We are now just a few days away from the start of another football season – though it feels as if football never really went away, what with the fantastic World Cup and the amazing summer we all got to enjoy.

While I’m sure we all enjoyed the World Cup, I must admit I’m excited to get back to ‘proper’ football – it’s the time of the season when literally anything can happen!

This year we will run teams in the North Wilts Youth League from U8, through to U16, with two teams at U9s and U13s level.

Our youngest team, the U6s, will be spending this coming season playing friendlies as they prepare for the league in the 2019-2020 season.

Since succeeding Joe Cusack as Chair in May I’ve enjoyed a steep learning curve but it’s been good fun – the committee has been working very hard off the pitch over the summer. We’re forging stronger links with Fairford Town – something that is essential to give our Children a route of progression as they move from youth to adult football. We also said goodbye to Steve Dark and Jon Gardner – Steve coached our U14s, Jon our U13s last season and had been with the Club for a number of years.

This, unfortunately meant that we have not been able to field the two U15s sides as planned, nor an U14s team this season.On behalf of the Club I would like to apologise to the Children left without a Club for the coming season – unfortunately the Club relies on volunteers and should one leave and no-one succeed them, that area of the Club will cease to exist.

Almost 200 children are currently registered with our Club, guided and supported by a small group of volunteers – the Club welcomes anyone willing to roll their sleeves up and get involved, both on the pitch and off it – if your child’s age group is missing out and you want to step forward to help run a team then let us know – you’ll find a Club committee that will take you through all the paperwork of criminal record checks and child safeguarding and supporting you through to FA coaching badges and more.

Fairford and Lechlade are both towns that have grown in recent times – Fairford continues to do so with new houses bringing new families to the town and to our Club, we have fantastic potential to grow our Club to be one of the best in the area and become a genuine part of the local community.

We will soon be unveiling a plan for the next five years at the Club – a plan that we can only realise with your support. A plan that we feel will deliver more for your children and for the local community.

I hope that whichever age group your child is playing for in the coming season they have a fantastic time and above all else, enjoy the game.

Adam