Location: Mousehole Association Football Club, Paul, TR19 6AZ
Contract: Voluntary (with immediate incentives & a pathway to a paid full-time role)

To Apply: Email ben.gibson@vattenfall.com

Mousehole AFC is growing — on the pitch, in the stands, and throughout the community. As the club continues to build momentum, we’re looking for a passionate, driven individual to take on a key role at the heart of our matchday and community operations.

This is an opportunity to help shape the fan experience, strengthen our local presence, and be part of an ambitious club with big ideas and even bigger potential.

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What the Role Is All About

The Matchday & Community Engagement Manager will be central to boosting attendances, elevating the matchday atmosphere, and embedding Mousehole AFC deeper into the fabric of West Cornwall. This role blends event management, community outreach, and creative marketing — perfect for someone who loves football, people, and making things happen.

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What You’ll Be Doing

Matchday Experience & Events

From pre-match buzz to the final whistle, you’ll help create a matchday experience that keeps supporters coming back.

• Plan and deliver activities that engage fans of all ages
• Coordinate with staff, volunteers, and partners to keep matchdays running smoothly
• Develop themed fixtures and family-friendly initiatives to boost crowds

Community Engagement

The club wants to be more present than ever in local schools, youth groups, and community organisations. You’ll be the face of that effort.

• Build and deliver outreach programmes across the area
• Introduce the club into schools via workshops, player visits, and grassroots projects
• Represent Mousehole AFC at community events and strengthen local partnerships

Fan Growth & Supporter Engagement

Growing the Seahorses’ fanbase is a huge part of the role.

• Develop creative campaigns to attract new supporters
• Support and grow supporter groups
• Gather and respond to feedback to keep improving the fan experience

Clubhouse & Facilities

The clubhouse is a key community hub — and a valuable source of income.

• Promote the space for community, commercial, and private events
• Help generate extra revenue through functions and partnerships

Marketing & Promotion

Working with the club’s media and marketing team, you’ll help drive visibility across the region.

• Promote events and community programmes
• Boost the club’s presence in local media, schools, and social platforms

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What We’re Looking For

Skills & Experience

• Experience in community engagement, event management, sports development, or a related field
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to juggle multiple projects
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• A creative mindset for fan engagement and event ideas
• Understanding of grassroots football (desirable but not essential)
• Ability to work evenings, weekends, and matchdays

Personal Qualities

• Passion for sport and community involvement
• Self-motivated, proactive, and comfortable working independently
• Friendly, approachable, and professional
• Enthusiastic about delivering exceptional matchday experiences

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Why Join Mousehole AFC?

Although this is a voluntary role to start, the club offers:

• Immediate incentives (commission / revenue share on sponsorship, events & clubhouse use)
• A clear route to a paid full-time position, based on performance and club growth
• Free matchday access
• Hands-on experience in sports management, events, and community development

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If you’re excited about helping grow a dynamic, community-driven football club — we’d love to hear from you.

Become part of the Seagulls’ journey. Apply now. Email: ben.gibson@vattenfall.com

Mousehole AFC launches schools season ticket scheme

Mousehole AFC have taken another step in strengthening our bond with the local community by launching a new scheme that invites schoolchildren — and an accompanying adult — to every home match free of charge. The initiative, introduced this season, aims to open the doors of the club to families across the area and give young supporters a closer connection to their village team.

This week, manager Jake Ash visited Mousehole School to speak to pupils about the club, the season ahead, and what it means to represent the village. It didn’t take long for the children to put him under pressure.

“It was a really lovely day,” Ash said. “Mousehole School is an amazing place, and Dax Ansell — who works there and is a big Mousehole fan — invited me in to do an assembly and chat to the pupils. They were a fantastic group, and it was great to see so many of them at the game on Saturday.

“Engaging with the local community is really important to us. The kids came onto the pitch afterwards to get autographs and soak up the atmosphere. We didn’t get the result they’d have hoped for, but hopefully the experience gave them a taste of what Mousehole AFC is all about — the noise, the energy, everything that makes this club special.”

