The beautiful game has been in the news of late for quite frankly ugly reasons, the greed of the apparent ‘big six’ clubs and their decision to leave the football league and form a stale European Super League was greeted with about as much excitement as another lockdown.
Fans universally were united against this terrible idea and the clubs involved embarrassingly had to apologise and perform a u-turn, but it has if nothing else made the average football fan have a long hard look at themselves and think ‘what is it that I’m really supporting?’ In a lot of cases the answer to that question is an international franchise, a brand, a billionaire’s vanity project. The ‘big six’, as much as supporters of the clubs won’t want to hear it, aren’t clubs that are in tune with their fans and supporters, they are huge money-making machines that have for the last twenty years become more elitist and further apart from the average fan within their community.
During the brief gap of lockdowns last summer, when non-league football was allowed to resume there was a notable increase in interest and attendances. I was aboard the ‘new post-lockdown fan’ bandwagon and I can confirm it was absolutely fantastic. It’s a joy to watch football that costs you a lot less than your average takeaway pizza, it’s a joy to be able to move around the ground not being limited to a seat somewhere in the upper echelons, absorbing the action up close where you can actually interact with the players, who from my experience give as good as they get. Better still, you can get an affordable pint without having to queue for half an hour. It’s a fan-centric experience and just bloody good fun.
Back in my youth I’d foolishly scoff at local football, other than perhaps Gillingham FC who were regularly mentioned on the telly. In the noughties and even prior to the pandemic most football fans my age considered football worth watching to be exclusively in the top two leagues, often feeling cursed not to live in a place where top tier football is local. Now I feel the complete opposite. Lower league and non-league football are abundant here in Kent, and that is a blessing for the fans, to have so many stadiums scattered around the county all accessible and affordable is genuinely a godsend and Herne Bay and its surrounding areas have teams that need their communities to get behind them, so why not head to a Herne Bay game when the season recommences?
Herne Bay FC Women’s Team
Our local club has developed significantly over the recent years and now boasts a fine women’s team. It is fantastic to see that the Herne Bay FC women’s team are also thriving, since the return of sport and the relaxing of the restrictions, Herne Bay women have done anything but relax, they’ve been prolific, scoring bags of goals and churning out win after win.
Peter Guise, the Women’s Secretary of Herne Bay FC, took to Facebook to share the following announcement:
“At a meeting of the Board of Directors of Herne Bay FC held on 28/11/2020 it was agreed that the time is now right for Herne Bay FC Women to seek their own affiliation with Kent FA. It is considered that this is an appropriate step to secure the future of the Women’s section of Herne Bay FC both financially and administratively. Affiliation would be sought whilst still maintaining the closest of associations with Herne Bay FC with first-team matches continuing to enjoy the excellent facilities at The Kent Vehicles Stadium, Winch’s Field.
“It is proposed that separate affiliation to the Kent FA will be made in time for the 2021/22 season, the Herne Bay FC Women’s section will retain a place on the main club management committee to be filled by the Women’s Secretary from a separately elected management committee to run the Women’s Section and that this committee will also include a nominated Director of the main club, thereby maintaining the close association with the main club.”
Peter is massively positive for the future as he tells CommunityAd “progress is being made at a rapid pace with strong links being made with Herne Bay Youth Rangers who run several age group teams below the adult women’s game, thereby creating a pathway from under 11s all the way through to Herne Bay FC Women’s First team.”