Fundraising, Pitch Vandalism and Christmas Dinners: A Monthly Update from Chairman Dan Willis

First and foremost I hope everyone is keeping well as we head toward the end of the year. I wanted to take a moment to share some important updates from the past couple of months across the club.

As many of you know, we are working hard to reach our £5,000 target for much-needed pitch maintenance machinery. This equipment is vital to keeping our playing surfaces safe and playable for all of our teams, from juniors to seniors.

We recently had a stall at the Mackworth Christmas Market, which was a great success and gave our fundraising efforts a welcome boost. Thank you to everyone who stopped by, donated, or helped out. Please keep an eye out for more fundraising activities in the near future and if you’re able to support, whether through donating or simply sharing our posts, it really does make a huge difference.

I’m delighted to announce that we’re looking to take on another girls team, who we hope will be entering the U16s age group for the 26/27 season. The team are currently searching for players, if you are interested in football and want to get involved do not hesitate to contact us!

Our Sapphires have also made fantastic progress and have now officially entered a league, with fixtures beginning in January. We are incredibly proud of the players and the coaching staff for their commitment and development in getting the team to this stage.

Despite so much good around the club not everything is good news. Unfortunately we continue to struggle with mindless acts of criminal damage to our pitches. Motorbike users have repeatedly torn up sections of the playing surface, causing both financial strain and significant volunteer hours to repair the damage.

These incidents not only impact the club but also jeopardise the safety of our juniors and seniors who rely on these pitches every week. If anyone witnesses anything of this nature, please contact us directly on any of our platforms. You can also report it to the police on the non-emergency number 101. Your vigilance can make a real difference in helping us protect our facilities.

As in previous years, AFC Mackworth will once again be providing cooked Christmas dinners, completely free of charge, to those in need within our community. Christmas is a time for togetherness, kindness, and support, and we firmly believe that nobody should be without a Christmas dinner.

If you, or someone you know, would benefit from a delivered Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, please contact us directly. Whether you’re requesting one for yourself or nominating someone else, we are here to help ensure everyone can experience a bit of Christmas spirit this year.

Thank you all, as always, for your continued support of AFC Mackworth. Our club thrives because of our players, parents, coaches, volunteers, and wider community. Let’s keep pushing forward together.

Dan Willis,

Chairman, AFC Mackworth.