As the new season fast approaches I’ve penned a roundup of the close season.

1)  New Chairman for BFC
 Simon Butler has agreed to become our new Chairman. Simon’s dedication to the club is well documented, his visions for the future will give us the direction and leadership that we have been lacking in recent years. As we strive to consolidate our status as a senior club its important that we have a pro-active Chairman to steer us through the steps needed to achieve that aim.

Simon has in his business life built a very successful business built around an excellent team of people, fantastic personal relationships, and team spirit. If Simon can bring 20% of what he has achieved professionally to Bookham he will be our best signing ever.

Simon’s visions for the future are exciting and demanding and will stretch the capabilities of all of us. However he will ensure that we remain one club, run by the players for the players whatever level they play at.

It is important that all players attend the Club's AGM on 16^th July to endorse Simon’s election.

2)  Dorking F.C.
Most of you will have heard by word of mouth and read in the local press the problems that Dorking FC have had with Mole Valley District Council and the lease at Meadowbank. By association we were seriously implicated as it meant that there was a risk of us not being able to use Meadowbank for 1^st team games. This would have meant us being relegated this year and possibly again next year as we would have been unable to comply with National Ground Grading regulations.

I am pleased to say that DFC have appeared to have staved off the immediate threat and that we are able to take our place in the CCL Premier Division and our first ever entry into the F.A. Cup.

3)  The Management Team
It is important that we strengthen our management team. We vitally miss not having a Press/PR officer as the club desperately needs to raise its profile. Up to now we have negligible local coverage as this needs to be fed to the press. With the expenditure required to sustain a senior football club we need all the coverage we can get to galvanise support for Bookham FC.  It’s vitally important that do all that we can to raise revenues through gate receipts etc, as well as our very successful social activities.

The above highlights the workload and commitment required to sustain a senior football club. This is more than any of us have had to provide for before. This does not mean to say though that we are not equally committed to players and teams playing at a lesser level. It's important that we continue to provide those players with the facilities and equipment they deserve as our strength lies in a strong membership.