Paul M Chalk

Treasurer Justin Lambourne wrote a piece for the programme against Helston Athletic on Tuesday night. For those that didn't buy a programme, here is his piece in full. It shows the challenges of keeping a non- league football clubs head above water. It answers a lot of questions that I'm sure many of you have wanted to ask. Part One I am now entering my 25th year at DTFC with over 20 years of that as treasurer, the most common question people ask is why do you do it!, it’s a great question and the role does not come without a fair bit of stress and grief, but this is always outweighed by the opportunity to be part of what is a fantastic set up, full of great people and promoting the game we all love so much. As Treasurer and a Trustee of the Club there can only be one goal and that is to ensure when the next generation take on the club they do so with the club being in the best position possible and sustainable for the future. Its fair to say in the last 20 years we have faced many challenges, none more than ensuring the financial stability of the club and its ability to exist. I have always had the mantra the priority is to keep the doors open and pay our bills as without this the football does not exist. In reality there has been many times from a business only perspective the club should have closed due to its financial unsustainability at a point in time but we all know that DTFC is far more than a business and we have always found ways to keep the lights on but it has and continues to be a struggle like so many other small non league clubs face. It has also been at times hard to resist the boom and bust culture we have seen in so many non league clubs, sadly nearly always this ends in the failure and collapse of the club in the medium to long term, great short terms highs but I would not trade those for the 114 years of proud history this club has provided to the community playing at all levels of competitive football over that time. As a club we owe it to all those great people who came before who equally protected the clubs future and ensured its ongoing existence, to many to mention but we all today owe a debt of gratitude to them all for what we have here today which is one of the best non league set ups at this level and arguably some steps above. This brings me back nicely to why I have written this article, firstly I am often asked who owns the club and how is it structured? In short many years ago the club was placed into a lifetime trust following significant legal advice and to ensure we can operate whilst meeting UK legal legislation around ownerships including its assets. This was done to ensure the clubs future and ensure no individual could ever profit from its existence and ensure its primary purpose is to supply Football and Social facilities to the community of Didcot. The trust is made up of 4 Trustees who are responsible to ensure that the club is operated and aligned to its primary goals and always remains sustainable, this includes our 13 acres of Land and the assets that sit on them all of which the Club/Trust solely owns. This does mean the trust and in turn the Trustees are personally liable for any debts, legal and operating risks. The Trustees and the Management Committee who ensure the day to day running of the club are all volunteers, who equally help support financially the club. For more, see part two.

DIDCOT TOWN FIXTURES 2024/25 Here are the fixtures for the upcoming season in the Southern League Division 1 South and West. Swipe right to see the full list. Diddy start with a home game as we host Larkhall Athletic at the Loop. Boxing Day sees us make the short hop to Thatcham Town, whilst on New Years Day we host Evesham United. Up the Diddy!

🚨GAME DAY!🚨 Didcot Town will welcome @wandcfc to the Loop Meadow Stadium today. The two sides will meet for the Larry Hilll trophy. The game kicks off at 2pm and it is preceded by a vets game at 11am. It is free to enter today but at the request of the family of Larry Hilll,  a bucket for donations towards Didcot Town Football Club,  will be inside the ground.

@LUFC How about bringing the under 21s. There's a huge Leeds fan base in the area.

Didcot Town will welcome Irish freestyle champion Sam Madden to the Loop Meadow Stadium next Wednesday,  26th June.  Sam,  who was employed to work at the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar, will put on a show for fans.  He will then welcome members of Didcot Town Youth onto the pitch. This is a free to enter open event for anyone to attend and the bar inside the ground will be open.  Please arrive for 6pm with the show starting at 6.30pm.

Come down to Didcot Town Football Club and watch England in their next group game of the European Championships. England face Denmark on Thursday night with a 5pm kick-off. The bar will be open from 2pm.

VACANCY: BAR MANAGER Didcot Town FC are inviting applications for a Bar and Facilities Manager at the Loop Meadow Stadium. This is a full-time, permanent, salaried position at the heart of Didcot Town FC. To apply, please email dtfcenquiries@outlook.com A full job description is on our website at s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/f… or pitchero.com/clubs/didcottow… (the download button is quite hard to see but it is there!)