Where does the gate money go?

After speaking to a supporter on the terraces at a recent match I opted to write my next programme article about the finances of the club in more detail, attaching some actual numbers. There were all sorts of angles this could be approached from (and it can expand into much wider areas and go on for days), but I decided to take it from the point of view of - How far does the money Chesham United get through the turnstiles go towards running the club?

Rather pleasingly the article got more response than my normal ramblings, so I thought it worth keeping on record out in the blogosphere...

Which way is the goal?

It felt good this week to be back at The Meadow with the First XI playing at home; two draws have not suddenly made us title contenders again, but there is certainly a feeling that the wheels have turned back in the right direction.

How do you solve a problem like Chesham?

After the FA Cup disappointment and a couple of surprisingly poor league results, it has been good to get a couple of wins under our belt with a Trophy triumph at Bishops Cleeve and then a Berks & Bucks Senior Cup victory at Abingdon United - featuring a hat-trick from Michael Chennells, which is sure to give him a huge confidence boost. These results will have lifted some of the pressure being felt on the field, but how do you go about curing the everyday behind the scene issues?

Chaos Strikes Again

I started writing this a while back and then got distracted by workload and at times total dismay at some of the stories, tittle tattle and going-ons that had me thanking my lucky stars that I am no longer Chairman. There is strength in unity...at the moment we are not strong enough.

There is a huge rant building up inside of me, but for now we'll stick with going live on the bit I started to write after the FA Cup defeat, the rest can wait...

So Far, so bleeding good!

Well the season has started in cracking style. On paper the opening four games were difficult ones, but we came through them with ten points on the board, the only points dropped coming from an injury-time equaliser at AFC Totton...and even then we still had time to be denied a stonewall penalty by one of the most scandalous refereeing decisions you are ever likely to see. Yep, footy is back.

Another season on the horizon

With the Olympics dominating the nation's sporting interest as Team GB unites the country in the kind of jubilation that we all anticipate ahead of a major football tournament (only for England to let us down), pre-season has fallen to the back of the mind a little. It's weird, with all the euphoria and success of the Olympics games in Britain, it is almost embarrassing to stand up and be a football fan as every day the front page of the newspapers features another sportsman that has given true blood, sweat and tears for a sport that they have been totally driven to by passion and a desire to do proud for their nation. It's not about the money. We have athletes in tears fearing that they have let the nation down when they miss out on a Track & Field final, or "only" pick up a silver medal...

Has it been that long?

Wow - Just realised how long it has been since I last posted... That fact alone will tell you everything you need to know about the play-offs. The defeat at AFC Totton was disappointing, but not disastrous; going into the break 2-0 down, when we pulled it back to 2-2 I was convinced there would be only one winner, but a defensive error cost us dear and despite creating more chances, we lost the match 3-2.

So this is it then....

So this is it then - the beginning or the end? It is play-off semi-final day; we should be used to that, this is our third play-off scenario in four seasons, but that does not make us immune to the anxiety, the fear of failure, the temptation to envisage success...

Linesman steals the show at The B&B Final

With such a big game on the horizon Saturday (last game of the season, 5 of us scrapping for 4 play-off places) I guess the final of the Berks & Bucks Senior Cup at Wycombe Wanderers' Adams Park on a Tuesday night was always going to be a bit of an anti-climax. I always seemed to be fairly on my own in not wanting it at a league ground, I still think you would get a better cup final atmosphere at one of the two counties non-league grounds...

A Change of Balls

As we go into the last week of the football season with everything still to play for, things have been no less tense as the Camelot Under 8's rugby season comes towards an end. As mentioned in my previous post, a weekend away at Bournemouth gave me an excuse to miss the Barwell debacle, and today the season culminated with a trip to Tring for the County Festival. If you read this blog purely as a football fan then you might want to skip this post because (other than a possible mention of the metal that surrounds Tring Athletic FC, and the history of) there won't be much footy talk that follows...but perhaps worth a read anyway.

New Era Looms

There is no doubt about it, I'm definitely enjoying life more now that I am no longer Chairman - no more dreading the phone ringing, or fearing to look at my emails just because I know there will be something that needs looking at, resolving or a decision made upon.

I had a meeting with a pen manufacturer this week who had always taken an interest in my involvement with Chesham United, when I pointed out that I was no longer Chairman he totally understood, and summed it up really: "Been there, seen it, got the t-shirt?"

Different shaped ball adds to weekend

When I first started writing Chesham United Travels as a teenager that thrived on drunken away days and terrace banter (the only thing that has changed is that it doesn't happen very often now!) it may be that I made the odd reference to egg-chasing.
However, with my passion for Chesham United having somehow steered both my kids away from the idea of playing football, my weekends have now become a packed balancing act between football and rugby. With my feelings towards the game with the egg-shaped ball having been changed, this weekend just passed provided a superb double dose of sporting enjoyment. Be warned, in true diary style fashion, this latest chapter takes a slight diversion into the world of mini's tag rugby.

TRUST In yourselves

If not received already, very shortly Supporters' Trust members will be receiving a letter about the options being put forward regarding the shares the Trust owns in the club. At next week's EGM, and in the weeks after that, the Trust will be looking for ALL of its members to vote on which option to take. It's really important that people do vote, and have their say...especially if you think there are other options out there.

Feeling lighter around the shoulders

Well it all still feels a little strange now, just as you get used to being Chairman it all changes... but it had to happen. It was all getting too much. The last 20 months have brought some incredible highs, but it has also dragged me to new lows that I never envisaged I could ever feel just from supporting a football team. We're not talking losing the odd game, not even the cup games, we are talking a feeling of total and utter despondency. That is wrong. Amongst all the rights, that was wrong.

What will 2012 bring

Sorry it's been so long...I guess it was inevitable, but the reality is that Chesham United Travels can never be as it originally was when I was a young supporter growing up - expressing my frustrations, being ultra critcial and not really caring what anyone that reads it thinks. As much as I would like, I just can't do that as Chairman because my thought and opinions obviously have knock-on effects and I suppose I am privy to information that is not for public consumption - no matter how transparent we try to be. That's really not a "I know something you don't know" gloat, it's a fact.

I've started writing this so many times, then re-reading it again and again to see if it sounds right, imagining I am someone else reading it...blah de blah. Now, just having read the news about Darlington FC on the very brink of going to the wall, it's like a hit of realisation... there is more to football than caring about what other people think.

This is me, Alan Calder, the football fan. The Chesham United Football fan who happens to find himself as Chairman of his beloved club....And here's a brief rant that I can't hold in any longer.