Teacher Dax Ansell, who helped organise the visit, said the impact on the pupils was immediate.

“Anything that strengthens our community links is such a positive,” he explained. “It gives the kids a sense of the wider community and their role in it — something to aspire to. They absolutely loved Jake’s visit… I’m not sure if they enjoyed it more than he did!

“He was brilliant with them. They asked loads of questions, and having an outside voice — especially someone connected to football — really lifts them. It was a fantastic experience.”

That excitement carried straight into Saturday’s home match against Bishops Cleeve, where a group of Mousehole School pupils took part in the pre-match walkout and handshake with the players. At half-time they were back on the pitch again, this time for a penalty shootout — with midfielder Tallan Mitchell, sidelined that day, volunteering to go in goal and play the role of pantomime villain and local hero all at once.

The club love having the children around and we’re already looking to expand the scheme to more schools across West Cornwall.

If your school would like to get involved, please contact the club secretary at: secretary@mouseholeafc.co.uk.

At Mousehole AFC, the heartbeat of the club isn’t just on the pitch — it’s in the people who give their time, energy and passion to keep our community thriving. Volunteering with a local football club is one of the most rewarding ways to make a difference: you meet new people, learn new skills, support grassroots sport, and become part of something bigger than yourself. 

Whether you have a few hours to spare on match days or can help behind the scenes, your contribution helps create the welcoming, positive environment our club is known for.

Our club secretary and kit man Dan Tatarsky recently wrote about the benefits of volunteering for Mousehole. You can read his thoughts here: https://www.mouseholeafc.co.uk/it-makes-you-feel-part-of-something-bigger-volunteering-at-mousehole/

                               Current Volunteer Roles

🔐 Steward – Matchday Security
Help us ensure supporters enjoy a safe and friendly matchday experience. This role is perfect for someone confident, approachable, and passionate about keeping our club welcoming for all.

🍻 Bar Person
If you enjoy meeting people and being at the centre of the matchday buzz, this is a great fit. You’ll help serve supporters with enthusiasm and help maintain the warm hospitality Mousehole AFC is known for.

🅿️ Car Park Attendant
Be the first friendly face our visitors meet. A vital role in keeping things running smoothly, you’ll help manage parking and provide a great first impression to home and away fans.

🧹 Cleaners
Behind every great club is a team that keeps things spotless. If you take pride in creating a clean, safe environment for players and fans alike, we’d love your support.

🛒 Sales Coordinator

We’re looking for someone to help promote our fundraising sales, in particular our wall plaques in association with the RNLI

If you’re interested in any of these roles — or simply want to learn more — please contact us at deryk.heywood@gmail.com

Every hour given makes a real difference.

Thank you for being part of Mousehole AFC.
Up the Seagulls!

Brixham 2 – 3 Mousehole

Having already produced ten goals in the previous two meetings this season this match was always going to be a goal fest but with honours even at one win each the result was difficult to predict. Brixham are usually strong at home but their previous match at The More Seafood Ground (sic) had seen them lose four one so the bookies were unsure which way to go.

Having gone five games unbeaten on the road it was no surprise that Mousehole started this game strongly. Whilst the Fishermen had some long-range efforts which put the housing estate behind the goal in danger they never looked like scoring but the Seagulls were as clinical as a laser.

The first goal, after eight minutes, followed a flowing move with passes pinging between the players like an AI controlled pinball machine. The move ended with a shot from Mark Goldsworthy which was too powerful for the keeper to hold and when he spilled it Liam The Poacher Prynn was there to dink it home.

The Devonians were still getting over their disappointment at going behind when their night got worse and Jack Symons smacked one past the keeper. If Simmo was the finisher this was a goal made on the magical foot of Tallan Mitchell. His slide rule of a pass took out half the Brixham team and ran perfectly into the path of our very own midget gem. The keeper got a hand to it but again the shot was too strong for him to stop.

