I am very proud to be associated with this wonderful old football club. We have so many great people working behind the scenes to make sure that the club runs smoothly and it is all done on a completely voluntary basis.

Liphook United Football Club is a leader in the village when it comes to the number of people we offer recreation to. I think it is a great sight when the Recreation Ground is buzzing with youngsters, kicking a ball around and having fun.

It is good to have the Recreation Ground to play on, however as it is not our own ground, our hands are often tied when it comes to improving the facilities.

We have worked very hard recently to improve the clubhouse, which is small but cozy. We have also finally been able to arrange work to be carried out on the pitches, so that they can handle the winter weather better and we hopefully will not have to cancel so many games.

In an ideal world, we would have our own ground where we could be in control of what we want to do. It would be great to have floodlights, so that we could reduce the amount of money that we pay out to the local schools to use their training facilities in the winter months. The tennis club who are located 5 meters from our clubhouse are allowed to have floodlights…but sadly the football club, who provide recreation for many more people than the tennis club, are not.

I picture a large new clubhouse with a balcony overlooking a floodlit playing area, with a possible 4G playing surface for those wet wintry days, but a new ground will have to remain a dream at the moment. It is something though, that I do believe we deserve and one day funds might be made available for us to make a move. Until then, we will make the best of what we have.

What we do have at our club is an amazing spirit. All of our players are told the importance of respecting the referee and their opponents. Our youth and mini football teams often feature high up on the sportsmanship tables, which is very important to me. For a small village, we have many teams playing in high divisions against teams from big towns with much larger catchment areas. Our mens team often punch well above their weight and in fact are in the highest league they can be in. The next step for them will only come if we could secure a new ground with floodlights and a gate so payments could be taken.

I know that with the managers, coaches, committee members, players, supporters and parents that we have at the club, Liphook United Football Club is in very good hands and will thrive for many more years to come.

Andrew Oxton