and we now know exactly what lies ahead of us in our second season in the National League South. After all the build-up, planning and preparation, it’s starting to feel very real once again.

We kick things off on Saturday 9th August with a trip to Maidenhead United, a club relegated from the National League last season and certainly one of the early favourites for promotion. It’s a tough start, no doubt, but an exciting one too. These are the sort of fixtures we want to be playing week in and week out – clubs with history, facilities, full-time players, and big ambitions.

Following that opening match, we return to The Meadow for back-to-back home games, first against Farnborough and then newly promoted Horsham. Two cracking fixtures to kick off the home campaign, and I hope we can pack the terraces for both. There is nothing quite like the buzz around the ground when a new season begins. Let’s give the players the warmest of welcomes and set the tone for the season ahead with two loud, proud matchdays in Chesham.

The fixture list also throws up some great seasonal local derbies. On Boxing Day we welcome Hemel Hempstead to The Meadow, a proper local derby that I know will attract a big crowd and a passionate atmosphere. Four days later, we make the relatively short trip down the road to face Slough Town. Festive football at its best – let’s hope for some cracking matches and a few extra mince pies to celebrate!

Of course, many of you – like me – will have been straight onto the calendar plotting the best away days. If you are partial to a bit of sea air, you will be pleased with the selection this season. Weston-super-Mare on 20th September, Eastbourne Borough at the end of October, Worthing in February and, the big one, Torquay United away on 14th March. Four fantastic trips, and if our recent away support is anything to go by, I’m sure we will be well represented at them all. It is what makes non-league football special – the camaraderie, the coach journeys, the flags, the songs, the shared memories. I hope to see you all there.

And what a final day of the season we have been given – away at Dover Athletic, a great location for an end of season celebration. Looking at the fixture list, one thing is abundantly clear, this will be a very competitive league, maybe even more so than last season. Just take a glance at the end of November and again at the end of February where we play Ebbsfleet United, Dagenham & Redbridge and Dorking Wanderers in the space of 8 days (TWICE). These are clubs that have spent many years in higher divisions and have full-time squads. It’s a big ask, but one we are ready for with hard work, team spirit and an incredible togetherness both on and off the pitch.

The first team squad are already back in training and, by all accounts, loving every minute of it. There is a real hunger among the group and a clear sense of excitement for what’s to come. Tomorrow sees our first pre-season friendly away at Beaconsfield (1.30pm KO), and I know the players cannot wait to get back out there and play in front of supporters again. If you are free, do come along – it is always good to see familiar faces and new ones alike at these early games.

The pitch although vastly improved from the end of last season’s drainage and issues stemming from playing the Hemel game on New Years Day, has now been attacked in four small areas by a larvae pest affecting grass. We have started treating the areas and this should contain the issue, and remedy them as quickly as possible. Craig and his team have done a wonderful job so far, despite the helpfully hot conditions recently. As I mentioned, we purchased another water traveller recently to get more water onto the surface in an automated way. The water pressure on the outside pump we intended to use wasn’t high enough, but with a big thank you to our wonderful supporter Richard Burns, of Bucks Garden Rooms that issue has been urgently resolved, and we’ll soon be able to use the new traveller in its full glory and save a volunteer from a manual watering job each evening.

Away from the pitch, I am delighted to share that we now have full kits available for our youth section, on sale at a discounted rate from the club shop. This is the first time we have offered a complete kit option, and it is another step forward in uniting all areas of the club – one identity, one club, one badge. Whether it is the men’s first team, the women’s sides, or the youngest grassroots players pulling on the shirt, we want everyone to feel proud to be a part of Chesham United.

You may also have seen work continuing around the ground. I have previously mentioned the new outdoor bar next to the main stand at the Meadow End, kindly built and donated by our friends at Bucks Garden Rooms. I am pleased to announce this bar will be named Wallis’ – in tribute to the Wallis family, whose contribution to the club has been nothing short of remarkable over the years. I can think of no better way to honour their support, and I am sure many of you will raise a glass (or a plastic cup perhaps!) in their memory over the coming season. The sign is being printed as we speak and we hope to officially open the bar at a home game in the not too distant future.

Our commercial team have also been busy, and I am very pleased to report that sponsorship for the new season is going very well. A huge thank you to all the local businesses who continue to get behind the club – your support helps us build something sustainable and special here at Chesham. If you are reading this and want to get involved – there are still opportunities available and we would love to hear from you, please contact Michele Brookes at commercial@cheshamunited.co.uk.

And finally, a reminder to all supporters that season tickets are still on sale now. Not only do they offer fantastic value for money over the course of the season, but they are a huge show of commitment and belief in the journey we are on together. If you have not already done so, head over to the club website and get yours sorted – this is a campaign you will want to be part of from start to finish.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support. The countdown is well and truly on now – I hope to see some of you at Beaconsfield on Saturday. Reminder, it is an earlier 1.30pm KO.

Peter Brown