Another season has drawn to a close. It has been a good season for the Club, many highs and a few lows.
The 2010-11 Season
The Saturday Spartans were crowned Champions of the Legal League for 2nd year in a row, unfortunately just missing out in the cup final. Simon Duff, Rob Dickson and Forlan were impressive goalscorers for the Spartans totaling 39 goals between them. Congratulations to Henry and the team for an outstanding season.
The Sunday Spartans were regrettably relegated from Division One of the Yau Yee League on goal difference. Jeff Cantwell and Jens Floor were top scorers for Spartans during the season. It was a tough season in Division One and we hope to bounce back next year.
The SOHO Spartans joined the Hong Kong City League in the 2010-2011 season. We were placed in Division 3 of the league and finished an impressive 4th in our first season, just 8 points off a promotion spot and narrowly going out to Division 1 leaders in the Cup Quarter Finals on penalties. Forlan again leading the goal scorers for the SOHO Spartans, grabbing the illustrious golden boot with 14 goals in 11 games. It has been an excellent season for the team and congratulations to Sanjoy and Patrick for managing the team.
The Nite Spartans are currently in the closing stages of their 4th season in the A League having worked their way up from the 5th division where they joined in 2007 up to the 1st. Currently 5th in the league and through to the L16 of the Cup. Nites played their 2009-10 final earlier in the year taking the runners up cup after being beaten at Sandy Bay. Forlan again tops the goal charts with 4 however there is a chasing pack of 6 players all on 2 goals after a 12nil romp in the league – the biggest win for Nites ever.
Spartans on Tour
Spartans FC toured to Singapore and Manila in the past season. I took a team to Manila for the sixes competition, which included Paul, Ben, Stef, Rick Man, Jens and Scouse. We did exceptionally well on the Saturday, doing enough to qualify for the cup knockout stages on the Sunday. Unfortunately, we were beaten in our first knockout game on Sunday and spent the rest of the day drinking beer and eating pizza by the pool.
The Spartans indoor side again attended the Singapore St Andrew Society Six aside competition in September. With a great line-up on paper the team was dealt a blow by Tiger Airways failing to deliver Jens and Schoolboy in enough time to participate. Despite this the team of Stevie G, Knowlzer, Nathan, Mav and trusty Singapore regulars Jezza and Chris plus a random keeper didn’t let Spartans down. After winning all group matches we went out in the semis to eventual cup winners Singapore Scots. In a Mansfieldesque moment it would be remiss of me not to mention that Mav was named man of the tournament. All in all a great weekend and special thanks again to Ian Gibson and Lina for a great job organizing.
The Club Structure
The Club has a 22 year history which we considered needing preserving, which is why an official club structure has been incorporated to ensure growth and the Spartans FC history maintains intact.
In a recent Spartans FC meeting, of which present Club Manager’s and Treasurer attended the following structure was agreed.
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Chairman :
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Jon “Flabbo” Southgate |
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Treasurer : |
Al “Scouse” Moore |
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Managers : |
Jon Southgate (Sunday) |
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Henry Vera (Saturday) |
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Paul Hoy (Vets) |
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Patrick Mansfield/Sanjoy Sanjal (Nites/Soho) |
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Stef Kelly (Power Soccer) |
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Training : |
Rich Cowley |
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Website : |
Lionel Maung |
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Sponsorship : |
Bobby Tsang |
The Club doesn’t run by itself, Club officers put in an enormous amount of time and effort to ensure you get regular football and training. Paul Hoy stepped down as treasurer this year and I would like to thank Paul for doing a fantastic job ensuring the clubs fund remain in the black.
The 2011-12 Season
The coming 2011-12 season looks to be best ever. The club will have 5 x 11-a-side teams in different leagues, with Paul Hoy introducing a Spartans Veterans team (over 35’s) into the Evergreen League starting September. Stef Kelly will run the indoor soccer 5-a-side team in the Power Soccer League.
Sponsorship
We have managed to secure Sponsorship with our three main Sponsors, The White Stag, Brew House and Yorkshire Pudding. This is significant income the Club needs to run successfully, so I encourage all of you to visit these establishments on a regular basis. In addition to our bar sponsorship, Bobby Tsang has managed to secure a new Sponsor with Baker Tilly accountancy firm (http://www.bakertillyhk.com). This will provide financial stability for the Club for the coming season. I would like to thanks Bobby for his efforts in securing this Sponsorship.
Subscriptions
Each year players need to pay a subscription fee (unfortunately, the Sponsorship deals do not cover all our costs). This year we have decided to have a fixed fee of HK$1,200, this entitles you to play for any of the Spartans teams and provides you with a new kit (with new club colors this year). So, this means unless you pay your subscriptions you will not get a football kit, and consequently won’t be able to play for any of the teams. Our new treasurer will be sending out more details with regards subscriptions soon.
Training
We have been very fortunate to have a regular training slot for the past year. I’m happy to inform you that we have secured training starting Tuesday August 2nd @ King’s Park (Pitch 3) – 9:00-10:30PM. Rich Cowley will be conducting training. I would like to thank Rich for taking his time and providing the training sessions. We have only had positive feedback from the sessions. Rich will still be collecting HK$20 each session, so please be advised.
Merchandise
Over the years the Spartans merchandise has been very popular with the players. From T-Shirts to bags and headbands these have gone done very well. This year we intend to extend our brand. James “Mav” Ross, Patrick and Bobby are looking to produce a wide range of items for sale this season. Including T-shirts, baseball caps, bags, boardies, wristbands and not to mention the ever popular hoddies. You’ll be seeing more from Mav as we finalize sourcing.
Tours
We have always tried to enter as many International tours as possible. This season will be no exception.
Below is a list of tours we’ll definitely be considering:
Singapore – 3-4 September 2011
Manila sixes – 19-20 November 2011
Phuket – 3-4 December 2011
Tokyo – 7-8 January 2012
Manila Vets – March 2012
Bangkok – 7-8 April 2012
Website
The Spartans website has been a regular feature for the club. We will be looking to revamp the existing website. I urge you to visit the sitewww.spartans-fc.net and help make this site more interactive for the members. Also check out this iPhone app for pitch locations http://hk-football-pitches.heroku.com/
Many thanks to Lionel for keeping the website running over the years.
Jon Southgate
Chairman – Spartans FC.
