CHAIRMAN’S PROGRAMME NOTES – FEBRUARY 2026

Whilst I would encourage everyone to continue to buy our fantastic matchday programme (thanks to Mick and Peter alongside all the contributors for the countless hours of work that goes into it), I will also now provide a copy of my programme notes at the end of each month so they are available to a wider audience here on our website. So here we have the notes from February’s  programmes:

Ware – 14th February 2026

Despite the disappointment of losing in a very finely balanced game to a very good Biggleswade side when we were last at Top Field, I want to ensure we reflect and pay tribute to the outstanding performances that saw us achieve a hugely impressive 21 games unbeaten in the league. This is a feat that isn’t just impressive against our Sothern League Division One Central peers but also across all of Step 4 and across the footballing pyramid. There are not many teams who will be able to boast such a successful spell this season or even in recent seasons. So, a huge well done to all involved for that. One narrow loss to a team that is almost certain to be in the play off places is not disastrous for our season. We now refocus on the remaining run of games, and the team take each and every game with respect and determination. Keep that huge support going both home and away and we can reach our season targets.

Today’s game is our designated Football v Homophobia fixture as we, alongside many other matches across the football community, look to raise the profile of this great cause.

February is Football v Homophobia’s month of action, by designating this game to spread the message about their campaign we are reaffirming our commitment to making football more inclusive for LGBTIQ+ people. Whilst I believe, thanks to the hard work of all of the team at HTFC, we have an amazingly welcoming and friendly atmosphere at Top Field – it is our responsibility to ensure it stays that way and to ensure that any discriminatory behaviour is called out and reported so that action can be taken.

Results of a 2024 survey showed 74% of respondents – all LGBTQ+ – said they had experienced or heard anti-LGBTQ+ abuse when watching men’s football. Less than a quarter of those people said they had reported the incidents, suggesting a lack of confidence or awareness of available reporting channels. This is clearly an unacceptable statistic that we would all like to see drastically improve in the coming years.

Thank you for your support in keeping Top Field positive, welcoming and enjoyable for all visitors.

Beaconsfield – 28th February 2026

Unbelievably we are at the end of February already, whilst we have all been disappointed at the last few weeks results the team are still completely focussed on the task in hand and the criticality of every single match as we head into the run in, 12 fixtures are yet to be decided totalling 36 points still on offer. Your support this season has been outstanding and we need that to continue both home and away over the next two months, it really does make a huge difference.

This week I wanted to shine the spotlight on the work of our Community team, led by Mark Burke and based over at The Arena in Baldock. It has been a great start to 2026 for this team. Last week was February Half Term and we saw great take up for the holiday camps both at The Arena and at Preston. At The Arena we had 42 different children attending the course over the 3 days. At Preston Primary School our provision is led by Lewis Franklin and we had 24 different children attending those sessions over the course of the week. It is great to see these sessions proving so popular already this year and I am sure they will continue to go from strength to strength as 2026 progresses. Well done to all the coaches involved in delivering them.

Whilst our school support is also proving very popular. This provision is led to Josh Mollison and provides PE lessons, PPA, after school clubs and breakfast clubs. We are operating across 7 schools this Half Term across Hitchin and Letchworth and actively looking to continue to grow this. Again it is great to see the club having such a positive impact on young people across our local community.

Finally on the community front – huge well done to Kate Deller and Noah Harper who helped to run a bike donation event at Top Field last Saturday with one of our charity partners Herts Disability Sport. The event was really well received and an incredible 57 bikes were donated. These will be making their way to young people and children who might not otherwise be able to have a bike. So thanks to everyone for supporting a great cause.