I start this week with the very sad news of the passing of Bryn Wallis, a much-loved long-time supporter of Chesham United. Bryn was a familiar face to many, best known for his loyal presence at games and his wonderfully witty heckling – particularly when it came to the linesmen! He brought character and passion to the terraces, and he will be sorely missed. On behalf of everyone at the club, I send our sincere condolences to his family and friends. Rest in peace, Bryn.

Thank you to the fantastic extra volunteers who came along to help at the ground last Saturday morning. It really was noticeable what a difference it makes having a few more pairs of hands-on deck. The dead weeds are now ready for removal, terraces need a good sweep, and there’s still a long list of jobs to do and lines to be painted. We’ll be continuing the work this Saturday morning from 9am, so if you’re free and able to lend a hand, please do come down and join us – the more the merrier and it is not just your Chairman, Ray, Jamie, Clive, Sue and Andy doing all the work to keep the ground in good condition. I would like to wish Tim a fast recovery from his shoulder surgery yesterday and look forward to seeing him back soon, helping us on a Monday.

I popped down to training last night evening and was genuinely impressed by the fitness levels the players have returned with. The last event of the evening, was a gruelling where the players all had to work very hard to achieve targets. A huge difference from my playing days some 50 odd years ago! A real credit to the professionalism and commitment we are building at this football club, that momentum will need to continue, as on Wednesday we’ll finally receive our fixture list for the new season – then the logistical planning begins in earnest. Speaking of which, thank you to everyone who has already expressed interest in travelling on a Supporters’ Coach to away games. We’ve had encouraging numbers so far, but we still need a few more to make it sustainable. If you’re thinking about joining us on the road this season, please do let me know – every seat counts!

The pitch has seen a remarkable transformation over the past ten days. Where we only managed to cut four mower boxes of grass a fortnight ago, we took off fourteen boxes this week! It’s thickening up beautifully, thanks in no small part to the two water machines that have been running every night. The recent dip in temperatures has also helped things along nicely – although I’m not sure we’ll ever see a summer quite like 1975 or 1976 again, when rain was a distant memory! Our new Men’s first team kit has arrived today, and we’ll be adding shirt numbers and league patches required early next week in preparation for our first pre-season friendly, now just over a week away. Like many of you I am sure, I can’t wait to see the team have their first run out.

Thank you also to everyone who has taken advantage of the early bird season ticket prices – your support is very much appreciated. The second discount tier runs until the end of July, after which they will return to full price, so don’t miss out.

A big thank you to Bucks Garden Rooms for helping us get the new bar area sealed from the weather this week. The next stage is connecting electric and water supplies, and then we’ll be looking for volunteers to help run it on matchdays – much like our wonderful ladies who run the tea bar with such pride and dedication. Speaking of which, the new work surfaces are due to be installed very shortly, allowing them to open up another serving hatch and provide even more of their fantastic homemade produce. We’re also in the process of purchasing a larger hot water urn and pie oven to further support them.

And finally, some league-wide news – the National League has announced a new partnership with Mitre which will see every fixture across the National League, National League North, and National League South played with the elite-level Mitre Ultimax Match Ball. Designed to FIFA Quality Pro standard, the new bespoke ball features striking colours, the updated Enterprise National League branding, and even 72 dots – one for each club in the league structure. It’s a top-quality ball that I’m sure the players will enjoy playing with, and it’s great to see the league taking steps forward with both performance and professionalism. Another change for this season is the Multi Ball system being implemented league wide, rather than just those stadiums with running tracks last year. We will be looking to recruit a squad of ball boys & girls for the season ahead to manage the multi ball system with eight balls dotted around the pitch in addition to the match ball and one with the 4th official, all designed to keep time wasting to a minimum and increase the ball in play time across the league. So please this season look to return the ball to the nearest ball boy or girl looking after their areas of the pitch. And the final change for the 2025/26 is the new laws of the game amendment which states that if the goalkeeper does not release the ball in 8 seconds, with the referee calling the time down from 5 to zero, a corner will be awarded to the opposition! It is going to be interesting to see how this enforced by referees and how managers & goalkeepers across the league adapt to this law change.

Plenty for this week, as ever. Thank you for your continued support and dedication to the club.

Peter Brown