'ON THE ROAD' at REDDITCH UTD
Proper Football 'On The Road' this week takes us to Redditch United for their Southern Premier Central clash with Bishop Stafford, and with both sides sitting on 10 points in mid-table, it should be an interesting afternoon.
On my arrival, I was greeted by a car park attendant and directed to a parking spot in a reasonably sized car park right next to the turnstiles.
First impressions were good; the welcome was extremely friendly, and I totally fell in love with the part-covered terrace behind one goal, and with stands on either side of the pitch, I was very impressed with what was a proper old-school ground.
STADIUM
The Facilities are very good: 3 bars, 1 of which is outdoor; the food hut has a plentiful menu, and the toilets were very clean. This season sees several changes with a new clubhouse and an amazing new hospitality suite.
Let's take a quick look:
Up next, I interviewed Chairman David Faulkner, and I have to say it was one of the most insightful discussions with a chairman I have had:
Following up on the discussion regarding the Redditch UTD Social Impact report, below are just 2 pages of a 26-page booklet, an extremely impressive document.
Social impact statements I have seen at several clubs that I have visited; not all clubs do them, but they should. Facts and figures of this nature can go such a long way to secure funding and grants, as you can see by the booklet cover at Redditch. Their social impact to the community is £4.2 million.
So what is social impact? To explain in very simplistic terms, when a club runs Academies, has youth programs, school holiday football programs, runs educational programs, and so many other elements that affect their local community, this can be
calculated to give financial impact that a club has on its local community.
Consider this: Redditch United accommodate up to 500 children and teenagers up to under-21 level; without Redditch, what would those children and teenagers be doing?
These figures are not unique to Redditch, as I hear them at every non-club I visit. We need to get the message out there: non-league football clubs aren’t just football clubs; they are community hubs, and they need so much more recognition, support and protection by the FA, local authorities and the government.
During the course of the day, I took the opportunity to chat to several supporters and volunteers; here are just a few of them:
So onto the match itself, I won’t go into great detail as I covered it off in my final two interviews below.
I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it; a good quality of football, with Bishops Stortford having the better of the first half, going 1-0 up, but with a sign of things to come, Redditch pulled a goal back to go into the half-time break all square, well, what ever the managers team talk consisted of there was a dramatic turnaround in the second half with Redditch pretty much dominating the game and eventually running out 3-1 winners!
Here are the match highlights and all the goals, courtesy of the club's excellent coverage on their YouTube channel.
After the final whistle, I managed to catch up with first the 1st Team Manager and then the Operations Manager to finish off what has been a fantastic visit.
JIMMY FRY 1ST TEAM MANAGER
RORY BUDGE OPERATIONS MANAGER
I would like to thank everyone at Redditch United for making us feel so welcome on the day. It was wonderful to see a club so invested in the local community, and we wish them all the very best for the future!
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