WEEKLY BULLETIN – 5TH MAY

VERY BUSY IN THE CLOSE SEASON
The 2022/23 season may be over but preparation work for the 2023/24 season started even before the final match was played. There never seems to be a period with no activity at any time in the year as far as running a football club is concerned and hopefully I can give supporters an insight in to what goes on behind the scenes in this article. I will feature different parts of the club to explain what is going on.

• GROUND – PITCH
  While the quality of our ground has been so high this year we do not rest on our laurels Well before the end of the season head groundsman Steve Barker had contacted our usual contractor for quotes for the end of season renovation work. We agreed the price and also ordered nearly 80 tonnes of specialist sand to be spread over the pitch. A starting date was booked for the work to begin as soon as possible after the last game so the pitch had the maximum recovery time. The contractors started actually work this week but even when they are finished Steve will have to monitor when watering of the pitch is needed to ensure the seed germinates.
• GROUND — INFASTRUCTURE
  Paul Sprague and Kate Deller have inspected Top Field checking whether any safety or improvement work was necessary and have identified certain areas where extra concreting is necessary. Throughout the close season there will be regular working parties to keep Top Field as neat, tidy and safe as possible.
• ADMISSION AND SEASON TICKET PRICES
  At the end of every season the management committee have to decide admission prices for the next season and details will be announced shortly. We also need to update our Kaizen pages so season tickets can be purchased as well as tickets for friendlies.
• MATCH DAY OPERATION
  The management committee have reviewed the match day operation at Top Field assessing any areas we can improve the match day experience for supporters. We could still do with more volunteers and it is a big challenge to find them and this is a problem so many clubs are facing.
• CATERING
  We work closely with Paul and Kirsty from Canary Kitchen and are always looking to improve. We will meet to review the past season and decide if any changes are needed to ensure the best possible service for supporters.
• SOCIAL MEDIA
  Again we are constantly looking to improve our social media outlets to ensure supporters are kept properly informed with all the latest Top Field news. We have recognized we could do with new recruits to the social media team as the workload continues to increase.
• FIXTURES
  It gets ever harder to plan pre-season friendlies. Mark Burke started negotiations with potential opponents well before the end of the season but it is really difficult to tie teams down to specific dates particularly if they are from a higher league. If this is the case they will dictate the date and may not decide straight away. Even if a date is agreed it can be cancelled and this happened today with a friendly with a National League team that did have a firm date. Often even if a date is agreed the higher level team will dictate when the game can be officially announced. We are also being contacted by clubs seeking to play us and it becomes a balancing act as we like to play different from different levels. We are also ready to appoint match officials for the home games. So while we have provisionally agreed several friendlies no announcements can yet be made. As soon as everything is agreed with our opponents an official announcement will be made.
• PLAYING SQUAD
  Mark and his management team started talking to the playing squad as early as March. Again negotiations are never easy as our success on the pitch this season will no doubt generate interest from higher division clubs who want to target our young ambitious players, this make it extremely difficult for Mark. So far all conversations have remained positive and some announcements will be made soon. Mark also has targets of his own and has been in discussions with them now the season has drawn to a close. It shows that the close season is really busy for Mark as he tries to firm up his squad for next season.
• REVIEW OF THE SEASON
  Mark and his management team have been constantly reviewing performances, shape of the team, training methods and tactics. At the end of the season further analysis is taking place to see if we can get further improvement.and strengths and weaknesses are discussed. Striving to get better is a continual process. Great use has been made of the recordings we make of all our games and the coaching staff continually review these and players are shown both the positive and negative aspects of games.
• ACADEMY
  We have again looked at how the academy is running and we are convinced the links to the first team are as strong as possible. The key employees in the academy are associated with the first team so the communication could not be better and any really promising players are quickly identified and will be integrated in to joining the first team squad for training.

MESSAGE FROM KATE DELLER
I wanted to take the time to say a big thank you to all of the volunteers who take the time to work on match days–we really could not hold a match without you all. I know I speak for everyone at the Club when I say you are a remarkable force and we appreciate every one of you.

I would also like to thank Kirsty and Paul Foster and their staff for providing one of the best food outlets in our league with Canary Kitchen. You provide great food and service to our volunteers and supporters. You also do a great job in providing food to our visiting officials and match officials. We know you have had a very challenging year in trying to keep prices down whilst inflation affects your business. Thank you for working with us and we look forward to next season and what you have to offer. Canary Kitchen has been key to improving our match day experience.

Another thank you goes to our security team. Clinton and Lisa of Moulton Security have been outstanding this year. Their staff have been calm and professional when having to deal with occasional visiting supporter issues. They have also been kind and had fun with our supporters, ensuring their safety at every step of the way. We enjoy working with them and also look forward to another season with you all.

In the close season there are a number of us that work alongside the ground staff and keep on top of the maintenance jobs at Top Field. We always welcome extra pairs of hands. We are a happy bunch and the main aim is just to keep Top Field looking neat and tidy. There are occasions when a crew meet up on Wednesday mornings, we will advertise this on Facebook and our forum.

The first Saturday session will be Saturday 13th May 9.00am. There will be tea and biscuits/cake provided. There will also be gardening gloves provided. This first Saturday will be spent clearing timber which has fallen in the Canary Club garden and getting on top of the lawn again, so wear good shoes.

ACADEMY UPDATE BY MICHAEL JONES
This week at the academy we have had 3 of our players selected for the the Pro:Direct showcase event taking place next week which is a national event. This will be a brilliant experience for all involved.

We are also in the process of inviting some of our talented academy players in for pre season training with the first team. This will give them an opportunity to impress and try to break into Mark Burke’s team for the start of the season.

Stephen Gleeson has also been working on his own personal development and he has been away recently taking one of his coaching badges as he continues his transition from his great playing career to head coach in our academy.

HERTS CHARITY CUP
The date for our quarter final at home to Royston Town has been confirmed as Saturday 29th July kick-off 3.00pm.

HTWFC UPDATE BY KARLA CHAFFEY
Result from last Sunday
Stotfold Women 3-1 HTWFC Firsts

FIXTURES
Sunday 7th May 2023, 14:00
HTWFC Firsts v Knebworth Ladies Fc
Kimpton Recreation Ground, Kimpton

Garston Ladies v HTWFC Canaries, 14:00
Bushey Met Club, Aldenham Road, Bushey

We are looking for new players to join our progressing teams. We train weekly at The Arena, Norton Road, Baldock. We train 19:00 – 20:30 each Tuesday and you have to be 16 years old or over.

We are also looking for new sponsors for the women’s set up. We are looking for sponsorship for training kits and tracksuits. If this is something you are interested in please get in touch with Callum on HTLFC.ClubSecretary@gmail.com.

BY ROY IZZARD