9 May 2008

AGM Chairmans Report

I feel that this have been a very positive 12 months for our Club, with progress being made in a number of key areas both on & off the pitch. I shall explore these in greater depth later.

Firstly, though, a look back at the performances on the pitch as ultimately all that the committee and Club does is concerned with putting teams on the pitch under the Ridgewaye banner.

Minis – continue to grow in numbers & quality. Donal is finally stepping down this year & we thank him for his great efforts here over 5 years.
Under 7s - have been very highly competitive in their first season of organised games building on their success at the Rusthall u6 event last summer.
Under 8s – squad continues to expand playing a really skilful brand of football & winning more games than they lose.
Under 9s –  re-jigged the squads to get 4 of the right level  for their leagues. Have performed with great credit both in Summer tournaments last year & in the League this season.
Under 10s – had a superb Tournament season last summer, reaching numerous semi-finals & finals & winning at Pembury. Have done well to keep a large, committed, squad together ahead of the challenges of running two eleven a side teams in September.
Under 11s –  Another stunning season from the most successful  'younger' squad in Ridgewaye's history. Followed 4 tournament wins last summer – Southdown, Pembury, ours (in a nail-biting penalty shoot out!) & Tonbridge – with an emphatic Championship winning season in the Crowborough League, despite having boys away in district & league squads for part of the time.
Under 11 Girls – Won 2 summer tournaments (including the Ridgewaye Shield) before entering the competitive Kent League  in Division Two. Had they hit ground running they might have finished higher than 3rd but have built steadily & beat the two teams above them in league games before knocking out two first division teams to reach a County Cup Final on 18th May. Also just won 3 & drew 1 in friendlies against the Division One champions.
Under 12s – have worked hard in a strong Division A that I know Dean was worried about. Have done themselves proud though with a comfortable mid-table position & strong Cup run.
Under 13s – on paper have struggled badly finishing bottom of Division B but lost nearly half their games by just an odd goal or two & have shown great spirit in a transitional season with new management & going down to one team.
Under 13 Girls –  it was always going to a big 'ask' going straight into the County first division with a relatively inexperienced team but have rebounded well after a tough early season. Real attacking flair now needs more solidity at the back but if you can score goals then always got a chance!
Under 14s –  Were as strong as ever in Summer Tournaments, reaching various semis & finals & retaining the Park Regis title but ultimately was a 'nearly' season for the u14s. They've been the 'Arsenal' of Ridgewaye this year, finishing 3rd in the League after making the early running & going out in the semis of the Cup. However, if Arsenal had experienced the messing around this squad did from the League regarding fixtures, I think we'd have seen legal action from the Gunners!
Under 14 Girls – Won last year's Ridgewaye Tournament & have already picked up the Ditton title last Saturday, when providing both finalists. Ultimately seen off by their traditional rivals from Hugin, to finish runners up in the League but contest the County Cup Final on the 18th. Undoubtedly,  the most successful  'older' squad in the club.
Under 15s – Had their best summer tournament season to date, reaching a semi final at Jarvis Brook. Very tough League season followed though but I know coaches remain mightily impressed by the commitment & resolve of the squad
Under 18s – Last but certainly not least! Won the Westfield Tournament last year & were runners up in 3 more. Play tonight in a match to settle the u18s League title. Win & it's theirs! Given the squad is largely comprised of u17s then this would be a magnificent performance & has been a top season whatever the outcome. England might not be playing football in Europe this summer but the u18s will be, as they fly the Ridgewaye flag in Holland. (POST meeting note – they won 5-2 & are Champions!!!)

Full reports will be added to the individual team pages on this web site.

You will note that there is no u16s report here as sadly this group folded last season  due to the lack of a replacement coach & the loss of players. This is a worrying trend across the League & at all ages we must do all that we can to ensure continuity of coaches & playing, but it is not easy. With 'larger' clubs actively recruiting players, the playing field, so to speak, has changed. We need parents willing to take on more responsibility to help out, just as we all do. However, much or as little time that can be offered will always be gratefully received but what coaches, committee members etc., all need is 'commitment' from parents & players, to do what they say they will do & to be where they should be at the right time. Coaches too, must be mindful of maintaining communication flows with parents & players – something I think, generally, we are good at. At least I hope we are...

