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The Grampound Times
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Edition 51

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GRAMPOUND FOOTBALL CLUB
SUMMER 2009 REPORT

Last season ended in May with the first team putting itself in a possible promotion position and this was duly confirmed at the Duchy League AGM in June.  Also in May, over 80 players and friends of the club packed out the Bosun’s Diner in Charlestown for a dinner where end of season awards were presented by Duchy league secretary Mike Newcombe.  Recipients of the main awards were :- 

Summer used to be a no-action period for clubs like ours but nowadays that is not really the case.  Pre-season training began just 31 days after our last action of last season and as I write already this in the third week of July, training at the Grampound Club has been underway for some time, and by the time the official League programme commences on Saturday the 29th August 2009 our men’s teams will have played around a dozen practice ‘friendlies’.

A very important occasion for clubs in the non-season is the Annual General Meeting.   In anticipation of the pleasures of the new playing season, Officers elected for 2009-2010 are:

President          -           ROGER PAYNTER
Chairman          -           ALLAN WEBB
Secretary          -           ANDY JAMES
(Andy is covering the post over from last year but has asked to
 stand down  -  our club is now seeking a new Secretary)

Treasurer           -           TONY FORD
Fund-raising Officer  -    JAMES WOODMAN
Committee members     STUART HARRIS,   JAMES WEBB, and
JULIAN WOODMAN.
Welfare Officer  -           ALLAN WEBB

For the 2009-10 Season the Club will have four teams competing in various competitions:
-
TONY FORD will continue to be First Team Manager and having been promoted the team will play in the Duchy League Division 1, the Duchy League Knockout Cup and in the Cornwall County Junior Cup Competition.  One of the club’s ambitions is to get the first team into the Premier Division, an excellent standard of football.

ALASTAIR WOODMAN is the new manager for the Reserve Team and will be assisted by last year’s manager AL BERRY.   The team will continue to play in Duchy League Division 4.

MIKE FOLEY and JASON CHAPMAN have been appointed as joint managers for the important task of looking after our new Under 18 Youth side.  Both are experienced, professional coaches who will be working voluntarily for our club.  They both earn their living as coaches, mainly at Plymouth Argyle.  Mike lives in Grampound Road and Jason is one of the best goalkeepers in Cornwall, currently playing at Falmouth Town.

The Grampound Veterans team will also continue, playing cup matches and friendlies.   Last season they did extremely well to reach the semi-final of the Veteran’s Cup Competition eventually losing what had been a very close game to a very good Godolphin team played on the wide open spaces of the St. Blazey ground.

The approaching season almost commenced with disaster for us as the Public Hall and Recreation Ground Committee requested a very heavy increase in our costs for using the field and facilities, an increase that would have been impossible for us and would probably have brought to an end over 100 years of football in Grampound.   Happily a solution was negotiated which will ensure our use of the field for the next two seasons.  

The Cornwall County FA has approached Grampound FC and asked us to be a partner in its development of an accredited mini-soccer centre locally.  This will be based at Grampound Road School initially and will be available to all local boys and girls.  More details will be sent out through schools after the summer holidays and this will be a big opportunity for this area to offer high quality football coaching and playing for primary age children.  The centre will be managed by Mike Foley (see above) and through Phil Cardew, the Cornwall County FA Development Officer, the county FA will provide considerable funding to help the development along.

During the summer, the club will be re-accredited with FA Charter Standard Club status.  Now that we have youth players in the club we have put all the appropriate policies and procedures and a trained Club Welfare Officer in place.  This means that our status will be upgraded to show our increased levels of involvement and responsibility.

The Club has made a reservation for use of the Village Hall on Saturday 19th December to host a Grampound Village Christmas Party with, we hope, live music to which everyone will be welcome. 

I hope to see as many as possible at the Christmas party and supporting the club on the touchline throughout the season. 

ROGER PAYNTER        ALLAN WEBB
Club President           Club Chairman.