Hello everybody,

I am writing to you on behalf of the directors to let you know about a critical vacancy which has opened up within the match day management of the first team. This is a fantastic opportunity to put yourself at the heart of what we do at Mousehole and to ensure the smooth and compliant running of the club.

A few weeks ago Andrew Large, who has been club secretary now for several years as well as fixtures secretary for the last couple of seasons, let us know he has decided to step down at the end of this season. His contribution to this club has been immeasurable and remarkable, and his departure leaves a large hole to fill.

We urgently need somebody to step up to take over Andrew‘s duties beginning next season. The requirements of the role are set out below but it is quite possible that we will try to split some of these between two or three people.

If you are interested we’d be happy to chat over the details with you.

This club prides itself on our community spirit and the tireless contributions of our volunteers. If you know of anybody who might be suitable for this role, please do let me know on kevinbishop@mouseholeafc.co.uk or 07739 920 251.

FOOTBALL AND FIXTURES SECRETARY JOB DESCRIPTION

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS

Liaise with visiting team prior to home games regarding playing colours, programme information, hospitality requirements, travel arrangements and pitch inspections

Liaise with match officials prior to home games regarding pitch inspections, travel arrangements and payment details

Liaise with host team prior to away games regarding playing colours, programme information, hospitality requirements and travel arrangements

Input team information into the Southern League’s Match Day System and present to referee (to be completed 45 minutes before kick-off at both home and away games) 

Operate the Southern League’s Match Day System during home matches 

Liaise with opponents and the League regarding fixture rearrangements

Act as first point of contact with the Southern League and the FA for all correspondence, incoming and outgoing, and attend both online and “in person” meetings as required 

Liaise with team management regarding players: notices of approach, registrations, disciplinary record, etc.

OTHER TASKS

Attend both home and away games in fulfilment of the responsibilities and tasks above, delegating when absent 

Maintain “player pen picture”, “club history” and “club information” files for use in (home and away) match programmes 

Maintain a fixtures and results summary for sharing within the Club 

Ensure that key information is shared with the Board and the broader volunteer community 

Participate in relevant discussions with the Chairman, Board and team management

Working with the Chairman and the Board, help to safeguard and promote the Club’s interests, image and reputation 

Ensure that everything possible is done to avoid costs and fines imposed by the League, FA and CCFA

Mousehole Football Club is looking to make strides towards enhancing its facilities and contributing to the community with an ambitious plan to construct a new access road to their Trungle Parc ground, which is situated just outside the village of Paul on the hill above Mousehole Harbour. The plan, first announced in 2021, will be largely financed by a crowdfunding campaign to be launched this autumn.

The new access roadway, for which the club already possesses planning permission, will connect the B3315 near Sheffield directly to the football ground and the campsite it operates. The Club has undertaken preparatory work along the route under the guidance of experts and in compliance with all planning conditions. This includes a thorough assessment of a suitable drainage scheme to ensure there is no increase in water run-off.

The access road will terminate as a cul-de-sac at the Club’s ground, making it impossible for it to become a ‘rat run’ into the village. Instead, the new access road is poised to bring numerous benefits to both the residents of Paul and the football club.

A primary advantage of the new road is that it will divert all the current football and camping traffic away from the village of Paul, alleviating congestion in the lane from the Ring & Thimble junction into the village. The new road access will also make the club’s car park bigger with defined car spaces for another 40 cars, 3 coach spaces and a cycle hub. In this respect, it will eliminate the need for overflow street-side parking in Trungle Parc and Trungle Terrace, addressing concerns about parking issues.

Club Chairman Deryk Heywood remembers the road being discussed when he played for the club in 1978 and has been working on the plan since he became chairman six years ago. The strip of land has been gifted to the club through the generosity of the neighbouring landowner and full planning permission has now been obtained. 

As well as directly benefitting the club, Deryk believes the additional access and parking the new road will bring will provide much-needed extra capacity for village events, as well as providing enhanced facilities at the club for the community to use: 

“The road will help bring the club to another level commercially and keep all the traffic away from the village. We are part of the community along with the cricket club, the pub, the church. We want to improve life for the community by drastically reducing the traffic flow”.

To put the traffic and parking concerns into perspective, home matches for the club’s First Team occur on average once every fortnight for eight months of the year, with the season comprising approximately 20 matches from August to April. The club’s attendances have averaged around 200 over the most recent season. The club’s move to the Southern League means visiting teams and their away supporters are now located much farther away than before. Consequently, the likelihood of individual vehicles increasing is minimal.

In addition to the new road, the club will be exploring better ways of managing its sewage and water supply and are investigating hooking up to the mains supply.

As a non-profit organization, Mousehole Football Club is committed to adhering to all planning rules and regulations and will continue to do so. The Club’s vision is not only to secure its future but also to create opportunities and foster a strong sense of community within the village of Paul.

Considerable expense has already been outlaid by the club to ensure the plans meet all requisite regulations and standards. The club are now exploring crowdfunding opportunities for the project and details will be released later this year. 

Steve Burt retires as one of Mousehole’s most popular and respected players, with an impressive record stretching back over ten years.

by Andrew Large and Kevin Bishop

Jake Ash has led the tribute to Steve Burt who has decided to hang up his boots after a decade-long career at the club: “I remember thinking back to my first training session at Marazion and this lad turned up with a ponytail and I just thought he was a surfer who’d come along to join in training. But I came away and sent messages to everyone saying there are some good players there but one in particular who is just unbelievable, technically brilliant with every tackle.”