Two nil with ten minutes gone and yet another fabulous band of away fans were already dreaming about double figures. For the next ten minutes Mousehole played like 1970s era Brazil, then it all went nuts!

Having not increased their lead the men in white continued to push forward but in a less disciplined fashion. Maybe it was over confidence brought on by the ease of the first two goals but, whatever caused it, suddenly the tide turned and Brixham had pulled one back. The ball was lost in midfield and moments later it was in the net.

This should have caused Mousehole to turn on game-management mode and see out the first half but nothing changed and the momentum had shifted. Brixham saw blood and went for the throat; they piled on the pressure forcing six corners in as many minutes and whilst these were well repelled the home side did draw level before the break. Again, possession was given up too easily in the middle and unchallenged, Brixham smacked one into the far corner of the net.

Level at the break felt like being behind but the travelling ‘Gulls just needed reminding of what had got them the lead in the first place. Jake Ash took the half time break to push the Control-Alt-Delete button and reset the team back to the start mode. Who knows what he said but it worked.

Whilst the second half did not see so much of the scintillating attacking play of the opening ten minutes, Mousehole took control from minute forty six and never let it go. Brixham barely had a shot in the second half and it was only the away side who looked like scoring. They first came close when Tim Nixon hit the bar and then they took the lead with under half an hour to go.

A move reminiscent of the first ten minutes ended with the ball at Prynn’s feet. He looked into the box and could have picked out any one of three team mates. He plumped for his fellow striker Goldsworthy who accepted the invitation with his usual calmness. Three two up with thirty to go. The Seagulls have seen situations like this many times this season from both sides of the scoreline and have on occasion let leads slip but that wasn’t going to happen here. The back four flew into every challenge and block like their lives depended on it. There simply was no way through this wall made of pasties and scones with the jam on first.

A win is always sweet but under the lights in the next-door county when breath freezes as it leaves the lungs is the sweetest of all. A young wag had taunted the boys as they arrived with shouts of: “remember when we beat you in the FA Cup” and so your reporter took much joy in wishing the same youth good luck for the rest of his cup run as we left with three points.

Mousehole AFC are looking for someone with personality, energy and a love of music to become the official Matchday DJ & Stadium Voice at Trungle Parc.

Our crowds are growing every week, we have a great PA system ready to rock, and we need someone who can bring the atmosphere to life! 

• What You’ll Do • Play music before kick-off, at half-time, and after the game • Build the buzz as the team come out and as goals go in • Help shape the sound of Trungle Parc with the right songs at the right time • Announce goals, line-ups, mascots, competitions and more (if comfortable) • Work with us on fun ideas for fan engagement

• What You Get • A chance to become the voice of a growing football club • Support with playlists/music choices • Potential feature in our official matchday programme • The opportunity to be part of the club’s journey as crowds and occasions keep getting bigger

 • Who We’re Looking For:

• Confident, friendly and reliable

• Loves football and music

• Can commit to home matchdays

• Experience not essential — enthusiasm is!

To find out more about the role or apply for the position, email: adampaulfletcher@googlemail.com

Mousehole’s previous two league games had seen the home team end the match with ten men and the away side unable to take advantage of their superior numbers. This match ended with the away side ending with only nine men and yet, still, the eleven men couldn’t force the victory. And so it was that at the end of three attritional matches the Seagulls came out undefeated but with only three points to show for it. 

This was only the fourth league encounter between these two sides and the Greens came into it with a 14-4 advantage and thus the uninformed attendee could have been forgiven for thinking it would be an easy home victory. A glance at the league table would have filled in the blanks by showing them that the visitors started the day fourteen points and eight places above Mousehole. The fact that Mousehole had won four one in the reverse fixture almost exactly a month ago made this an impossible match to predict. A final twist of spice was added to the fixture when the line-ups went up and the Seagulls were without Julio Fresneda due to suspension and Hayden Turner courtesy of a back injury. The headaches that this would have caused Jake Ash were added to by the fact that he himself was banned from the touchline. 

