Where to start on this one! A few weeks has passed since a Wick FC update and as per usual it's not been a dull time, pretty much the story of the season. When I began back in July, most of what has happened as a club since that time up and until now has been nothing like I could have ever expected.
Like most clubs we've had some high points coupled with a lot of low points outweighing them in my experience. For every step forward it's felt like two more backwards weekly, monthly and the cycle seems hard to break. I well imagine a lot of clubs at our level and just above are in similar situations, but when it's your club you don't worry and can't control what happens elsewhere.
The disadvantage of starting late in pre-season is playing catch up for months to come. There is no blame attached to anyone, it's where the club found itself at that time and I'll be completely honest in saying if I knew what was to come and how involved it was going be, I wouldn't do it again. But, don't get me wrong it's an experience that by the end of this season will have taught me a lot of lessons and given me a great insight into a running grassroots football club at Step 6 level.
It's given me some great writing material and will continue to do so until this season ends and I'm sure still going forward into next season, but however, not at the same level. Last week we held our monthly committee meeting and I informed the Chairman and the committee of my intention to resign as Secretary at the end of the season. It's something that has been a decision in my head for months, but I'm not prepared to leave the club in the lurch whilst at the same time it gives us 6 months or so to find a successor to my position.
I can't help by tip my hat to those who've done the job for years, even decades for just one or a number of clubs, but it's not for me! Lots of things have made my decision, there was a reluctance to accept the position to begin with! The time it takes up has taken me away from getting more onto this blog, more advances in my football writing where I now write for two paid websites and also away from Worthing FC where timing hasn't allowed me to continue there this season.
The endless phone calls and problems to deal with, in person and via email might have slowed down in the last couple of months although thats recently been on the increase again and that impacts on family time as well. The correspondence to deal with is madness in my opinion for we are all volunteers at this level, different team sheets for competitions, emails to send off after matches, fines if not completed on time for various misdemeanours, chasing things here and there all adds to the party and something I'm not interested in doing next year. Whilst it's been an absolute eye opener for me, there's plenty I would have done differently, but when you're the only one at the top table making the decisions it's not exactly easy.
Throughout the season I've worked with a fantastic committee on and off the pitch and we've all stuck together during the difficult times we've faced and come out the other side, hopefully seen in a stronger place off the pitch but not so on it.
But, given where we were at the beginning of the season as a club and where we are now I would hope we're in a better place to begin 2019/20 in a few months time. There is still plenty to decide and work on before I ride off into the sunset and hand the baton over to someone else, it's been a blast at times but hopefully I get my time back to pursue what I want and the club moves forward like it deserves to...……….