Grassroots Football Episode 1 - Chichester City FC
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00:00Hello and welcome to the Grassroots Spotlight. I'm Henry Bryant and this is episode one featuring Chichester City FC.
00:06The club was formed in 1873 and added the title of City to its name in 1948.
00:11They've had ups and downs and we're here to find out everything that's been going on.
00:15My name's Miles Rutherford and I'm manager of Chichester Football Club.
00:20Last year was a crazy year really. There were some real lows and there were times when I thought,
00:27is it worth doing? And then we've ended up getting promoted.
00:31I'm Danny Potter. I'm one of the first team coaching staff that we've got at the club.
00:35I've been at Chichester now for almost nine seasons. When I first got here we were in step five.
00:39We're a good side, we're an okay side and I think there's more problems off the pitch than there was on it
00:43in terms of where the club was and the position we were in financially.
00:47And then last season was a fairytale season for us as a club in terms of how it finished.
00:53We had some ups and downs in the season. We sadly lost our assistant manager to cancer
00:59and we fondly remember Graham and what he did for the club was amazing.
01:04Only months later we then went and got promoted out of the playoffs,
01:07which a lot of people would have probably written us off if we went back 10 months ago.
01:11So we're now at step three. So the bigger project for the club,
01:15who knows where it's going to end up at the end of the season.
01:18We've put ourselves in a position where we think we're doing okay on the pitch.
01:23We're still very early in the season. There's a lot of lessons to be learned
01:26and we're still learning every session we do.
01:29But it's exciting and I think for us it's a big project.
01:33My name is Darren Kirkpatrick. I'm one of the first team coaches here at Chichester City Football Club.
01:37When I turned up, the club were financially in a difficult position.
01:43And their biggest achievement so far, reaching the second round of the FA Cup and playing Tranmere Rovers.
01:54A lot of people say, yeah, you were lucky to get to the second round and I agree with that.
02:03But we weren't lucky getting to the first round to get into that hat.
02:06We weren't lucky there. So, you know, we did ever so well.
02:12And I think that really did sort of, that gave us the funding to compete,
02:18you know, for the next sort of two stroke three years, which was so, so important with that money.
02:23And when I turned up, yeah, the club were financially in a difficult position.
02:29That's what we're saying, that couldn't have come at a better time.
02:32One or two people really helped out, which was incredible.
02:36But I think that is, again, the magic of the FA Cup.
02:40That money was used extremely wisely and kept the players here as well.
02:45And they're not paid a king's ransom, I get that.
02:47But it was a massive part of the development of the club.
02:53To keep building on to what's going on at the moment.
02:57Chai City assistant manager Graeme Gee sadly passed away on April the 11th.
03:02It prompted a flood of heartfelt tributes from clubs, players and managers
03:05who had known Graeme or worked with him.
03:07Graeme had been an assistant to Myles Rutherford at Chai City since 2015
03:11and the pair had led a transformation in the club
03:14that took them from the Southern Combination League to the Isthmian League.
03:17Graeme was unique and everything that he did at the club was
03:21in a way that he connected with the players better than I've ever met anyone could do.
03:25And I think for him, psychologically, he could work with every player,
03:30whatever background they're from, and Graeme got them.
03:33And I feel that there is a big void.
03:43We play with Gee in our hearts still.
03:46And I think for the players that have been in the squad for many years,
03:49they completely understand what Graeme brought to the club.
03:52And for where we're going now, I think he actually believed we could do it.
03:56It was just really sad that he didn't see us progress and win that player final.
04:00He was the gatekeeper to most of the players in there.
04:03I think he was definitely a massive part of the drive.
04:06The players were inspired.
04:07They loved him to pieces.
04:08We all loved him.
04:09He was a character.
04:11So yeah, if I was to say yes or no, I'd definitely say yes.
04:15It did have a massive part on the run that went on.
04:18I didn't see that coming.
04:20I said to Danny, I said that the season might be done here.
04:26But what they did, the players, not us, the players, were absolutely incredible.
04:31Absolutely incredible.
04:32But with grassroots football, it's not just the players and the managers.
04:36It's the fans that turn out every week, come rain or shine.
04:39The unsung heroes in clubs that make them so special.
04:42My name's Howard.
04:43I've been a gatekeeper since I was 15.
04:45I'm 58 now.
04:47I came up here, as usual, to watch a game.
04:50And Graeme Reverentby, who's one of the directors there,
04:52I said, would you do the gate for us?
04:54I said, OK, yeah.
04:56And that's it.
04:57And I've been doing it ever since.
04:58I love it out here.
04:59It's just local football at its best.
05:02Since I can't play as I'm disabled, I just love watching it.
05:05I prefer to watch it out here than on the telly.
05:08You get the atmosphere out here.
05:17My name's Harry, and I've been supporting this club for pretty much since birth.
05:22And this club's my ride or die.
05:24It's just, it's a good feeling, really, because last season,
05:27we didn't really bring much fans.
05:28But this season, we've all come together as sort of like a massive group.
