SheffieldFC

A Time for Thanks

2010-12-03T16:42:00.002Z

This week has seen some of the thickest snow in my lifetime come down on Sheffield. Combined with the failure of the bid to host the 2018 World Cup, this has left us all feeling rather deflated, but we will dust ourselves down. Disappointment is part and parcel of sport at any level and is something that we all have to come to terms with to make us better people and help us in our working and home lives.

Whilst on the subject of the World Cup bid, I would like to say a big thank you to Wayne Coyle and his Sheffield 2018 bid team, who did a fantastic job promoting the city as part of the English bid. It was a pleasure being able to assist where we could.

I managed to make it up to the BT Local Business Stadium this morning to collect some papers and the ground is covered by a thick blanket of snow, and needless to say there will be no game at the weekend.

India seems like a long time ago, but I would like to thank the lads who stepped in and played for the first team, while we were away. The results were a credit to them and the stand-in manager Ian Whitehorne - thanks Ian.

The performances of some of the youngsters that played have been singled out for special praise and it is heartening to see talented young footballers giving everything for our club. The future does indeed look bright!

As a number of you are probably aware, the manageress of the Coach and Horses, Cat, has returned to her native New Zealand with her partner Kelly. I would like to wish them both well for the future and they are always welcome to pop in for a pint when they are back in the UK. In addition to Cat leaving, the chef, Mark, has also left for pastures new, which provides an opportunity to review our offering. We have decided that to keep the quality of the food for which we are renowned, we are going to restart the food menu after Christmas, rather than rushing matters. I hope you will all bear with us in the meantime.

The club is offering for sale Sheffield FC Christmas cards. They feature snowy scenes from around the ground, courtesy of some excellent photography by Chris Hatton. The cards are £1 each and can be ordered via the usual contacts at the club. Good stocking fillers are the Boot Bags at a £1 a bag (ideal for the kids).

My thoughts are now turning to the New Year and pursuing the move to Olive Grove. Although there are a number of difficult obstacles to overcome, we must remain positive and hope for the right outcome.

Guwahati Here We Come!

2010-11-22T12:04:00.002Z

Wednesday 17 November 2010

After breakfast we make the return journey back to Guwahati on the long and windy mountain road. The downhill trip proves to be quicker than the uphill one, but the road is still littered with debris from previous accidents. It would appear that plans are being put in place to open a proper road to link Guwahati with Shillong. Home for the last 2 nights of the tour is the Landmark Hotel in Guwahati, a hotel fairly central in a city that is dusty and heavy with pollution, traffic and noise.

The lads and I attend a press conference and are presented with Assam hats, which have a strong resemblance to shallow Mexican sombreros. The picture makes the local press.

The squad have a practice session at a nearby sports club and three dogs and a goat are seen being chased off by the groundsman, with the session in full swing.

Local shops again prove fruitful for presents and beautiful silk scarves are great value for money.

The squad has a night off from curry and head off to KFC with our armed guards in tow. The guards have to ‘urge’ the KFC staff on, as nobody seems to be in any great rush, and they want us in and out as soon as possible to reduce any potential risks.

Thursday 18^th November 2010

After lunch, the squad have arranged to have a game of cricket to give the legs a stretch. The session finishes with having to throw at a single stump, and missing it means a lap round the ground.

Tonight we play an Assam XI and we are looking forward to the game. Dolb’s is planning to give the lads that haven’t played so far a starting berth, and have the more experienced lads ready if required.

The stadium has previously hosted the State Games and a number of eclectic competitions, such as the World Arm Wrestling championships, and is a step up in class of facilities. The pitch is flat and has grass on it, which comes as a welcome relief!

I get ‘felicitated’ before the game (yes, it is a real word!) and a crowd of around 8,000 is in the stadium. The young side competes well with the Assam team in the first half to leave the field at half-time all square at nil-nil. The second half sees four subs come on, as we press for the win we all desire to end the tour on a high note.