To this end, the new web-site should prove an invaluable tool. Whilst it needs a bit of tidying up before being fully operational, the plan is that all coaches will have access to their own pages to distribute information such as team selection, scores, pics etc. Many thanks to Ian for his hard work here & if you've not taken a look yet then you should: www.ridgewaye.co.uk

This time last year we had just secured access to the Ridgewaye School gym building and the re-development of this has continued apace. We now have a fully (& regularly) functioning café – thank you Zoe & Hannah. In addition there is a reduced but useful indoor sports hall area & several additional changing rooms with showers. We also have a Committee room. We continue to look at ways of improving both this facility & our links with the school &the Council to try & best utilise this site. The Club has just applied to the Football Foundation for another grant for restorative works to the pitches & for major refurbishments of the Gym. We have also received  a grant that is to be spent on 6 sets of folding, mini soccer goals (at last!), 6 mini floodlights that will provide sufficient light for the equivalent of one half of a full size pitch & should prove invaluable for winter training, & a ball delivery system for practising corners, free-kicks etc. I should like to take this opportunity to offer a hearty thanks to Paul Gilden for not only the work put in to the gym, but also for the time spent on the reams of paperwork in making the grant applications.

One of my stated objectives  at last year's AGM was my intention to try & establish more of a working relationship with the Association of Southborough Football Clubs (Southborough FC, High Brooms Casuals & ourselves) after a few years of 'frost'. This, I am pleased to say we have been able to do & communications lines are now very much open. I have taken the role of vice-Chairman of the Association & my vice chair at Ridgewaye, Ian Drury, has put in some sterling work at meetings & 'socially'! There are still plans on the table to push forward the development of a new football clubhouse for the use of all 3 clubs but as is often the case, planning issues need to be resolved first before the thorny issue of fund-raising is considered. Your committee will continue to play a role in these discussions. We shall also continue to monitor the progress of the 'Hub' development which has been an ominous cloud hovering over us for sometime now. With a new town mayor being put in place there might be fresh developments here but rest assured we are keeping a vigilant eye on this.

Back to footballing matters – I am pleased to say that we now have 3 more fully qualified referees – Luke Hunter, Ian Wright & John Francis – & at least one more young man waiting for news of a course. We can never have enough though so if there are any more budding referees out there, please let me know. As the League have been slow in running their promised 'Linesman's' Course, I am planning to put together an 'ad hoc' one with John Francis in June. This will be the ideal time for any parents who have run the line, or are interested for next season, to get a few tips from the men in black!

A number of coaches have taken advantage of our links with First Class Football this season. We have been able to tap in to some specific expertise here but we are also aware of a few weaknesses in the relationship which we hope to address going forward.

We held our third annual tournament last June and, despite the horrible weather, this proved a resounding success, based on the feedback we received. My thanks, as ever, to the army of volunteers who ensure that it runs as smoothly as it has to date. We have expanded to a ninth pitch for this year's event (21st & 22nd June) to try & cope with demand & even then with 185 places available I've had to turn away over 50 teams! We are clearly doing something right... This summer we have decided to 'employ' some of the club's teenage members to help out to take some of the pressure off the 'usual suspects' who otherwise end up doing more than their fair share...

Presentation Day takes place on 17th May with the minis-u10s in the morning at The Ridgewaye & the older groups in the evening at the Masonic Hall. All players will receive mementos. An old custom, the Coaches v Parents match has also been resurrected for the morning!

I'm afraid that last summer saw a number of disciplinary issues taking up our time with the 'excitement' of tournament football often being the root cause. We try to set high standards at Ridgewaye, both home & away, & behaviour outside of the Club's code of conduct will not be tolerated. I want to thank the Committee for their support in such areas this season, as well as their continued efforts in all areas of club matters. Sadly, too much of Simon's time as registration secretary has again had to be taken up with chasing outstanding membership fees and whilst this has generally become less of a problem than in the past, there is an enormous amount of expenditure on kit, trophies, equipment etc., which means that all players might miss out if some don't pay. We draw a significant distinction between those that “can't” pay as opposed to those that “won't” and we are very proud that we have a bursary in place for any families or players who fall into the first category. Our various club sponsors also deserve our thanks and appreciation & I know some are mentioned in the Coaches reports. I should also like to thank Trudy French who has been Treasurer this year but is having to stand down due to work commitments. (POST meeting notes – Trudy has agreed to do one more year)

Ridgewaye FC is in a healthy state. On the pitch our teams continue to represent the Club with great effort & no little skill. Trophies are being won, friends are being made & smiles are being etched on faces. Off the pitch, the development of the gym continues to offer the club significant scope for progress;  financially, much work has gone into putting the club on a sound footing, whilst keeping membership fees  at much lower levels than many of our peers in both football & other pastimes. The Committee deserve great credit for this in the support they have given as we strive to run the club in a more 'professional' way. This is not to criticise what has gone before – most certainly not – but is more to build on this and look forward with genuine hopes that Ridgewaye will continue to flourish and prosper.

Graham Withers
Chairman – Ridgewaye FC