05:31And we've, you know, sort of helped try a little bit.
05:35Would you guys say that you're the loudest bunch?
05:38I think we are.
05:39Yeah, yeah, yeah.
05:39100%.
05:42We didn't think we were going to get playoffs last season.
05:44And we see the thing come through on our phone, that we got the playoffs.
05:47And we was there at the Three Bridges.
05:51And we had feelings that we was going to lose.
05:53But as soon as Josh Clack hit it, and it went in the second minute,
05:55we had high hopes for the rest of the game.
05:56It's just, it's just a better feeling than, like,
05:58going to support, like, Man City or something.
06:00Like, that's just glory.
06:01But over here, then, it's just either you lose or you win.
06:04Good for the community.
06:05Is it?
06:06It's great to come and support the local.
06:09We've started better than we thought.
06:10We thought we'd be, you know, fighting to survive.
06:14But no, we've actually, we've started out all right.
06:28My name's Paul.
06:29I've lived in Chichester for four years.
06:32I've been coming down here for three years now, I'd say.
06:35Well, it's my first night game.
06:37And I only live five minutes walk away.
06:39But I didn't know the stadium was here.
06:41It's quite tucked away.
06:42I've been impressed by the manager.
06:44Certainly, and his tactics.
06:46And some of the players are of a very, very good standard,
06:49as far as I can tell.
06:50It's a different league.
06:52Well, literally, a different league entirely.
06:54But it's more down-to-earth.
06:55I think the Premier League players have lost touch
06:58with the fans and the clubs have as well.
07:01This is more, you get so close.
07:03You can hear the players talking.
07:06I don't think you could do that on traffic.
07:08You can just tell from the manager, the coaches,
07:10staff and fans how much the club means to them.
07:12And what better way to round it all off
07:14by speaking to the players and going behind the scenes
07:16into one of their training sessions.
07:18My name is Mo Jame.
07:20And I'm a Chichester football player.
07:22I play number 10.
07:23But literally, I can play everywhere in the front line.
07:27I joined Chichester, I think that was last season in general.
07:30I played half of the season with Bodger Seal.
07:32Then I ended up playing, joining Chichester
07:34to play with them last season.
07:36Ah, that season was up and down before I joined them.
07:39And then even when I joined them, it was still up and down.
07:41But after that, we started picking some momentum,
07:45started going.
07:46It was good.
07:47I enjoyed it.
07:47So that's why I'm still here.
07:49And there's some lovely people around here.
07:52So I have to keep, you know.
07:54I can't say that I expected, but at the same time,
07:56I think I've got a feeling that, you know,
07:59I have to expect this, that we can go and win this.
08:02I think I expected it.
08:03So, but, you know, it was a great feeling.
08:06I can't describe that feeling, honestly.
08:09That whole feeling was so good.
08:10That night, I don't even think I slept.
08:12I was getting up and sitting, you know,
08:15thinking about that game, how we beat Ramsgate
08:19and then go to the three bridges
08:20and then beat them 5-0, playoff final.
08:23That was so good.
08:24I said to my old man that I think Chichester
08:27is one of the best clubs around Sussex here.
08:30Honestly, I've been warding Bucknell, a few mums,
08:35and then Bodger Seal, Lansing.
08:37But I think here also, all those clubs,
08:39there are good people around there.
08:41But here also, it's a special one.
08:43Honestly, lads in the changing room, everyone,
08:45especially me, they all love me, you know.
08:48So, Kieran, I'm the supposed goalkeeper at Chichester.
08:52But yeah, I've been here, I think it's my fourth season.
08:55Last year was a bit of a shock to everyone, really.
08:56We didn't really expect to get anywhere near where we did.
08:58But like you said, it was a bit of a bittersweet turn
09:01when we lost.
09:02Gene was a massive, massive character for us.
09:05I think that kind of spurred us on
09:07to come together as a group a bit more.
09:09And that sort of real team mentality that we had,
09:14people just didn't come up against it, really.
09:16And obviously, we just slowly crept up and up the table,
09:19backdoored it into the playoffs.
09:20And then the rest is history on that one.
09:23What got you into goalkeeping in the first place?
09:26Too unfit to play on the pitch, to be honest with you, yeah.
09:28I came to Chichester for university originally.
09:32Started playing for the local team.
09:34And it's been, I think, six years since then now.
09:37What's made me stay here, especially after completing my degree,
09:40just the culture, the fact that, you know,
09:43teams represent certain areas, certain cities.
09:46Getting promoted twice with the club has been amazing.
09:49Just seeing how far we've progressed, I think,
09:51has been the most special thing.
09:54Like with the players, with the coaching staff,
09:56just the entire club, the fan base has grown.
10:00It's been really special.
10:01At the time of recording,
10:03Chichester find themselves around mid-table of the Isthmian Premier.
10:06Only time will tell if their form will continue to keep them in this league.
10:10But what is guaranteed here is people that love the club
10:13and will do anything they can to make it the best possible club in West Sussex.