Soon after the restart, the home team fall behind 1-0, when Lee Cooksey finally scores our first goal of the tour. Assam equalize soon after, but Jordan Eagers seals the win when he pokes the ball home from a yard or two.

Fireworks blast into the dark night sky to end the night perfectly.

A Roller Coaster Ride to Shillong

2010-11-18T05:13:00.001Z

Monday 15 November 2010

Wake up very early and tired, and are on the plane to Guwahati just after 6.00am. The flight is short and we arrive around 7.15am.

The next stage of the journey is by minibus and people-carriers up to Shillong, which is in the North East of India. Shillong is a football outpost, but produces some of the best players in India; four recently being selected for trials with Bayern Munich.

The journey to Shillong, 5,000 feet above sea level, takes us along the most dangerous road that I have ever travelled on. We wind along a ‘road’ that is part tarmac and part dust-track, taking in tremendous views of lush scenery and lakes. Wood and tin shacks line the roadside for the majority of the route. Lorries, cars and petrol tankers constantly jockey for position, taking turns at overtaking each other on blind bends and we count six wrecked vehicles littering the side of the road. We are escorted by armed guards once more, which makes the four hour journey much shorter than it could have been.

Home for the next two days is Polo Towers Hotel and after a light lunch, we have a wander in to town to check out the stadium for tomorrow’s match. People wave and smile and we immediately feel comfortable in our new surroundings. The town is a delightful jumble of shops housed in huts and shacks, mixed with occasional western style shops. Traders in the local market are selling fresh fruit and vegetables, fish and meat. The butchers have goat carcasses hung up on display and the heads are available for purchase. As Westerners, this is something that we wouldn’t normally see, but it is a delicacy for the local people. The locals have much more of a Tibetan look. Shillong, being close to Nepal, home to Everest, the largest mountain in the world.

The stadium has a 30,000 capacity and the pitch for the game is hard with very little grass. It is unlikely that much football will be able to be played on the floor. The prices for the game have been pitched at about 150 Rupees (around £2) which is approximately five times the normal price for a match ticket, and around 2 days pay for an average worker in India.

After seeing the stadium, we have a wander round the shops and pick up a few bargains. Pashminas (Indian shawls) are 250 Rupees (around £3.50) and Converse trainers can be purchased for around £18. The team come down later on to snap them up and the delighted shop owner will have done record business today.

We stop for a pint in the Sweety bar on the way back to the hotel, a small bar in the centre of town. It is dark but welcoming and we manage to find a table and order a round of drinks for thirteen that comes to just under £14. The electricity in the area fails and the lights go out, but luckily the bar owner has a battery lamp to hand that he brings over. I guess it must be a common occurrence.

After the evening meal there is a medical emergency as Gav Smith suffers an allergic reaction and has to have hospital treatment when his mouth and lips swell up. It appears that a fish ladle has been mistakenly put back into the chicken curry tray which has triggered it, Gav being allergic to fish. The hospital sorts him out for the princely sum of £3.

Tuesday 16^th November 2010

The game against Lajong Shillong kicks off at 2 p.m. but we are at the stadium 90 minutes before. The lads have a wander around and have pictures taken with the armed guards. Dolbs has decided to opt for a direct style of play for the game, to get the ball forward as quickly as possible and use our height advantage as much as we can. Del Dooley is drafted in for his Sheffield FC debut in central midfield. We dominate the first half, failing to score, but going close on numerous occasions. The game in India is virtually devoid of any form of physical interaction and the referee constantly blows up at the most minor of contact. The Lajong Coach refers to the need for Indian players and referees to travel abroad and experience the physical side of the game, otherwise Indian players will never be able to compete in Leagues such as the Premier League. The second half is more competitive and chances are spurned at both ends before a goal, with 15 minutes to go, secures a 1-0 win for Lajong.

The attendance at the game must be a record for Sheffield FC with around 25,000 in the ground. I am invited to address the crowd after the match and announce that we would love to return if we were invited in the future. This receives a fantastic round of applause from the crowd.

