Back in the dark days of COVID we worked hard to keep things going.
We had 67 members, four league teams, and we were still paying our £5 training fee in cash as we walked onto the 3G !!
We have come a long way in 5 years………
We now have 201 members (a 200% increase since 2021) with 5 members over 80.
We have 8 not 4 league teams and will soon have 9 when our ladies enter the Essex League.
We have a thriving ladies section , with nearly 20 new members in 15 weeks!!
Recreational training is an established feature of club life and we have 4 qualified referees.
We have won 15 trophies in the past 5 years at county and regional level and have two England captains.
We have the 2025 ‘world player of the year’.
We have a shed for our equipment, a defibulator pitch side, and more balls, cones, and markers than we know what to do with.
We no longer turn up picking sides like it is the school playground, we use SPOND and think about it.
The fiver on the gate has given way to a slick monthly invoicing system.
We market ourselves everywhere and have a trophy cabinet that is both our heritage and a beacon to attract more members.
Perhaps most importantly, we care about each other and our community, having raised over £20k for Prostate Cancer UK and other good causes and we have established the ‘Bandy Boys’ as a symbol of courage and kindness to each other.
As we celebrate having over 200 members, we can also celebrate creating a place that is about more than kicking a ball.
It is old 3G pitch, with too much black crumb on it and the occasional scraggy dog weeing on our bags, but to many of us it is our field of dreams – we all have a lot to be proud of!
Here’s to having 250 members and many more happy hours playing walking football.
Chris
Chairman CCWFC
