Tankerton F.C. Fun Day & Trophies Presentation 2023

The Club held its annual, end-of-season Fun Day at Seaview on Sunday 2nd July, which included the presentation of trophies to team members and to coaches and other volunteer helpers.

CHAIRMAN’S WELCOME AND VOTE OF THANKS

The Club Chairman, Dave McGovarin, welcomed everyone to the Fun Day and thanked everyone for their continued support of the Club, saying how good it was to see so many of those connected with the Club in attendance.

Dave went on to express his thanks to:

The Club’s Trustees, who are all volunteers, for their time and the support and challenge they provide to the Club Committee. Additional thanks were given for the Trustees’ tireless pursuit and resilience in the Club’s endeavours to develop the land on the Whitstable to Herne Bay road – an update on this is to be issued next month.
All the players, parents and carers for continuing to make the Club the success that it is.
All the coaches, managers and assistants who give up their time to provide a fun environment for players to thrive and develop.
The Club’s numerous sponsors who pay for all of the playing kits and whose generosity really does make a difference to the local community.
The members of the Executive Committee – Ricky Martin, Garry Tremain, Sam Petre, Dean Gonsalves, Phil Barton and Terry Whyte – for all the unpaid hours they give up in supporting the Chairman in ensuring the Club continues to exist and runs smoothly and compliantly.
The Club’s photographer, Iggy Tapsell, who also arranges referees for our home games and coordinates with opposition clubs for games played on Sundays.
Terry Whyte who is the man solely responsible for maintaining the pitches in their excellent condition, given that it has been a particularly challenging season with so much wet weather.
All of the volunteers on the gate and on the stalls at the Fun Day, including a number of the Club’s Trustees.

2022/23 SEASON REVIEW

At the start of the season the Club had 17 teams playing over 5 different leagues.

First Team – Following their success of the previous season, our Men’s first team (against their will) were promoted into Division 2 of the Kent County League, which was a very strong division of 12 teams this season. Their concerns were well founded and, hopefully, they will find themselves back in Division 3 next season. It is so good to see so many players that have come through the youth section of the Club playing in the first team. We wish them luck with the coming season, which starts earlier than any other, beginning with pre-season matches next week.

Pan-Disability Team - For those who were here last year, you may remember we recognised Vanessa’s achievement with the formation of the Club’s first Adult Pan-Disability team and the “Kicks for Kids” sessions on Monday evenings for pan-disabled children aged 5–16. Dave was delighted to say that these have both gone from strength to strength in the last 12 months, thanks to Vanessa’s continued enthusiasm and her tenacity in attracting finance through grants and donations. Dave was pleased to say that the adult team will be entering the Kent Disability League next season.

East Kent Youth League Teams (Sundays)

Under 14s – An excellent season once again, reaching the semi-finals in the League Cup, and a long league campaign of 18 games which culminated in them finishing runners-up.

Under 16s – Once again a brilliant season, finishing third in Division 2 out of 13 teams, meaning they played an incredible 24 league games, as well as reaching the quarter finals of the League Cup.

U18s Seniors – U18s Colts in division 2 had an indifferent season whilst our Division 1 Seniors finished 7th. This team have now completed their youth team football journey. As with all teams over the years, players come and go and often come back and sometimes go again.

This team has been no different, apart from 3 or 4 players who have played for the club throughout. There has been one other constant, however, and that has been the coach, Ricky Martin, who has taken the team through the whole 12-year journey.

Dave said how “I have always admired this young man for his passion and dedication. I admire the fact that he has done this for love of the game and the team as he does not have a child or a relative in the team. Whilst I think it is fair to say the last couple of seasons have been challenging, which is not unusual in seniors’ football, he has coached the team to a number of successes as they have come up through the age groups. In addition, he has been a member of the Club’s committee for the past four years and has always been willing to volunteer when asked; for example, every year he is usually manning a stall. So, Ricky, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your significant contribution to the Club.”

Dave then presented Ricky Martin with the ‘Chairman’s Special Contribution Award’ for his outstanding contribution to the Club.

Chairman’s Special Award

Faversham & District Youth League Teams (Saturdays)

Under 10s – Have had a solid season under the guidance of John Darby and were successful in a couple of the League festivals and they are looking forward to moving up to 9-a-side next season.

Under 10s Colts – Having just finished their first full season, it was brilliant to see them get their first win back in November and always a pleasure to see them enjoying themselves so much at the training sessions that Sam and Joe put on.

The Club are so pleased to see numbers growing in this age group and the coaches working together to ensure players are playing at the correct level as they develop as footballers.

Under 11s – Under the leadership of Graeme, Nigel and Rob they have had a strong season, losing only two games. Next season they will see the rewards as their results will be published, so maybe some silverware will come their way.

Under 12s – Both teams have had excellent seasons.

The Lions were runners-up in Division 2 before Christmas and held their own in Division 1 in the new year.

The Tigers were runners-up in Division 3 in the second half of the season and won the Plate Cup competition in May with a narrow victory over Hernhill Herons

Under 13s – I think it is fair to say they had an indifferent start to their season in Division 1; however, since the end of January they won 3 cup games and 7 straight league matches. This resulted in them reaching the cup final where they narrowly lost 2-1 but, of course, winning the League and being crowned champions. An absolutely fantastic season.

Dave then invited the U13s team to come forward to receive their Division 1 Champions medals and the League trophy.

Under 13s

Dave stated that while the U13s team “do the business on the pitch”, they are very fortunate to have three great coaches in Dan Piper, Dan Nevill and, of course, Steve Alton. To recognise the achievement of the U13s team, Dave asked Steve, Dan, and Dan to step forward and receive the Tankerton ‘Coaches of the Year’ trophy.

Coach of the Year

Kent Girls’ & Ladies’ League (Sundays)

Ladies’ Recreational Team - Dave said how delighted he was that the ladies’ recreational team has seen a steady increase in numbers across the season and that they had a very successful futsal season.

Under 18s Girls - In the youth section, our brilliant Under 18s (who were our first-ever all girls team), having finished as champions of Division 2 last season, played in Division 1 this season and finished an excellent 5th out of the 12 teams. They also had a successful cup campaign, being narrowly beaten in the semi-final by the eventual winners.

If that wasn’t enough one of their number, Daisy Redford, won the best player award, voted for by other teams in the league! As a club we are so proud of Daisy and, indeed, of the whole team.

Dave took a moment to once again publicly thank all those who have played for or have been involved in such an incredibly successful team over the years, reaching its pinnacle when they were Under 16s and won the Kent County Cup, making them the best girls team that season in their age group.

Dave paid tribute to Jasmine who was the original team coach and to Rachel Golding who has been a regular member of the coaching team over the years and, of course, to Dean Gonsalves. Dean has been the mainstay of this team with his infectious enthusiasm and excellent training sessions and passion for the team. Whilst he will no longer be coaching the girls, Dean will not be hanging up his boots and walking into the sunset as he stills remains a key member of the Club’s committee.

Under 12s Girls - The Under 12s Girls have just finished their first ever season. Not only did they finish second in both of their leagues, the team also won the ‘Fair Play’ award for all the teams in Kent in their age group; an incredible achievement when you consider none of the players had ever played league football before. Dave thanked Andrew, Chris, Kiera, Alex and Sam for their brilliant coaching.

To recognise the team’s astonishing season, Dave presented the team and the coaches with the ‘Adam Bowey Special Recognition Shield’.

Adam Bowey Special Recognition Shield