Although we are disappointed, we have put up a fantastic showing against a team that is a professional club. Many of the local press and media are surprised that we are part-time and want to know why we are not in the Premier League.

The Government of Meghalaya has laid on an after match dinner for both teams and officials. The evening proves to be a wonderful one and the Government Minister’s speech refers to the unbelievable goodwill and publicity generated by the game. He hopes that we can form a longer term relationship and help to develop football in India and help Shillong compete at the highest level in India and in particular with the big Kolkata teams.

Once the speeches are concluded, the band provides great entertainment and Ryan Davis, on his birthday, assists with Bob Marley classics. The Minister is renowned for his love of the Beatles and also takes to the stage rattling off a couple of covers, to the cheers of the Lajong squad. The Sheffield players soon join in the cheering as Lee Walshaw goes up to add backing vocals.

All in all, a great night and people here have realised what Sheffield FC is about; people and the love of the game.

Tomorrow we leave Shillong and take the Roller Coaster ride down to Guwahati for the final leg of our trip. No doubt more adventures and excitement, and hopefully a first win for the team.

Hitting a Six and Remembering Fallen Heroes!

2010-11-16T21:31:00.003Z

Saturday 13th November 2010

After enjoying a hearty breakfast, preparations are made for the coaching clinic that has been arranged at our hosts, Mohammedan SC’s, stadium. The lads doing the coaching are Chris Dolby, Gav Smith, Matt Roney, Lee Cooksey and Greg Wright.

Around a hundred youngsters are expected, but over two hundred come, some we are told having been up since 3 a.m. with excitement. Dolby and the lads handle the situation perfectly and groups are quickly formed doing drills, exercises, tricks and finishing with penalty competitions. I sign certificates for the youngsters and they treat them as treasures, asking for autographs and pictures from the players and manager.

As the session is completed, the lads doing the coaching make their way back to the hotel for a bite to eat while the team bus calls to collect me. We have decided to buy a thousand match tickets for the final to distribute to the local poor and are being escorted into one of the local neighbourhoods to distribute them. The average wage for a skilled person is 4,000 rupees per month (less than £2 per day) and for the unskilled worker it is around half of that. It is a joy to see the delight of some of these kids that have nothing and the travelling party mix in splendidly – even having an impromptu game of cricket. Shane Fox manages to hit a six! We are accompanied by a TV crew that has been following us during most of the tour so far.

The night is splendidly rounded off with a dinner hosted by Mohammedan S.C. The night is low key and relaxed and we get lots of positive comments on how the children enjoyed the coaching earlier in the day. Word is that the mums and dads enjoyed watching from the sidelines.

The Deputy High Commissioner of West Bengal is present at the dinner and is receiving lots of positive feedback from the community. We are invited to the Cenotaph to present a wreath at the Remembrance Sunday ceremony in the morning and are honoured to be asked and accept. Finding the Cenotaph could be tricky though!

Sunday 14th November 2010
I wake up not feeling quite 100%, (jetlag and the schedule are taking their toll on everyone) and have to pull out of the Cenotaph visit, but we are well represented. The lads going to the service get lost on the way, as roads are not marked, but they manage to find the splendid Queen Victoria building, a magnificent marble palace in the heart of the city, home to treasures from the Raj and get some great pictures for my blog.

The journey up sounds eventful including having to cross lethal expanses of Kolkata roads, seeing a dead dog abandoned and decaying by the roadside and crossing the large park expanse, The Miadan, a haven for the locals, who graze goat herds and play cricket. The atmosphere in the city is completely non-threatening and lots stop by to chat.

Government representatives from numerous countries attend the ceremony and it is a privilege for the club to be able to lay a wreath. The service is commenced in the presence of the RAF by Indian buglers sounding the ‘Last Post’. The Deputy High Commissioner has asked if he can put a photograph on the Foreign Office website. We are considering having a charity match between SFC and the RAF for ‘Help For Heroes’ and ‘Boots For Africa’ as the beneficiaries. If logistics can be sorted it would be fantastic!

