Once more another season of action packed football awaits Norwich City with 46 matches ahead of us all, of which, 23 will be played within the emotional and atmospheric Carrow Road. For many City fans there's nothing new or surprising about this fact, after all this is the normal excitement generated at the start of a new football season in any year. What makes it so different this August of 2009 is that, unfortunately, it's the first time in 50 years that we anticipate football at a very different level - the third tier of English football!
League One will be an untried and untested challenge for everyone connected with the Club and I'm sure we'll witness many ups and downs throughout the next nine months. However, with a strong togetherness from us all including staff, new squad of players, 18,000 season ticket holders, a new board of directors and Chief Executive and a committed and loyal main club sponsor in Aviva, I'm sure the Club will quickly be gaining promotion back into the Championship.
Our Club-supporter relationship is as strong as ever and it's vital that, this season more than any other, we continue building and enhancing all NCFC community initiatives that will be on offer to our loyal fans. Initiatives that will entertain, inspire and motivate all who take part. Yes we want to win matches but we also want to win over more fans to come and watch those matches.
Enjoy this season and thanks for your great support.
Jeremy Goss
NCFC Community Ambassador
Football in the Community Summer Soccer Schools
Schools sporting activities, kids courses and multi-sports, Ability Counts, social inclusion, Carrow Park activities and advance coaching courses - these are just a handful of schemes that FITC organise and deliver to a very high standard effecting over 50,000 children and adults each year. Congratulations to Ian Thornton and all his team for delivering such fun-packed courses.
Halesworth outdoor gym and fitness equipment
I was pleased to officially open the new Basley Park Outdoor Gym recently. This is a unique concept of offering keep fit options at park locations within local communities. The apparatus can be used by both children and adults within a safe environment and will no doubt benefit all who use them. Congratulations to Halesworth Town Council for funding the very first outdoor gym facility in Norfolk.
Spexhall Huntsman & Hounds Football Club
I was honoured to have been the guest of honour at Spexhall Huntsman & Hounds Football Club near Halesworth for the official opening of their magnificent new changing room facilities. The Club have spent approximately £85,000 on the project with most of the money raised coming from the Club's own efforts. My congratulations to Chairman David Batley and all the members, their families and friends who dedicated so much of their time and effort in not only raising the money but physically working on the impressive Veasy's Imperial Pavilion. On the day I met some fantastic people dedicated to improving their local community and grassroots football.
Study Centre - Playing for Success Awards
An Oscar-style awards ceremony took place at Carrow Road recently to celebrate the existence of NCFC Study Centre's highly acclaimed Playing for Success initiative. The main aim of the scheme is to offer help to underperforming children with their numeracy and literacy skills as well as raising their confidence and self-esteem levels.
Keith Grainger, Ros Watson and Maxine Mace are to be congratulated for having such a powerful input into making the scheme a huge success. Thank you to Matt Gill and Owain Tudur Jones for participating in the presentations on the day.
In the last 10 years 4,000 children have benefited from the initiative based here at Carrow Road and has expanded throughout the county with four full status centres, an associate centre and other projects engaging young Norfolk people.
Barford Lakes - Angling4Success
Norwich City fans have been involved in Angling4Success which is an outdoor learning programme delivered at Barford Lakes by Energize to young people aged 10-19. The project incorporates fishing and photography equipping young people with new skills in a calm outdoor learning environment. During my visit to Barford I was pleased to have met City fan Robbie Kilgallon, aged 12, who had a great day on the course catching many quality sized carp.
The History of Football event in Cambridge
I was very lucky to have represented Norwich City at a special event held in a very special location, the impressive St. John's College Old Library and the Folk Museum in Cambridge. It involved 60 Year 9 students from local schools taking part in workshops looking at the origins of football, memorabilia, rules, social history, fitness and sports injuries. The students were definitely motivated to learn by working within such an inspirational facility such as the Old Library and I was delighted to be able to talk about our great club as well as presenting the organisers with a signed Norwich City shirt.