With director of football, Adam Fletcher, also absent from the matchday bench, due to a non-football related transfer issue, hair that is, the home sideline was looking very sparse. That all of this disruption did not affect Mousehole’s start to the game was much to the players’ credit. Whilst Shaftesbury were marginal favourites it was the Greens who made the better chances. Shaftesbury had a number of long-range efforts ending in the car park as Mousehole came much closer in a very tight first half. 

The best chance came from a free kick on the right. Jacob Kevern, starting his fourth match in a row, sent in a laser guided cross to the far post. His defensive mentor, James Ward, found himself in proverbial splendid isolation three yards out. With his heading prowess the chance screamed out for a diving header but the skipper went for the volley; sending it high in to the early evening sky and beyond the glamping field into the cricket nets. 

Chances came and went at both end and just when it seemed that the oranges would be served on the back of a goal-less first half Shaftesbury mounted one more attack. The ball bounced in the Mousehole box half way between the forward and Kaleb Kadimashi and as our former Arsenal academy graduate went to make a challenge the ball had gone and he bundled the forward over. The referee pointed to the spot immediately. The resulting kick, by Santos, was sent past Chenoweth in spite of him correctly predicting its trajectory and moments later the half ended. 

Mousehole felt aggrieved, not so much at the penalty decision, but at the unfairness of having the better chances but going in behind. They started the second half with a determination to put that right and to match the build-up quality with some equal measure in the finishing. 

The game took a major turn a few minutes into the second half when Shaftesbury were reduced to ten men. A fifty-fifty challenge, between Kevern and the Shaftesbury goal scorer, near the halfway line, ended with Santos shoulder-barging the Mousehole man in to the advertising boards. Kevern went straight through it, Dukes’ Street for the record, and landed in a heap beside the pitch. It took a number of minutes for the Mousehole physio to treat Kevern and this gave the referee a long time to make a decision. Ultimately, he decided to show the forward a second yellow card and so with over half an hour to go Mousehole had the numerical advantage.  

Ten minutes later the numbers were even more uneven following a contretemps involving Tallan Mitchell. The Mousehole number ten got up from the ground following a robust challenge by Shaftesbury’s Brandon Mundy. Whatever it was that Mitchell said to the visiting midfielder it resulted in the burly barger shoving his shoulder into our number ten’s chest sending him flying to the ground. The referee half saw it, but the home fans and more importantly, the nearside assistant referee had clear views. Following consultation with his ‘helper’ the referee ordered Mundy to join his team mate in the shower. Not literally of course! 

With twenty-five minutes remaining the question was; could the massed defence, a formation of 4-4-0, hold out the marauding Seagulls? This became like a practise match of attack versus defence as almost the whole of the second half was played at the Solomon Browne end. Wave after wave of attacks crashed against the unbreakable dam of red and white shirts with no real clear-cut chances being made. It felt like the home side were too eager to lump the ball in to the box or try to play the magic ball rather simply passing around a tiring back line. 

With ninety minutes gone it was still one nil and the question now was, “how long will the ref add on?”. The answer was ten minutes and as the board went up the crowd roared on the greens. Still, the visiting defence held firm and as time slipped away like water down a plughole, hope of a goal was disappearing with it. It was all hands to the pump and James Ward had been sent up to join Goldie and Prynn in the hope that one of them could get on the end of a cross. It finally happened with five minutes of added time gone. Mitchell found Kadimashi on the left, he jinked past his full back and flung the ball across to perfectly find Wardy advancing on goal. This time he did the decent thing and used his head to smash the ball home. 

With five minutes still to go either team could have won it and both tried but to no avail. In the end a point for Shaftesbury was no less than their nine men deserved. And for Mousehole, was it two points dropped or a point gained? The end of the season will give us the answer to that. For now, it’s another Tuesday fixture to contend with as we travel to Brixham. 

