REPORT FOR SEASON 2022/23
In her first season as Administration Officer, I have worked in tandem with Kerry Higham for the entire season on Club admin matters. With the purpose of easing my TFFC workload in mind, she has taken over membership and match subs collecting and she will therefore report independently on both. In other areas, this report consists of a breakdown of various admin categories and includes statistical comparisons with the previous two seasons. At the end will be a conclusion covering the 2022/23 season.
Membership: As stated, Kerry will cover this topic in her report. On the statistical front, 55 Full Members between the three teams were 10 more than the target of 15 per team and the income of over £4,000 is a Club high. Well done to Kerry who has excelled in pushing membership income over a new threshold.
Registrations: For the second season running Kerry handled WGS (the Whole Game System), looking after all TFFC registrations plus the transfer of Masters guests both in and out of the Club. On the statistical side, there were 65 MGBSFL registrations (2021/22: 70; 2020/21: 37 – no 2nd Team). The Old Boys Team had 22 players registered for the Masters League (2021/22: 25; 2020/21: 25). The Old Boys Team used 24 outside guests (which included 3 playing more than one game) as allowed in the Masters League (2021/22: 18; 2020/21: 10).
Pitches: With the Maccabi Masters League pulling out of Silver Jubilee Park, we snapped up the opportunity to stage both First and Second Team home fixtures there. However, this came with a condition that the kick-off time would be 9.15am instead of 9.45am, with SJP trying to maximise usage. We canvassed our players in both squads about the change and most agreed to it. The selling point was the brand new FIFA-accredited playing surface which was laid in June 2022.
Kerry and I took part in the very first game on the new pitch – a SJP invitational XI v an Edgware & Kingsbury XI – and we enthused about the quality of it. I am glad that the early kick-off did not become a major issue and everyone got used to the idea. To have both MGBSFL teams playing at SJP on that fantastic pitch was well worth the earlier start. Naturally this more than doubled our allocation of weeks there but I negotiated a favourable rate of £190 per match with Rob Morris (increased from £180) which was under the new rate other teams were paying.
We staged a total of 23 home games at SJP – 12 First Team, 10 2nd Team and 1 Old Boys Team. (2021/22: 11; 2020/21: 14). The Old Boys Team continued to play at venues arranged by the Masters League, mainly at Hertfordshire Sports Village and Thomas Parmiter Sports Centre.
Unplayed matches: Due to player availability issues, we were forced to forfeit a total of 5 fixtures – 2 by the First Team and 3 by the Second Team. (2021/22: 6; 2020/21: 4). Both teams conceded their Cyril Anekstein Cup ties – v Hendon United and Oakwood respectively, the top two Premier teams. Fixtures v London Athletico and Hapoel Hampstead were also forfeited – both teams topping Division 1 and 2 respectively. Nobody likes to concede fixtures but given the lack of players at the time, and bearing in mind two 10-1 defeats against both London and Hapoel in previous fixtures, it is understandable why these decisions were taken, with team survival the priority.
Discipline: The previous season, 2021/22, gave the Club its second worst disciplinary campaign on record. However, I am pleased to report a vast improvement which Kerry will expand upon.
Towards the end of the season the Second Team were involved in a mass confrontation in a match – victims of the opposition's aggression more than anything – which led to an E20 misconduct charge being imposed by the London FA. After a mitigation appeal was lodged, we were fined £80 with a £15 admin charge. The penalty was in the medium tier as opposed to the opposition's £140 fine.
League fines: The First Team collected £55.00 in MGBSFL fines (2021/22: £135; 2020/21: £25.00). The Second Team collected £95.00 in MGBSFL fines (2021/22: £120.00). All these fines were imposed for defaulting matches.
Match subs collection: As previously mentioned, Kerry supervised the match day collection in the accounts and will cover this category in her report. My viewpoint is that the whole purpose of buying the iZettle devices was to maximise our match subs income and I feel we need to make better use of them next season.
