Firstly, our apologies again to everyone who travelled to Needham Market FC last Saturday. Despite assurances from club officials at Needham Market FC that the pitch was playable, the match referee disagreed and postponed the match upon his arrival as some areas were still frozen and unlikely to thaw. It was a very disappointing and costly trip for everyone. The match has been re-arranged for Tuesday, 14th February with a 19:45 kick-off.
Fortunately, Mark Panter, our groundsman, is very proactive and was busy taking photos and making a short video on Friday morning for the Southern League which enabled us to make an early request to postpone our match against Basford FC today as the pitch was still snow covered. A new date for this match will be advised in due course.
Across the Club, there were only a few matches this week with most having been postponed due to the weather and frozen pitches. This includes NFA County Cup matches for the Academy U21s and Moulton U19 sides. However, there was some good news from Moulton College where several players from our U23 squad were selected to represent the National Football Youth League at national level as part of their All-Star Squad. Congratulations to Luis, Mitch, Ben and Nasha! Fixture details will follow, and we wish them all the very best of luck.
We’ve been advised that gate prices at Bedford Town FC for our Boxing Day fixture have been reduced to £5 for everyone and free for U16s. Additionally, Ilkeston Town FC have advised that entry for our match at The New Manor Ground on 7th January will be FREE. Bumper crowds are expected at both games as a result so, if you are intending to travel, please ensure you arrive in plenty of time, and we hope to see as many of you there as possible.
The Board has now concluded all the interviews in our search for a new first team manager and we will bring you news of the outcome on the official website and our social media channels in the coming days.
The new manager will be working within a challenging and strictly controlled budget so if you haven’t already, why not join the Team Building Lottery? The lottery was set up to supplement the annual playing budget set by the Board and all proceeds are held in a separate Club bank account. To take part, you must be over 18 years of age. Each entry costs just £10 and 50% of all proceeds are given back to Lottery members as cash prizes with 12 monthly and 4 quarterly prizes. Monthly draws are made on the 5th of every month with the most recent winner receiving £473. The most recent quarterly draw winner won £1,455! If you’d like more details, please email lottery@afc-diamonds.com.
The Commercial working group have recently re-launched our sponsorship offering and we were pleased to welcome representatives from Café Bangla to the last home game as match sponsors. The main task for the group now is to find a new playing kit sponsor and, again, we hope to bring you some exciting news soon. The player and management offering has also been updated to reflect the remainder of the season. You can now sponsor a player for just £50 (home or away) or £80 (home and away). Players are being snapped up quickly and we’re very grateful to everyone who has sponsored a player so far. If you’re interested, please contact Alex as soon as you can.
Finally, as the festive season approaches, we wish you, your family and loved ones a very Merry Christmas and thank you all for your continued support and dedication to our Club.
