The Players
It’s a miserable time for everyone at the moment. CV-19 isn’t selective about who it infects, money, position, colour, creed, everyone is vulnerable. As night follows day, the critics are out about how things are being done wrong while the NHS Doctors, nurses, support staff and all those involved in making the country work go about their everyday business.
It’s uplifting to hear the good news stories coming out that show the generosity, support and appreciation of so many of us, far outweighing the negatives we read and hear about.
Club captain, Stuart Ainsley, on Thursday evening last week put out a short video on social media where he knows people follow the clubs fortunes - prepared before the storm about the Premier League players and their enormous salaries. It was a simple video explaining that over the course of the season, as fines officer for the players, he had collected monies for various indiscretions, like most clubs do. Late for training, wrong colour shirt, a few more delicate but not for publication, that goes towards an end of season event of their collective choice.
The players collective decision, made via e-mail, text, whatsApp, twitter and Facebook was that the monies collected should be split in two, with 50% going to the club treasurer to support the club through this difficult time, and 50% to the ‘NHS COVID-19 Staff Wellbeing Fund’.
The fines totalled £1,500 meaning £750 to each… a fantastic gesture from a great group! No sooner had the video gone on line than a further £50 was anonymously donated to the NHS money, to add to £200 already donated by the club’s Junior section, bringing the total to £1,000 for the NHS and as Stuart said, hopefully other local clubs will join in and do something similar.
Since Publication a further £240 has been added by anonymous donors. .... Thank You!
Adam Hanson
The second story is of a young player heading out to adventures new, across the seas. The previous management signed youngster Adam Hanson at the beginning of the season as they felt he was a player with great potential, and the new, current management hold a similar view. Over the course of the season, they introduced him into step 4 football until he became a regular in the side, and an integral part of the recent upturn in results.
Hanson had already enjoyed a spell in the USA playing for AC Connecticut in the USL2 before signing for the Seasiders, but has now secured a place at the University of Northwestern Ohio studying a sports marketing and management degree on a four year scholarship. UNOH were ranked 8th in the USA last year, so the bar is set high for the youngster, who started at Ipswich Town Academy from Under 9 to 16, followed by AFC Sudbury Academy from 16-18 where he was the team captain, leading them to a national final.
Hopefully the current CV-19 Pandemic will have eased and be under control before Hanson is scheduled to leave… it’s certainly an opportunity you wouldn’t want him to miss, and there will always be a place at the Seaside, where he is planning to complete pre-season training before setting off to Ohio.