After a bite to eat, the entire party heads out to Salt Lake Stadium for the final match of the tournament between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. This is the fiercest derby in Indian football and trouble has been known to break out previously. Our seats are fairly central and near to both sets of fans, but hopefully it will be quiet today.

The match is slow to come to life, but a crowd of around 25,000 to 30,000 is still noisy and animated. A goal from Mohun Bagan breaks the deadlock and triggers bottles of water being thrown backwards and forwards between the two sets of fans, followed by plastic seats. A lump of concrete hitting a fan on the head sparks police intervention and we are ushered into a different section of the ground. A league game between the two sides would generally mean a capacity gate of 120,000. It is difficult to imagine what the atmosphere would be like. East Bengal equalise sending the Red and Gold East Bengal fans delirious. Their nickname of ‘Crazy’ and ‘Gold’ is spot on.

The game see-saws backwards and forwards, East Bengal grabbing a second before Mohun Bagan equalise once more to square the game. The first goal in extra time goes to Mohun Bagan sparking more chaos, but East Bengal again level to send the game to penalties. East Bengal under manager and ex-Football League professional, Trevor Morgan, edge the penalty shoot-out 6-5 to lift the cup.

Hopefully the work we have done on and off the pitch here will see SFC return again to take on the giants of West Bengal and Indian football.

We have seen some sights up to press but a Cow on the back of a truck must take some beating!!

After dinner, we pack our cases for the 3 a.m. wake up call to begin the next leg of the adventure.

Kolkata – The City of Joy

2010-11-14T16:19:00.004Z

Thursday, 11th November 2010
Nothing can prepare you for what Kolkata will throw at you but our arrival was like something out of a movie. After being ushered through Passport Control we were met at the airport exit by chaperones and presented garlands of flowers before being ushered onto a bus and given a police escort through the thronged streets of Kolkata.

Live TV filmed myself, the Team Manager Chris Dolby and Team Captain Greg Wright on the journey from the airport to our magnificent hotel, The Taj Bengal, provided by our hosts CMG Group. Traffic noise is constant on the thronged city roads. Taxis, bicycles and cars hoot furiously at each other to gain inches in the queue to wherever everyone else also appears to be heading. Passengers cling precariously to buses and have little chance of being able to get off, even if they wanted to.

Barbers shave customers in the street, street vendors sell arrays of snacks and herds of goats graze in the city parks as cattle tied to lamp-posts gaze on. Everywhere people look on bemused but lots wave as we eventually start to make headway. Poverty is visible and houses made from rags, tarpaulin and tyres are numerous.

Our first engagement is a press conference attended by around twenty TV crews and numerous journalists. The pictures make all of the press the following morning. Lots of media interest is focused on Surav Ganguly, the ex cricketer and Kolkata legend who is guesting for Mohammedan S.C in the number 99 jersey in the match that follows ours at the 120,000 capacity Salt Lake Stadium.

To blow away the cobwebs, the lads have a light training session at nearby Mohammedan Sporting Club under the watchful gaze of more reporters and TV crews. Around a hundred spectators watch on avidly from the stands. Pictures of Dev from Coronation Street adorn the walls of the Mohammedan social club as it looks like he is a president of the club. The weather is close but bearable, but this is Indian winter.

The players have an early night to try and get body clocks onto Kolkata time (5.5 hours in front of UK time).

Friday, 12th November 2010

We leave the hotel at 1 p.m. for the stadium accompanied by our police out-riders and reach the stadium at 1.45 p.m. The stadium is doubling up as the venue for a gigantic machinery fair and an anti-malaria rally.

The team is ably assisted by Garcia, a charming man who assisted in training the team in its training session yesterday. He was supposed to be doing physio duties but that got lost in translation and had the lads doing backward laps through cones. Gav Smith was presented with a pair of Brazilian flip-flops by Garcia during the pre-match changing room talk.