Events: After Silver Jubilee Park was closed for laying the new pitch last summer, we were pleased to be back there to stage the 2022/23 Club Awards Presentation Event (CAPE) on Sunday 4th June. We tried a new format instead of the usual 11-a-side double-header – a 7-a-side tournament involving four teams, played across the pitch. The advantage of this format was that all teams finished at the same time, which got rid of the waiting period prior to the awards in the clubhouse. A lot of hard work went into arranging the CAPE, what with the trophies, awards, programmes, food etc and I would like to thank Kerry Higham for her invaluable help in coordinating this event. I think we are all agreed that the morning was a big success.
The Founders' Shield returned to SJP in the form of two pre-season friendlies between the First and Second Teams in August 2022. The Seconds won both, 5-3 and 4-0, to capture the Shield. At the end of February 2023, the two teams played in their first competitive MGBSFL fixture for 43 years – in the new Super Cup/Barry Goldstein Trophy. Also staged at SJP, the Firsts won 8-1 in a group fixture. A printed programme was produced to mark the occasion.
Equipment: After the kit problems we had with the Hamptons and Fantasy Five playing kits during the previous campaign, we topped up both sets with additional purchases. Last year I announced that the Hamptons kit would be withdrawn due to being too incomplete, so to do a U-turn in this respect was pleasing. The Old Boys Team were given the yellow and red Ellis & Co "50 Years" shirts from 2018 which were still in excellent condition, together with red shorts and socks.
With the 'buy-back' shirt scheme completed, we have stored two full sets of shirts (yellow and red stripes, nicknamed the 'Covid' shirts) for future use. All 31 shirts are in excellent condition.
At the beginning of the season, I ordered a new batch of navy and yellow tracksuit tops carrying the standard TFFC crest. I purchased two batches of Mitre Calcio yellow/black footballs from Pendle Sportswear to keep the MGBSFL teams well stocked up. Kerry and I also managed to retrieve 'lost' footballs from the hedges surrounding three sides of SJP on a couple of occasions which allowed us to replace five or six footballs. On one occasion, when two First Team players had ball bags in their possession (one having his car garaged following an accident and one player abroad), the extra supply of balls allowed me to put together a third ball bag for the First Team's emergency use!
In storage are a number of spare playing kits including the Daniel Stewart set of shirts (yellow and red), the Founders’ shirts (red and yellow broad stripes), the all-yellow and navy Bekhors kit, the Winckworth yellow and navy shirts (a full set of 14), the Ellis/Winckworth jointly sponsored red/yellow kit, two sets of red Ellis & Co shirts (with yellow curved band) and the 2020/21 'Covid' shirts as previously mentioned. There is also a set of 10 outfield Kingsleys shirts (yellow with the large navy ‘stars’ design) and a green/white Bekhors kit in storage too, plus a set of orange ex-Blizzard Storm shirts.
I was pleased to be able to use four sets of shirts in storage for the CAPE in June – two incomplete sets of ex-Blizzard Storm shirts (maroon and sky blue), the orange set and the Kingsleys shirts.
Training: We did not use Miles, the fitness coach at non-league level, to run a training session at Mill Hill Park. The Second Team held their own football sessions at the Mill Hill Powerleague from quite early on.
Management structure/social media: The sub-committees for the Admin team and Team Managers, which were set up for for season 2021/22, worked relatively well again in WhatsApp. This season, Kerry was placed in all three team groups which was beneficial on the admin front.
Kerry built up the TFFC Instagram account with a lot of images and then added Michael Goldberg as a supervisor but there has not been the activity he suggested he would bring. TFFC Facebook and Twitter continued to be used intermittently when it was required to post notifications.
Conclusion: Administratively, the Club had a strong season behind the scenes where Kerry and I handled the majority of Club admin efficiently. On the whole, although there were isolated difficulties as one might expect during a long season, we saw improvements across the teams on the match-day side, particularly with playing kit and organisation. However, I think match-day delegation could improve efficiency further.
I will thank Kerry especially for her brilliant help with the Club's main administration. She was elected as the new Administration Officer and certainly did not disappoint in her numerous roles. Also highly notable was the way Jonathan Abrams managed the financial and admin side of the Old Boys team in assisting Simon Black, so big thank you to him and anyone else who helped this season.