Words: Daniel Tatarsky; Photos: Owen Wallis

For both teams this match offered a relief from the stresses, strains and grind of the league but it was Helston who actually seemed more freed by this. On a drizzly night in front of a disappointingly low crowd for this local derby Mousehole got their name into the hat for the next round but it could quite easily have gone the other way.

At the end of last season Helston dropped out of the Southern League following a late season dip in form so home fans could be forgiven for thinking that this Cornwall County Senior Cup second round tie would be a formality. It was far from that with the visiting team having the best chances in the first quarter of an hour, even hitting the post when it looked like they should have scored.

This near miss stirred the Seagulls and a third of the way through the first half they took the lead. The goal came as a result of dithering in the Helston defence but the turnover was quick and devastating. Paulo Sousa won the ball in the D and slid it to Hayden Turner on the left,he clipped a cross to the far post from where Jack Symons headed it across goal to a lurking Mark Goldsworthy who had the simplest of tap-ins from six inches.

A couple of minutes later Mousehole could have doubled the lead when Julio Fresneda curled a shot just over. At that point it seemed like the momentum was with the home side but they couldn’t push on and extend their lead. The visitors were having the better chances and some may have thought they were the higher placed team in the league pyramid. This dominance eventually brought them their very well-deserved equaliser just before the half hour.

After a throw in on the Helston left was flicked on, a reverse pass released the winger. As he galloped towards the box a hesitant defence couldn’t decide whether to close him down or cover the other runners. When he arrived in the box he jinked inside and fired a shot across goal and inside the far post. Drawing level was nothing less than their plucky play had merited. This could have seen the Seagulls collapse but they regained the lead just two minutes later.

Symons found himself in space on the right and when his blocked shot rebounded high into the night sky it was Sousa who leapt the highest to win the header and put it in the path of Turner. He whacked a first-time half-volley in to the roof of the net. The Hitman’s lack of celebration may have indicated a knowledge that this goal was against the run of play but ten minutes later Mousehole had almost got their name in the next round when they increased their lead before half time.

Good pressure in the midfield from Kaleb Kadimashi forced the defence in to an error and gave the ball to Goldie. He took it in to the box and rolled it across to an unmarked Mitchell who passed it home. A three one lead at the break might have indicated to people following the game on teletext that Mousehole were well on top but apart from the scoreline that was far from the truth. The Helston manager knew his team were doing well but did not feel the same about the referee and his frustration with decisions going against his team led to his dismissal from the dugout.

If Mousehole thought that this would be a decisive lead and that the second half would see them hammer home their advantage they were wrong. The second half was a tough watch for Seagulls’ fans. Other than Mitchell hitting the bar early in the half when he should really have scored it was the visitors who looked the more likely. That they didn’t score before the seventieth minute was more down to their own lack of quality in the box than anything Mousehole were doing to stop them.

Helston halved the deficit thanks to a penalty. On a night that neither side would have given the man in black a high score Helston’s chance came when Judah won the ball on the edge of his own box. The tackle seemed clean to most in the ground apart from the referee and he pointed to the spot. Following a long wait for a discussion with his assistant to make sure he’d got it right the spot kick was dispatched with panache.

With twenty minutes left it really was anyone’s game and the best two chances fell to the men in blue. The first, a one on one, was repelled by Chenoweth. Where would this season be with the man in turquoise? The second was from a corner. Some wags have started nicknaming the Mousehole defence Dracula because of their fear of crosses and so it proved here. The ball was swung in and fell to the feet of a Helston forward. To the relief of Mousehole he whacked it high over the bar. Soon after the whistle went and Mousehole were in the next round but if they are to win this cup for the first time in their history they will have to improve on this performance.

In chapter two of playing with ten men, Mousehole scored four goals away from home but did not take home three points. Whilst it had been the Seagulls who were cut down in numbers against Exmouth, here again, it was the home team who had more work to do thanks to one of their number seeing red. 