The lads take a while to get used to the heat but play admirably against Mohun Bagan, with youngsters Rutkowski and Galloway notably stepping up to the occasion. The Mohun Bagan ‘keeper makes a superb save from a Burbeary penalty after Eagers is flattened by a combination of their keeper and the last defender, who is lucky to escape a red card. Young Jordan has to go off suffering from concussion.

The game swings both ways but is eventually settled with a neat flick from a corner to Mohun Bagan. There was still time for a cracking header from Gav Smith to be smartly saved almost on the final whistle.

Although the result is disappointing, the goodwill created is enormous and witnessed by the British High Commissioner to India who has taken time out to watch the match. The 2018 Back the Bid boards have been seen by millions on the live Indian TV transmission and can only enhance the standing of the World’s First Football Club, Sheffield FC.

The players head off for a well deserved night off in Kolkata under the watchful eye of Dolbs but the word on the street is that the girls tend to stay at home on a Friday so there may be some disappointed faces at breakfast tomorrow!

Comprehensive photos from Sheffield FC's trip to India can be found by visiting the Club's Flickr website at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sheffieldfc

Chairman’s Challenge

2010-08-25T11:12:00.002+01:00

Ever since becoming involved with Sheffield FC, Chairman Richard Tims has relished a challenge. These normally find him pursuing partners to secure much needed sponsorship and funding for the World’s First Football Club, or raising the club’s profile domestically and internationally. This time, however, he is taking on a mountainous task as he prepares to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in July 2011. At 19,298ft, Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest freestanding one anywhere in the World!

Richard’s attempt will not be the first time a football club chairman has tried to ascend Mount Kilimanjaro. In September 2009 Chelsea billionaire chairman, Roman Abramovich,decided to tackle the mountain at the western breach, its most difficult approach. Most people who climb Kilimanjaro - known as the ‘Roof of Africa’ – use an easier ascent, dismissed by mountaineering experts as the ‘Coca-Cola route’ as it is used by tourists. The expedition however had to be cancelled at 15,100ft after Abramovich apparently succumbed to altitude sickness and needed medical attention. It is believed that the party failed to undergo the usual seven-day acclimatisation period to adapt to the climate and the low air pressure.

Many people now climb Kilimanjaro every year and no attempt has been more publicised than the highly successful expedition that commenced on 27 February 2009, when Gary Barlow, Ronan Keating, Chris Moyles, Ben Shephard, Cheryl Cole, Kimberley Walsh, Denise Van Outen, Fearne Cotton, and Alesha Dixon set off to Tanzania to tackle the mountain. All nine celebrities reached the summit on Saturday 7 March 2009, raising in excess of £3.3million in the process for Comic Relief. It is estimated that about 60 per cent - some 18,000 people - make it to the summit each year. However, forty per cent - 12,000 - turn around and walk off the mountain.

Richard, along with other colleagues from the World’s First Football Club, hopes to complete the climb and in doing so raise much needed funds for the club’s Boots for Africa charity. The charity collects new and used football boots and trainers from players of all ages across the UK and Europe and then sends them out to projects in Africa where football is used as a means of focusing the attention of young Africans on education, health and nutrition matters.

In order to get himself fit for the climb, Richard has started training under the guidance of Sheffield FC’s consultant physiotherapist Mark ‘Buster’ Roe. His aim to lose 2 stone in weight and prepare himself for the physical and mental challenge ahead will see him undertake a regimented training and nutrition programme over the coming months and this blog will keep you regularly updated with his progress.

Parties interested in discussing sponsorship opportunities for Richard’s climb can contact him at the club on chairmanrich@sheffieldfc.com

Richard will be attending the FIFA Dinner to be held at Manchester Town Hall on Wednesday night (25th August 2010) as part of the England 2018 World Cup bid. His thoughts and views on the event will form the basis for his next blog which can be seen here later this week.