NIGEL KYTE, 1st June 2023
In her first season as Administration Officer, I have worked in tandem with Kerry Higham for the entire season on Club admin matters. With the purpose of easing my TFFC workload in mind, she has taken over membership and match subs collecting and she will therefore report independently on both. In other areas, this report consists of a breakdown of various admin categories and includes statistical comparisons with the previous two seasons. At the end will be a conclusion covering the 2022/23 season.
Membership: As stated, Kerry will cover this topic in her report. On the statistical front, 55 Full Members between the three teams were 10 more than the target of 15 per team and the income of over £4,000 is a Club high. Well done to Kerry who has excelled in pushing membership income over a new threshold.
Registrations: For the second season running Kerry handled WGS (the Whole Game System), looking after all TFFC registrations plus the transfer of Masters guests both in and out of the Club. On the statistical side, there were 65 MGBSFL registrations (2021/22: 70; 2020/21: 37 – no 2nd Team). The Old Boys Team had 22 players registered for the Masters League (2021/22: 25; 2020/21: 25). The Old Boys Team used 24 outside guests (which included 3 playing more than one game) as allowed in the Masters League (2021/22: 18; 2020/21: 10).
Pitches: With the Maccabi Masters League pulling out of Silver Jubilee Park, we snapped up the opportunity to stage both First and Second Team home fixtures there. However, this came with a condition that the kick-off time would be 9.15am instead of 9.45am, with SJP trying to maximise usage. We canvassed our players in both squads about the change and most agreed to it. The selling point was the brand new FIFA-accredited playing surface which was laid in June 2022.
Kerry and I took part in the very first game on the new pitch – a SJP invitational XI v an Edgware & Kingsbury XI – and we enthused about the quality of it. I am glad that the early kick-off did not become a major issue and everyone got used to the idea. To have both MGBSFL teams playing at SJP on that fantastic pitch was well worth the earlier start. Naturally this more than doubled our allocation of weeks there but I negotiated a favourable rate of £190 per match with Rob Morris (increased from £180) which was under the new rate other teams were paying.
We staged a total of 23 home games at SJP – 12 First Team, 10 2nd Team and 1 Old Boys Team. (2021/22: 11; 2020/21: 14). The Old Boys Team continued to play at venues arranged by the Masters League, mainly at Hertfordshire Sports Village and Thomas Parmiter Sports Centre.
Unplayed matches: Due to player availability issues, we were forced to forfeit a total of 5 fixtures – 2 by the First Team and 3 by the Second Team. (2021/22: 6; 2020/21: 4). Both teams conceded their Cyril Anekstein Cup ties – v Hendon United and Oakwood respectively, the top two Premier teams. Fixtures v London Athletico and Hapoel Hampstead were also forfeited – both teams topping Division 1 and 2 respectively. Nobody likes to concede fixtures but given the lack of players at the time, and bearing in mind two 10-1 defeats against both London and Hapoel in previous fixtures, it is understandable why these decisions were taken, with team survival the priority.
Discipline: The previous season, 2021/22, gave the Club its second worst disciplinary campaign on record. However, I am pleased to report a vast improvement which Kerry will expand upon.
Towards the end of the season the Second Team were involved in a mass confrontation in a match – victims of the opposition's aggression more than anything – which led to an E20 misconduct charge being imposed by the London FA. After a mitigation appeal was lodged, we were fined £80 with a £15 admin charge. The penalty was in the medium tier as opposed to the opposition's £140 fine.
League fines: The First Team collected £55.00 in MGBSFL fines (2021/22: £135; 2020/21: £25.00). The Second Team collected £95.00 in MGBSFL fines (2021/22: £120.00). All these fines were imposed for defaulting matches.
Match subs collection: As previously mentioned, Kerry supervised the match day collection in the accounts and will cover this category in her report. My viewpoint is that the whole purpose of buying the iZettle devices was to maximise our match subs income and I feel we need to make better use of them next season.
