Ramsgate retain the services of manager Matt Longhurst on a two-year full-time contract

RAMSGATE has retained the services of manager Matt Longhurst on a two-year full-time contract.

The Isthmian League South East Division outfit announced the news on its social media platforms this afternoon.

“Absolutely delighted to be offered and accept a two-year full-time contract with Ramsgate Football Club as first-team manager and community officer,” said Longhurst, who took charge of the club on 31 December 2019.

“It’s a fantastic project that the club has decided to put forward and we’ll be working with myself alongside the marketing team, running and managing the first-team and overseeing the coaching within the youth section.

“We now have over a thousand children in our youth section in the 65 teams and I’ll be looking after the coaches and also making sure that the syllabus is taken care of and followed through with the coaches and the children and running the soccer schools and working alongside some of the local businesses in terms of sponsorship packages etc.

“I’ll also be working in the primary school sector with our new apprenticeship scheme that we’ll be starting in September with 8-10 full-time personnel that I’ll be overseeing and working alongside the primary schools to make sure we’ve got mentors working in those schools and facilitating all of the coaching.

“The 3G pitch project starts again in May which allows us to have all of our thousand children based at Southwood Stadium, training on a weekly basis and playing games so it makes my job easier being able to facilitate all of the coaching and making sure that the children make the most of all of their time with us.”

The Rams' Isthmian League South East Division campaigns in 2019-20 and 2020-21 started but failed to finish due to the Coronavirus health pandemic but the club will be looking at the higher reaches of the league table next season, now that Longhurst is their full-time manager.

Visit Ramsgate’s website: www.ramsgate-fc.co.uk