Season's Greetings
As always on behalf of The Board I would like to start by thanking everyone at the Club, the players, managers, supporters, sponsors, parents and volunteers for their tremendous contribution throughout the year. Without you we would not have a Club. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
In all sections of the Club it has been another sucessful year as we saw at the Clubs annual presentation evening marking the end of the 2010/11 campaign. Worthy of mention again the following: Disability League champions, Boys U14’s League and Cup double winners and of course runners up spot for the 1st Team and promotion back to the Kent League after a 10 year absence. This year also saw the acquisition of the Clubs “Community Bus” which has already transported the 1st Team, Disability Team and Community Team to various matches. We hope to see it on the road a lot more next year.
The Club also launched a new bespoke website to see us into the future and work is ongoing on the new City in the Community site, to feature our youth and community teams which will go live in 2012. We also teamed up with KMFM 106 and many of you will have heard the Club’s radio “jingle” leading up to our 1st team home games.
It is perhaps fitting then that towards the end of the year, November to be precise, the Club found itself shortlisted at The Canterbury and District Sports Awards in two catagories, Senior Club of the Year and also Community Award. Whilst we did not win either award the Club greatly supports these local awards and in many respects just being shortlisted is recognition enough.
So what does 2012 hold for us after such an eventful 2011?
Number one so far as I have been concerned is to finally get an announcement on the long awaited new ground project. It is crucial for the Club to get a base back in the City both to play senior football but for all our youth and community initiatives Canterbury City FC like any football club needs its “home”. The discusions with the local council have been very positive in the run up to Christmas and so hopefully 2012 sees real progress.
We have also been lucky to have Stuart McCluskey join us to fill a new position of “Youth Coordinator”. This will enable us to significantly expand our youth set up for the start of the 2012/13 season. We are also hoping to launch a new free Saturday Soccer School and there are a number of other exciting plans all aimed at seeing the Club expand and grow further during 2012.
And finally 2012 will see somewhat of a milestone. In 5 years of reforming as a Club our mens 1st team will once again compete in the preliminary rounds of the FA Cup and also the FA Vase. For some that is the measure of Canterbury’s return to senior football. No one can dispute that it has been a credible return to the Kent Hurlimann Premier Division and as a Club we would of course like to progress to Ryman South just as soon as we can. It all goes to show what belief, ambition and sometimes perhaps a little luck can achieve – after all that’s football!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I am absolutely positive that 2012 will be another fantastic year for the Club. C’mon City!!