Events: After Silver Jubilee Park was closed for laying the new pitch last summer, we were pleased to be back there to stage the 2022/23 Club Awards Presentation Event (CAPE) on Sunday 4th June. We tried a new format instead of the usual 11-a-side double-header – a 7-a-side tournament involving four teams, played across the pitch. The advantage of this format was that all teams finished at the same time, which got rid of the waiting period prior to the awards in the clubhouse. A lot of hard work went into arranging the CAPE, what with the trophies, awards, programmes, food etc and I would like to thank Kerry Higham for her invaluable help in coordinating this event. I think we are all agreed that the morning was a big success.
The Founders' Shield returned to SJP in the form of two pre-season friendlies between the First and Second Teams in August 2022. The Seconds won both, 5-3 and 4-0, to capture the Shield. At the end of February 2023, the two teams played in their first competitive MGBSFL fixture for 43 years – in the new Super Cup/Barry Goldstein Trophy. Also staged at SJP, the Firsts won 8-1 in a group fixture. A printed programme was produced to mark the occasion.
Equipment: After the kit problems we had with the Hamptons and Fantasy Five playing kits during the previous campaign, we topped up both sets with additional purchases. Last year I announced that the Hamptons kit would be withdrawn due to being too incomplete, so to do a U-turn in this respect was pleasing. The Old Boys Team were given the yellow and red Ellis & Co "50 Years" shirts from 2018 which were still in excellent condition, together with red shorts and socks.
With the 'buy-back' shirt scheme completed, we have stored two full sets of shirts (yellow and red stripes, nicknamed the 'Covid' shirts) for future use. All 31 shirts are in excellent condition.
At the beginning of the season, I ordered a new batch of navy and yellow tracksuit tops carrying the standard TFFC crest. I purchased two batches of Mitre Calcio yellow/black footballs from Pendle Sportswear to keep the MGBSFL teams well stocked up. Kerry and I also managed to retrieve 'lost' footballs from the hedges surrounding three sides of SJP on a couple of occasions which allowed us to replace five or six footballs. On one occasion, when two First Team players had ball bags in their possession (one having his car garaged following an accident and one player abroad), the extra supply of balls allowed me to put together a third ball bag for the First Team's emergency use!
In storage are a number of spare playing kits including the Daniel Stewart set of shirts (yellow and red), the Founders’ shirts (red and yellow broad stripes), the all-yellow and navy Bekhors kit, the Winckworth yellow and navy shirts (a full set of 14), the Ellis/Winckworth jointly sponsored red/yellow kit, two sets of red Ellis & Co shirts (with yellow curved band) and the 2020/21 'Covid' shirts as previously mentioned. There is also a set of 10 outfield Kingsleys shirts (yellow with the large navy ‘stars’ design) and a green/white Bekhors kit in storage too, plus a set of orange ex-Blizzard Storm shirts.
I was pleased to be able to use four sets of shirts in storage for the CAPE in June – two incomplete sets of ex-Blizzard Storm shirts (maroon and sky blue), the orange set and the Kingsleys shirts.
Training: We did not use Miles, the fitness coach at non-league level, to run a training session at Mill Hill Park. The Second Team held their own football sessions at the Mill Hill Powerleague from quite early on.
Management structure/social media: The sub-committees for the Admin team and Team Managers, which were set up for for season 2021/22, worked relatively well again in WhatsApp. This season, Kerry was placed in all three team groups which was beneficial on the admin front.
Kerry built up the TFFC Instagram account with a lot of images and then added Michael Goldberg as a supervisor but there has not been the activity he suggested he would bring. TFFC Facebook and Twitter continued to be used intermittently when it was required to post notifications.
Conclusion: Administratively, the Club had a strong season behind the scenes where Kerry and I handled the majority of Club admin efficiently. On the whole, although there were isolated difficulties as one might expect during a long season, we saw improvements across the teams on the match-day side, particularly with playing kit and organisation. However, I think match-day delegation could improve efficiency further.
I will thank Kerry especially for her brilliant help with the Club's main administration. She was elected as the new Administration Officer and certainly did not disappoint in her numerous roles. Also highly notable was the way Jonathan Abrams managed the financial and admin side of the Old Boys team in assisting Simon Black, so big thank you to him and anyone else who helped this season.
NIGEL KYTE, 1st June 2023