Archived Chairman
Ian Barry's website notes from 2008-09

 

Presentation Night notes - 16 May 2009

A very good evening to you all and welcome to Northwood Football Club's Annual Presentation & Awards Evening.

Firstly, I thank our friends here at the Met Police Club for hosting tonight's event. For those of you who have been here before, you will appreciate that the Police have always been excellent hosts for us and on behalf of myself and all at Northwood FC, we thank you for making us welcome and doing us proud. Our thanks also go to Marie Scott, who organises this event each year and it certainly never seems to get any easier. Well done Marie.

You will hear a bit more from me throughout the course of the evening, but as I reflect on the past season, I do feel we have made changes for the better again, although if I am honest, we could do more.

For those of you who read my programme notes during the season, you will have an idea of the changes we had to make this season, to ensure that we can continue to operate as we are; namely, the return of the catering van, the strict policy of people paying to watch us play, the introduction of Team Northwood, the success of the 50­50 draw and our fund-raising events, such as the New Years Draw, the Abba and Neil Diamond nights and the Grand National Draw.

Earlier in the season, the FA came down to film their 'Respect' campaign, the BBC came down to film a sit-com, the London Film company used our facilities to film a romantic comedy and BT held various seminars. All of these events have gone a long way to ensuring we are still here. But, we need more: more people on the committee, more fund-raising and more people who are willing to give up a few hours of their time to help out.

That said, everything we have done has, in the main, been well received. We are always looking at ways to improve. There will be more changes for next season; ones that we have to make and these will be announced in due course.

For those of you who have got to know me during my time here, you will know how I feel about the club, how I am always happy to talk about everything 'Northwood' and more importantly, you realise that every decision I have made has always been in the best interests of the club. Of course, there will be times when not all of you will agree with something I have done and that is fine. All I ask is that you discuss it with me, when I will be happy to explain.

Tonight sees us have an auction for the first time here. This is important as it is hoped we can raise some funds for the club and I hope that where you can, you will support us in this cause. Thanks to everyone who donated items to the club as we have a lot more items for sale than I anticipated.

In closing, I wish to thank everyone who makes this club what it is. It cannot and would not have happened without you. Of course, I hope to thank you all personally, if I have not already done so. There are many, many people whose efforts are recognised and appreciated. Tonight we give out awards to those people who have been recognised by others as being deserving of something more to reflect their efforts. A big 'well done' to you all.

Enjoy the evening.

Up the Woods!

24 February 2009

Last night’s game brought a new meaning to the way I feel about the officials at our level. But let’s have a look at the facts of the game: in the first half, the opposing goalkeeper goes down injured after an innocuous challenge by Solomon and although the referee clearly was not looking at the incident, he felt it right to caution our player. Play was held up for 5 minutes (yes, I timed it). with no other reason to add time on at the end of the first half, he astonishes everyone by adding on only 2 minutes.

Strange? But he could surpass his own poor timing, by finding an additional 8 (yes, EIGHT) minutes of added time at the end of the game. Needless to say, we conceded an equaliser in the eighth minute of added time. Where did he find eight minutes from? Well, the home custodian this time went down under a challenge from his own player; suffice to say the referee found reason to speak to Solomon again for the challenge. That said, this injury delay was two and a half minutes. So, where do we get an extra five and a half minutes? For substitutions we add on an extra two minutes, leaving us with a further three to find. Well, on occasions like this, surely the man in the middle MUST be accountable and explain why he would do this. Surely he cannot have thought about adding on a bit ‘extra’ because he got it wrong in the first half?

So, we have a situation whereby 1st plays 4th in the division; a big game some would say, but no Referee Assessor to be seen. I wonder why, and indeed what he would have made of that performance. Does any thought go into the appointment of these officials? Unlikely as it seems. Ironically, I get home last night and see that I have an email advising me of the next batch of Match Officials appointments. I check we don’t have him again in the foreseeable future and my luck is in; however, I do notice that he will be operating at the level above. I’ll leave it to you to decide if the system is working.

That’s said, it’s a shame we all go home talking about him as we saw a hard-fought encounter that ended up with a fair result based on the game itself, though we can be forgiven for it feeling like a defeat by the manner we conceded the equaliser. Our lads have great heart and belief and we’ll need that for the remainder of the season as even bigger games are coming up.

3 January 2009

A very Happy New Year to you all; one that I hope will bring you prosperity and everything that you wish for.

