out today that Robinson's strike rate at Chesham at the moment is a goal every 30 minutes!
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