This match was preceded by thirty-six hours of constant rain but, surprisingly, the pitch was almost dry come kick off. The same could not said of the eyes of the visiting fans as they probably shed a tear or two at the loss of two more points courtesy of a late goal conceded. 

The similarities of this match with the draw against Exmouth started when the teams lined up. The home side had at least four players over six foot three whilst, once more, Mousehole were without their captain; the granite fore-headed James Ward. In his stead, once more, was the rising star of the Mousehole defence, Jacob Kevern. His pace and calm on the ball had seen Mousehole win handsomely at Shaftesbury so there were few concerns at the skipper’s absence. 

The next similarity with Tuesday night was Mousehole conceding the first goal as a result of not being able to defend a cross. In this instance it was, unusually from open play. A defensive mix up on the left gave the ball to the Didcot forward. He sent in a deep cross towards the far post where Max Cook was up against someone a foot taller. It was no surprise then that the forward got his header in. What was maybe a surprise was the accuracy of it, arrowed into top bins. 

A goal down; no problem. A switch was clicked and in the space of four minutes Mousehole took the lead thanks to the sort of attacking play usually only seen in video games. The first goal came when Kaleb Kadimashi won the ball in the centre circle and played it to Hayden Turner, his first time pass sent Tallan Mitchell away down the left. He received in space but still had a lot to do as he galloped into the box. The defence backed off and that was all the encouragement he needed as he curled it in to the far corner. 

Three minutes later Mousehole were in the lead. Kadimashi sent a long ball up to Liam Prynn. He took it down, shielded it and released and over-lapping Mitchell. The diminutive midfielder was calm personified. The defence didn’t know whether he would shoot, dribble or pass and as they tried to work it out he picked out Jack Symons on the edge of the six yard box. Simmo smacked it home. 

Mousehole did not rest on their laurels and kept pushing for more. The lead was increased just after the half hour when Mitchell provided another chance. This time for Turner. Some lovely interplay between Kevern, Fresneda and Mitchell ended when the latter slid a pass through the whole Didcot defence in to the path of a sprinting Turner. He carried it to the edge of the box before passing it in to the net. They were making the game look very easy at this point and it should have been over five minutes later when Fresneda played in Simmo but on this occasion he rolled his attempt wide. 

Ten minutes later, what could have been four one, was three two. Mitchell was dumped on the floor by a foul which the referee didn’t see. This move eventually led to a corner. With the Seagulls still complaining about the injustice of the not-given foul Didcot took advantage from the kick and scored another headed goal. 

Undoubtedly this made the two half-time team talks totally different but whatever was said it appeared that the home side’s manager had got it more right when they levelled the scores just three minutes after the restart. It seemed straight away that the home manager had given his troops one instruction; lump it in to the box towards the big fellas. And it worked when Didcot had a corner. In it came, Mousehole couldn’t clear, three three. 

Tuesday night was brought to mind again a few minutes later when the home side were reduced to ten men. Another ball was clumped towards the Mousehole box. It bounced head-high and Ed Harrison went to nod it away. Scarily for him and all the on-lookers, the Didcot forward decided to go for it with his boot in spite of it being six feet off the ground. He missed the ball and caught Harrison above the eyebrow. Whilst the forward had no malicious intent, it was reckless and dangerous and the referee ignored the home crowd and showed his red card. Harrison, bandaged, carried on briefly but had to leave the action a few minutes later. 

Could Mousehole succeed against ten home men where they themselves had failed? Only four minutes after the dismissal it seemed that they might. Fresneda played Symons in on the edge of the box. He squirmed one way and then the other but couldn’t get a clear shot off. Turner was free on the left and Simmo found him in space near the corner of the eighteen-yard box. The Hitman found half a yard and shot into the top corner. Four away goals, all of which could be contenders for goal of the month but the important thing was, could they hold out? Surely there was no way back for the ten (not) diddy men? Sadly, from the point of the goal going in it was Groundhog Day as the home team, with ten men, pounded the visiting defence. 

