A Letter From The Chairman

Wayne Harris – Club Chairman, Hythe & Dibden YFC

Well it seems like the season has flown past as just like that we enter Tournament season having completed another successful year at the club. It was great to finally have an undisrupted season following the 2 previous seasons with lockdowns.

Following COVID we were delighted to see the club grow even more with more teams then ever playing. The children were excited to be back playing with their friends and enjoying being outside again. It wascertainly a testing time for the club with new guidance and guidelines week on week but with the help from parents, players and coaches we made it work. Thank You.

Starting on the pitch we once again saw our number of local girls joining the club increase. By far one of the proudest achievements the club has had. From 2 girls 5 years ago, we now have over 100 girls within the club. A truly remarkable effort. A personal Thank you to the coaches who have inspired and driven girls’ football to a new level on the waterside. #weallcanplay

Once again there were multiple teams in every age group representing and this will grow again next season following another remarkable mini’s programme of futsal and soccer school. This really is the future of the club and remains a hugely important part of our continued success. Well done to Josh and the team.

Off the pitch saw us secure our long-term future with Applemore School and the wonderful playing facility, a partnership we are very proud of. Moving forward further investment into the facility will see the clubs home go from strength to strength.

We are also delighted to announce that for the first time in 3 years we can host an annual tournament and presentation evening. Both events have been sorely missed so we can’t wait for the summer to arrive.

On a personal note, this will be my last year with the club. My football journey has always followed my eldest son’s team as the team coach and now that team are beginning to enter senior football it seems the right time to say goodbye.

I joined the club in 2013 and have spent 8 of those years on the committee, 4 of them as chairman and I’ve loved every minute. I was lucky enough to work alongside Phil, Paul and Terry as previous Chairmen and learnt a lot from them and I feel I’ve been able to continue the growth and excellence of the standards set before me. When I look back at our development plan we have certainly achieved a lot in the last 4 years together.

Obviously, the strength behind any voluntary organisation is the people and this club has been blessed with an amazingly dedicated group of committee members, some of the most hard working, loyal, wonderful people I’ve ever met and I really can’t Thank you enough.

A personal Thanks to Steve, John, Kati & Paul who have been there from the beginning of my time on the committee, you truly are the reason this club is so great. Thank you.

I can’t name every coach who has been a part of the club but to you all Thank you and well done for giving up your time to volunteer. True heroes of the local community.

Lastly, Thank you the children and parents. You are the reason the volunteers are so dedicated. You are their inspiration.

A good friend of mine told me when I took the role, “buddy, remember you can’t please all of the people all of the time” and he was right, but I promise it never stopped me trying!

Best Wishes