I write these notes the morning after our win against Hillingdon Borough and I have to say, how great it was that we pretty much turned the game into a ‘home’ fixture, with the majority of the supporters being ‘Woods’. Everywhere I looked fellow Woods were there and I did even hear a few of our supporters singing towards the end of the match! I did point out to one of the ‘culprits’ at the end of the game that I would very much like to hear more of this at home in the future and even offered to buy a drum. But don’t worry, I was told where to go with that suggestion! So let’s hear you all today, it really does make a difference!

Five wins and two draws in the last seven League games now makes us play-off contenders, which was my target at the beginning of the season. It’s fair to say that we are not firing on all cylinders yet, but winning does become a habit and the players certainly have a new-found belief that they won’t get beaten and that’s the majority of the battle in winning games. Ware themselves have had a couple of slip-ups recently, but that no doubt will be as a direct result of the loss of their Manager and a number of players, so today we come up against a team that I am sure will be out to prove a point and we certainly need to be on top form to get the result we want.

As I reflect on the previous year, sure a lot has happened both on and off the field, but I feel that it is important to see where we are right now, i.e. where has the fruits of our labour left us? Well, in truth, we are pretty much where I expected us to be within a few points or so and that gives us a fighting chance of promotion, again this is exactly what our target was. Of course, we have had to make changes to get to where we want to be, but that is football. The changes made were made for the right reasons and without tempting fate, they have proved to be the right ones and we worth all the ‘headaches’ they caused at the time and even now.

I have always said that the running of the club is extremely important, as we continually strive to make the changes required behind the scenes. We are still a million miles away from where I want us to be. The sheer size of our club means that there will be others pulling in different directions, critical of any changes and so on. However, I am more determined than ever to do things my way and continue in my beliefs that each player should ultimately want to play for our 1st team and on the main pitch, and that starts with our Under 6 Academy side. Yes, Under 6 !

To do this, I have introduced many measures to try and get every team involved in the club, by way of coming into the clubhouse and also by being part of the club’s fund-raising schemes, ensuring our future into the bargain. To date, the support I have had from other sections of the club can be described as disappointing. I will not go into details at this stage, but unless I get the support I need from these areas of the club, then further changes are imminent. Further, our main committee is worryingly short of bodies and we desperately need new blood. So please, please come and see me if you feel you can make a difference. Yes, you will be making a commitment, but the rewards are there when you see things change for the better.

Up the Woods!

Update: 11 September 2008

The time has come again when I felt I should pen some more notes to the club’s website to give you all an update of everything ‘Northwood’.

As I write, there are a lot of positive things to report on, and this is where you can see exactly what goes on behind the scenes at your club.

We start with the launch of the new ‘Team Northwood’ which began again in August and we have already paid out £300 in prize money. The winners' details have been here on the site for all to see, so a big 'well done' to them and a big ‘thank you’ from me to all those who have joined. I know a few more have promised to join and I hope they do this shortly in time for the September draw. Please, if you can, do join up and help secure the future of your club.

Watford Ladies have begun their season in the Women’s Premier League and have so far recorded successive victories at Chestnut Avenue over Nottingham Forest and Leeds, so they are following our own first team in making their (new) home a fortress. I do appreciate that it is busy down the club on Sundays now, especially with the Youth season now under way, but please do bear in mind that there is ample parking on the main street as well. It is my wish to see the club busy and parking problems is a small sacrifice to make for this reason.

One thing (of many) I have always been keen on doing, is making sure the club is as busy as possible at all times, especially when the club would otherwise have been closed. A closed club means no money is being taken, which means it’s costing us to be there. In this connection, we have recently been able to secure deals with the FA (twice), the BBC (twice) and the London Film Company to hire our club at these times. These events are very important and I can honestly say that every outside organisation that has used our facilities has never failed to be impressed. I am not just saying this: I have had emails from the FA and Watford Ladies to substantiate this (these will be put up in the club for all to see shortly) and phone calls from the BBC to thank us for looking after them, even at the last minute. These relationships are key to us going forward and our professional attitude means we will get more work. A big ‘well done’ to all who have helped us during these times as it has not been easy and involves long hours.

Hopefully, you will by now have noticed the improvements we are making in the clubhouse; new notice boards, new signs, new canvases of recent events etc. Again, little by little, we are improving the club and making a welcome place to come and join us for a drink or two, as well as looking around and seeing what’s going on. Still to be delivered is a noticeboard for all of the Youth teams, which will include all of their results pretty much as soon as the final whistle blows, and a luminated board advertising the next function at the club.

