After a summer of uncertainty, Cromer Town Football Club returned to pre-season training this week.
And new manager Jordan Kemp revealed he has high hopes for the season ahead.
The future of the club had been thrown into doubt after its long-serving committee announced it was resigning en masse at the end of a season which saw the club relegated from the Anglian Combination Premier Division.
But a new committee is set to be sworn in at the club’s annual general meeting at Cabbell Park on Thursday, July 13, at 7.30pm.
And Kemp, who is Head of Sport Programmes at Inspire Suffolk and worked as an Academy Scout for Norwich City, believes the town deserves a team it can be proud of.
He is targeting promotion from the First Division at the first attempt – despite being his first senior appointment.
The Norwich-based youth coach, who will be assisted by Danny Saunders, replaces Lee Hackleton who stood down at the end of last season.
Kemp said: “I would like to get promoted this season, I think we’ve definitely got scope to. It’s just about getting a few more fresh faces into the squad to give us that balance we need and to help make us more competitive.
“Cromer is a big place and I think it needs to have a big football club at the heart of that.
“We’ve got renewed enthusiasm from the new committee going forward and from me, it feels like a new, fresh, younger generation coming in to try to create something special for what should be a very, very big football club.”
And he added: “If we can get a competitive squad together I trust the players to deliver something special this year.”
While the club has held on to a number of players who played in the Premier Division last season, it is still recruiting – and more new faces are expected to arrive before the new season kicks off.
Kemp said: “It’s a club that needs to be far higher than it actually is and I want to contribute to that. It’s an opportunity for me to progress as a coach. If I can improve myself then I will have done something good for the team as well.”
Off the field, former ladies team manager Jenna Bedwell has been put forward as chairperson of the club. Other roles set to be filled at the AGM include: secretary - Joanna Sadler-Barker; treasurer - Nadine Sullivan; and bar steward - Anthony Bates; while Lyn Battrick, Tony Battrick, and Phil Harris have been put forward for the new committee.
Outgoing secretary Richard Cox said: “In the past few weeks people have come forward to fill the vacant officer and committee positions being left by the outgoing members. The new members came along to the club’s final committee meeting, before the AGM to get an exact overview of the club’s current position and to learn more detail about what is entailed in running the club.
“Vice-chairperson and general manager roles are still to be filled, however all agree that these roles can be filled in due course with the most vital roles having been filled. Anyone wishing to apply for these roles or a committee member position please do not hesitate to contact the club.
“There have also been offers of support from people in non-committee roles to support: on match days, with club communications (press and social media), fundraising and running of car boots.”
Details of the club’s preseason friendlies are set to be announced after the club’s AGM.
Anyone interested in helping Cromer Town on or off the pitch is invited to email Jenna: jenna.bedwell@cromertownfc.com
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here