Local lad ‘Burtie’ joined Mousehole at the start of 2013/14 season, and missed very few games over three consecutive seasons, being awarded the captain’s armband by player-manager Wayne Quinn.

As captain, he led Mousehole to a record-breaking and historic ‘double’ in the 2015/16 season, winning both the South West Peninsula League Division One West and the Cornwall Charity Cup.

After a serious season-ending injury near the start of the 2016/17 campaign, he joined nearby Ludgvan for a year,  returning to Mousehole for the 2018/19 season.

He was a key defensive midfield player during The Seagulls two-Step promotion years, and is noted for scoring the team’s first-ever goal at the club’s highest-ever playing level – the Western League Premier Division – at the start of the 2021/22 season (against Wellington).

Before the home match against Exmouth Town at the end of March of that season, Burtie was presented with a plaque to commemorate 250 First Team appearances for the club.

Jake added: “I don’t think you’ll find a single person in football or the world in general who has a single bad word to say about him. Everything he does, he does with real integrity and honesty. He’s been an absolute pleasure to manage.”

Having made another 36 appearances in this season’s League title-winning side, Steve Burt retires with a Mousehole career total of 288 appearances and 11 goals. His final appearance for the club saw him lift the Western League trophy after a 3-0 win against Wellington.

Mousehole have strengthened their position at the top of the South West Peninsula League (West) with the signing of prolific goalscorer Mark Goldsworthy, the captain of close rivals Helston Athletic.

Goldsworthy notched up his 300^th SWPL goal early last season, in two spells with Helston Athletic either side of a stint with St Austell, putting him among the county’s all-time record scorers. 

He went on to play an important part in Helston’s record-breaking 24-match winning run in last year’s League campaign, before the season was ended prematurely in March.  Up to that point, ‘Goldie’ had already netted 34 League goals, as well as another five in the Cup competitions, and was well on the way to adding to his unique tally of four consecutive ‘Golden Boot’ awards.

He was also the top scorer in the Kernow Football Alliance’s build-up to the (subsequently postponed) CONIFA World Cup last season.

 Commenting on his move further west, the Porthleven-based marksman explained: 

“At the age of 29 I’ve still got a lot of room for improvement as a player.  I’ve long been an admirer of Mousehole’s style of play, and I’ve got the greatest respect for Jake Ash, both as an opponent and coach, and Andy Graham through his coaching work with Kernow FA.  I know how the club operates and where it wants to be, and I’m glad to have the opportunity to be part of that.”

Mousehole are currently League leaders having scored an impressive 47 goals while conceding just 7, but Head of Football Adam Fletcher is by no means complacent:

 “The season has gone well so far, but we all know we can do better.  So, we are delighted to bring on board someone with Goldie’s experience and goalscoring ability.  He will add a different dimension to our attacking options.  Over the next few weeks he’ll be working hard with Gareth O’Neill (Strength & Conditioning Coach) to recover from a recurring ankle injury and join Gareth’s month-long fitness plan.”

Manager Jake Ash is convinced the signing is a massive step for the club: “Mark’s record over many years is proof of his consistency.  He has an incredible knack of knowing where the goal is – something that’s very difficult to coach – so to bring that natural skill set into this talented group of players is really exciting.  But he offers so much more than that:  his all round game and contribution to both team and club, and someone who wants to be the best he can be at everything he does”.

 If and when the season resumes in early December, Mousehole will have two consecutive home games, on 5^th December against Launceston, and on the 12^th against St Austell, one of Mark Goldsworthy’s previous clubs.

 Mousehole’s Chairman Deryk Heywood summarised the club’s position:  

“The signing of Mark Goldsworthy should leave no doubt about how serious we are about progression.  I cannot over-emphasise the role and reputation of our management and coaching team in making this happen, and helping us to push on with our ambitions as a club.”

Mousehole have completed the summer re-structuring of their management team with the notable appointment of Ben Harding, who will take up the post of Head of Coaching combined with First Team Player/Assistant Manager.  

Ben will take responsibility for ensuring the football philosophy is embraced and developed across all Academy and Senior teams while also supporting the commercial initiatives the club and the Endorsed Academy are building.

The 34-year old midfielder had latterly made 52 appearances over two seasons with Truro City in National League South, and stepped up as the White Tigers’ interim manager in the early part of last season.  

His playing career spans a total of more than 400 games for Wimbledon, MK Dons, Aldershot, Wycombe, Northampton, Torquay and Gosport, together with three appearances for England ‘C’ as they won the Four-Nations non-league tournament in 2008. He also represented England Youth, Under-15/16s, and won the Victory Shield with them.

London-born Harding will be working alongside Mousehole’s recently appointed Manager Jake Ash – also a former Truro City star – as The Seagulls look to continue to develop in the coming season, playing at the highest level in their history (Step 6) after promotion to the newly re-formed Premier West Division of the South West Peninsula League.

Mousehole’s Chairman, Tim Richardson, who played a major role in talks with Ben Harding, said of the appointment:  “Ben has always left a great legacy wherever he’s played, and he will make a huge contribution to our club – not least as an influential character on the pitch.  The fact that people of the outstanding calibre of Ben and Jake have committed to Mousehole shows the desire and seriousness of our ambitions.”

Harding is enthusiastic about his new opportunity: “Mousehole’s vision and aspirations for the future are not only fantastic for football in the area, but the community will see great benefits.  The people I have met here have been extremely welcoming and I cannot speak highly enough of the commitment and drive everyone at the club possesses.  I have felt totally inspired by what’s to be achieved here.  I strongly believe football has a special way of uniting people and communities, and I’m super-excited to be part of something so positive for the youth and people of Cornwall.”