Setanta Sports is another new addition, and I’m pleased to say that England’s win in Croatia last night was viewed by a good crowd of club members. Again, our subscriptions to Sky and Setanta are very costly, so all your support on these occasions is much needed and appreciated.

The Ladies Section are holding a fund raising night for the club on Friday 26th September. Please see the main website for details soon, as well as posters around the club. Please support the evening as these events are so important and are great fun!

Watch this space for details about our very own Xmas Raffle….more news to follow real soon. But rest assured, there will be excellent prizes to be won, including a hefty cash prize to the lucky first prize winner, just in time to go on a shopping spree before the big day itself.

We held our own Summer School in conjunction with ex-Chelsea legend Eddie Newton from the 18th to 22nd of August, and I have to say it was brilliant. The feedback was fantastic and the kids really enjoyed themselves. At the end of the week the presentation of the trophies and certificates was help on the main pitch, and it was great to see so many parents out there. Watch this space for our next Soccer School, and also an exciting new venture with a very famous Italian Club I am hoping to enter into a partnership with.  

Other things that have been changed include us running our own catering van on match days and ensuring that all spectators pay at our 1st team, Reserves and Allied Counties games. I have said many times that every opportunity must be taken for us to increase our revenue and no longer can we be seen as an ‘easy touch’. We ended up in a financial crisis for a reason, and by going back to basics and employing standard business strategies, we give ourselves a good chance of not just stabilising the situation, but being able to make progress. I make no apologies for doing this, and I know that those who support the club and what we are trying to achieve will understand why this is being done and appreciate what has already happened.

New signs have been put up around the club and the main pitch area. I believe these improve the professional outlook of the club I am trying to achieve, and make us feel more like a community, as well as a large Sports Organisation.

In closing, the fact you are reading this article means you have taken an interest in Northwood FC. This site is the best around, make no mistake about it, and your comments about what you would like to see help us in maintaining this. The Youth Section now have a message board on here, which I hope will take off real soon and get the boys and girls talking to each other about the club. The matchday magazine has been voted Programme of the Year by ‘Programme Monthly’ magazine. Again, the hard work and dedication put into these important tasks has been widely recognised.

By reading these notes, I hope you realise exactly how much time, effort and money go into making this the ONLY club to be part of. We do still require more help, donations and sponsorship to enable the progress to continue, so please let me know if you can help in any way or require more information. My email address is: ian.barry@sprintcoms.com and my number is 07956 121300.

In the meantime, best of luck to all those involved in games at NFC, and enjoy the season!

Up the Woods!

Ian
 

Update: 16 June 2008

It is with great pleasure that today I officially re-launch the ‘Team Northwood’ concept, but with a few differences. The details can be found on this site here, which will give you more information.

The success of this scheme is paramount to the future of the club and I strongly urge all of our members and supporters, and indeed everyone connected with the club, past or present, to participate.

Many clubs have a similar scheme and indeed we ourselves have been running Team Northwood for several years, but the numbers taking part have fallen to such a low level, that the club quite simply cannot benefit any longer.

I have already secured the involvement of all our 25 teams at the club as well as other individuals and I hope that many more people will join up. Of course, there is also the opportunity to win cash and other prizes, as I am keen to give something back to those who help us.

I have set a target for us to achieve membership of 200 "shares" by the end of July. It only costs from just £5 per week to join up and if we are able to hit my target of members, then I anticipate that we will be paying out no less than £1,000 per month in cash prizes.

We have to maintain the stature of the club, and must improve our revenue in order to survive, it's that simple.

If you have any questions, then please do not hesitate to contact me.

Forms are also in the Clubhouse, should this be easier for you.

Regular updates on membership and prizes, as always, can be found on this site or in the Clubhouse.

Many thanks in advance of your help and I look forward to another successful season.

Ian
 

Update: 11 June 2008

Preparations for the 2008-09 campaign are well underway, and although it is now the "close season", there is still plenty to do!

We are having a week before the season where we will get as many helpers as possible down to the club, to do a number of jobs that need to be completed before the big kick-off.

This includes:

  • The redecoration of the clubhouse and "board room"

  • Making good the pitch surrounding areas

  • General painting

  • Repairs to fencing etc

  • Cleaning the car park and surrounding areas

The week commencing Monday 7th July has been designated for this work: we will start at 10.00am on these days, with breakfast/lunch provided.

Please email me at ian.barry@sprintcoms.com to advise which day(s) you are able to help out, and whether you have any preference which jobs you do? Thank you, I look forward to hearing from you all.

Ian