It was only a matter of time before the scores were levelled as the boys in navy blue seemed incapable of keeping possession. When it came, it came from the expected source. A cross, from the left, sailed across the box and found a Didcot man coming in totally unopposed to head it home. 

The only question now left was; could Mousehole now hold on to a point. Every cross and corner was watched through the fingers of the tremendous travelling support but somehow they did it. It was, ultimately, a disappointing point, but a point on the road is never easily won. This was a game of contrasting styles which showed that there is more than one way to skin a cat. 

Where the idea to build a new road for Mousehole AFC actually began depends on who you ask. Our chair, Deryk Heywood, remembers playing here over 50 years ago when the thought of a new road was already in the air. More recently, the idea took shape during a walk on a beach near Falmouth. But first, a little background.

For years, the only way to get to Mousehole AFC has been up a potholed, muddy road through the village of Paul. It meant winding through narrow country lanes and then squeezing through the quiet streets of a small Cornish village. Our local residents have found it increasingly frustrating—and the constant damage to the road from visiting fans, buses, and camper vans hasn’t helped either.

We’ve tried for a long time to find a way to make things better for everyone. Year after year, potholes were filled, but temporary fixes just didn’t last, especially with the wild Cornish weather out here in the west. Eventually, experts told us the road was beyond simple repair. Luckily, our neighbour Paul Pond came up with a brilliant idea—he offered us a slice of land at the edge of his property, just a couple hundred yards, where we could build a new road connecting our car park to the main road at the top of the hill. We knew that road would make a huge difference. The only catch? The cost. We first thought it might be around £100,000, but as we found out, making something permanent, functional, and attractive would be much closer to a quarter of a million pounds.

We launched a fundraising campaign and tried crowdfunding a couple of years ago. While we raised some money, it wasn’t nearly enough to reach our goal, and we had to pause the effort. At that point, we kind of lost hope—until our media guy, Kevin Bishop, went for a walk on a Falmouth beach with local journalist Rachel Stevenson. About a year ago, Rachel saw the potential for a great story and convinced The Observer to run a full-page article.

That’s when Prince William stepped in. After reading the story, he wanted to help. He reached out to Martin Riley, a local businessman with strong connections in Cornwall’s road building scene, who was vital in bringing all the pieces together. Every contractor donated their time, labour, and materials free of charge. It was an amazing example of our club, local businesses, and the royal family coming together to achieve something that might never have happened otherwise.

Prince William talked about this spirit when he visited us to officially open the new road. Lots of clubs have big ideas but often plans stall due to lack of time, energy, or lacklustre support from councils and governing bodies. Crowdfunding can let people down too, but Prince William helped fill the gap and made it real.

We were over the moon that he got involved, but when we found out he would come down to inspect the finished road himself, our excitement soared.

The day of his visit was cold and misty. BBC Breakfast arrived at 6 a.m. to broadcast live into Breakfast, which got everyone buzzing before dawn. Our committee and volunteers gathered bright and early, putting the final touches on the place, fuelled by plenty of bacon sandwiches, coffee, and tea. His arrival was delayed by fog that stopped his helicopter from landing nearby, but when he finally showed up, the atmosphere turned electric.

Prince William took time to chat with our volunteers, including Darren at the turnstile and Anne, Norma, and Fiona running the tea hut. He also caught up with committee members before meeting our first team and coaches. Local schoolchildren and our youth squads training on the pitch got to spend time with him, along with other students watching from behind the goal.

After such an incredible day, we still have to pinch ourselves to believe it really happened. The coverage was fantastic, and we hope this momentum helps us attract even more local involvement, commercial opportunities, and investment. The road is a magnificent addition to our club, but it won’t meet all our challenges unless we build on this unique opportunity. It’s been a wonderful few days for our club—and now we need to make it the start of something really special for Mousehole AFC.