A trophy in the next couple of years would be the icing on the cake, says Holmesdale chairman Harris

HOLMESDALE chairman Mark Harris says the club are searching for home grown young talent to play for the club.

The Bromley based club ply their trade in the Southern Counties East Football League and are renowned for their passing game.

The Oakley Road based side are in ninth-place in the table, having collected 9 wins and 1 draw from their 20 league games.

Holmesdale are looking to build on the progress that they have made this season with further expansion to the club’s youth section and the establishment of a junior section.

With the first team making good progress on the field and the club facilities now almost entirely re-furbished, the club are looking to expand.

The youth section has vacancies for teams and managers at next season’s under 13, under 15, under 16 and under 18 age groups and the junior section invites applications from under 7 to under 12 inclusive.

Facilities are being negotiated for training and match day venues to allow seven, nine and eleven-a-side games.

“This season we have run two under 13 sides and an under 18 side and it has worked well,” said Mr Harris.

“With youth and junior football we hope to attract players that can move through to the senior section, parents and grandparents that wish to assist in the running of the club and a wider support network.”

Paul Proctor, who started the season as the club’s first team manager, has now moved upstairs and John-Paul Collier has been promoted from player-coach to first team manager, ably assisted by Ross Mitchell, who is also the club’s secretary, Marc Cumberbatch and Mark Dacey.
 
The chairman said: “Paul asked at the start of this year for the changes to be supported as he was spending more time with other teams within the club and work commitments were preventing him from devoting the required time to first team matters.

“JP Collier was effectively running the first team and it was a simple matter of confirming this.”

The chairman is delighted with progress on the pitch and the club are now longer one that struggles at the wrong end of the league table.

“I am happy with the progress we have made,” said Mr Harris.

“We do not operate any form of budget. We have a small fan base and despite this we are pushing for a top half finish.

“We have a very well-run committee with half a dozen key people providing an extraordinary level of effort to ensure Holmesdale FC continues to evolve and improve.

“We cannot compete with Bromley but we do work with them on joint initiatives and wish to improve this further for the benefit of both clubs.

“We survive because of the hard work and determination of a special group of people who hold Holmesdale and its interests very close to their hearts.

“Anyone new to the club quickly buys into this philosophy or they quickly move on.

“We want the whole experience for players, management, supporters, sponsors and members to be enjoyable and fun – it is only a hobby at the end of the day.

“We don’t have a simpleton benefactor who sees the sponsorship of a football club as a way of satisfying his vanity.”

The Dalers’ chairman would like all their hard work and commitment to be rewarded on the pitch.

He said: “I think we punch well above our weight, have made excellent progress on and off the field and see a long and successful future ahead.

“A trophy in the next couple of years would be the icing on the cake.”

Holmesdale are next in action next Saturday, 15 March when title chasing Tunbridge Wells visit Oakley Road (3:00pm kick-off).

For further details about the club’s junior ranks, please contact the club’s director of football, Paul Proctor by email manager@holmesdalefc.co.uk

Visit Holmesdale’s website: www.pitchero.com/clubs/holmesdalefc