Through the Turnstile @ Southam United

Welcome to Through the Turnstile, this series of features are intended to shine the light on some of non-leagues leading stars. This time we are venturing through the turnstile looking at Southam United, based in Warwickshire.

A brief history of the Club

Southam United, established in 1905 through the merger of two village teams, boasts a rich history of success in various leagues and cup competitions. From dominating the Coventry and North Warwickshire League in the 1940s and 1950s to achieving notable victories in the Midland Combination, the club has seen its share of triumphs and challenges.

Key highlights include winning the Coventry Evening Telegraph Cup and securing titles in the Midland Combination. Despite setbacks such as relegation due to pitch size issues, Southam United persevered, eventually reclaiming their place in Premier Division football.

Bob Hancocks stands as the club’s all-time leading goalscorer and appearance holder, recognized for his remarkable contributions with the FA Long Service Award. In 2001, the club merged with Southam Town FC, further expanding its reach and development initiatives, particularly in youth and women’s football.

As an FA Charter Standard Community Club, Southam United prioritizes the development of junior players, offering coaching sessions and support for aspiring coaches and officials. The club’s commitment to nurturing local talent is evident in its efforts to encourage more girls to participate in the sport and cultivate future talent, potentially leading to the formation of a Ladies team.

While the first team faced challenges in the late 1990s and early 2000s, they experienced successes in cup competitions, including appearances in prestigious finals at venues like the Ricoh Arena. Notable victories include lifting the BCFA Midweek Floodlit Challenge Cup and the Telegraph Challenge Cup.

After a period of transition, the First Team made a successful return in 2018/19, competing in the Hellenic League and later advancing to the Oxford Senior League Premier. Despite the obstacles posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the team has continued to progress, aiming to ascend to even greater heights in the future. Under the leadership of Lee Petch & Lee Walkinshaw, Southam United looks to build on its recent achievements and establish itself as a formidable force in regional football.

(Source: http://www.southamunited.com)

Club legends (as told by Southam Fan Loraine)

Lauren Thomas – as she does huge amounts of work behind the scenes, is very dedicated to the club and works tirelessly to keep the club on track.

⁠Tim Wignall, passionate volounteer, who has a long history with the club, and is another person who works tirelessly to try and give his all to the club in any way he can.

Kit

2023/2024 Southam United Home Kit

£25 Replica Kit – Available from Clubhouse only

Stadium info

• Bobby Hancocks Park (CV47 2UZ)
• Capacity – 1000 (100 💺)
• Number of stands – 2
• Grass Pitch
• On-site parking available at the ground – The Large car park area adjacent to the football pitch at the bottom of the site is for all fans attending a match.

“I live here so it’s very close to home, there is always a good friendly atmosphere, to show support for the local club, and it has family values and is a welcoming place, football has always been in the background of my life so it’s great to be able to show support for my local team”

Loraine – On why she is a fan of the club.

Entry Price

Matchday Tickets
£5 adult
£3 oap / concession / 6-16 year olds
Aged 5 and under free

Season tickets
£80

All season ticket holders are then able to take advantage of members prices on food and drinks, eg. 25p of a pint of Madri and 2 pizzas for £15.

Matchday Programme
£2 printed or free online.

Stadium Shop

Although there is no ‘official’ club shop currently in place, you can still head into the main clubhouse (below) and buy merchandise such as: post cards, key chains repica shirts from behind the bar (a little stand to the right of the bar).

Itssssss pin badge corner !

Although currently out of stock, when they are in stock they are on offer from the club to buy for new and old fans alike, but you will have to be quick as I am told that they dont stay in stock for long!

Price – £2.50

Drinks

The main drink area on a matchday is The Saints Bar, located upstairs in the main stand area of the ground, the bar is a vast modern space which really does offer a bit of everything. The perfect place to sit, relax both pre-game and post-game to either celebrate or console yourself. The bar runs happy hours after the game too so you have the perfect excuse to head on up and grab yourself another one or two for the road!

The club also offer an amazing community driven scheme in that anyone who is associated with the club can use the clubhouse for a party completely free of charge, it is the clubs way of helping people out as the cost of a hall can be quite large and not affordable for many especially in the current climate. I personally find this an extremely heartwarming offer and really sums up all of the good work that clubs like Southam do that most of the time goes under the radar.

As you can see the space is beautiful and with a lovely view of the pitch it really is quite an impressive facility to have to offer for the club.

Anyone who is not affiliated to the club can still hire out the venue, just drop an email to:
secretary@southamunited.com for full details.

Food

Wow – where do I start! What a selection we have here…

The vast amount of food on offer is simply amazing and the quality is also there to match, if you are in doubt just scroll down and take a peek at one of the Pizzas!

The club cater to every want, need and eventuality and if the menus below arent enough the club also sell hot pasties / pies & games day specials such as chilli, chinese or chicken curry. Quite simply – sign me up!

The Breakfast Bar is predominately for the childrens games and early kick offs but the club like to ensure that the parents and children from the Junior teams are able to get some food after their games when the full bar option is available.

The Fab 4 – League Tables

Now lets now take a peek at the prices of 4 of the most popular items bought by fans on a matchday: Beer, Cider, Burger and Chips and a cup of tea. These 4 items will be included in all of the ‘Through the turnstile’ features and today we kick off the tables as below:

^ Pint of Madri & Pint of Cold Water Cider (due to Moretti and Strongbow not being available)
* Price of Carling (Birra Moretti not available)
” Price of Orchard View (Strongbow not available)
+ Price of Aspalls (Storngbow not available)

Southam offer the cheapest alcohol so far in this series and also very nearly the cheapest Burger and chips combo too, so it is quite easy to say that the matchday offering is up there with value for money.

And did i mention how nice the food looked earlier…?

Top Current players (as told by fan Amy D)

Craig Watkin, Andy Yeates and Shane Osborne

It’s been very difficult to choose just three as there’s something positive to say about every member of the squad and there have been some great new signings recently but these would be my top three current players:

Craig Watkin – Wokko is a firm fan favourite and his name is often heard chanted from the supporters. He’s consistent, a good communicator and has scored some absolute worldies.

Andy Yeates – As captain Andy is a great team leader, he’s calm and consistent and really keeps the team going.

Shane Osborne – Shane’s work ethic is fantastic. It doesn’t matter what the scoreline is or how many minutes are left on the clock, he never gives up.

Views from the Staff

Q) What is the biggest misconception about this level of football ?
A lot of the players & parents have joined this league in hoping they’ll be scouted by a professional club.

Q) What do you love the most about being a youth coach for Southam?
Hopefully being part of the 5 year plan that the club has set out & eventually seeing one or two or these players break into the first team or eventually signing a professional contract.

Q) How has the club got to where it is today?It’s being hard work in forming a new team in its first competitive season. There’s an awful lot that goes on behind the scenes that people (parents) don’t realise.

Q) What is the proudest moment since you have been with the club?
My proudest moment was watching the team fight for their first ever point. Going in at HT 1-3 down against a strong competitive team and earning a hard thought 3-3 draw. The boys were absolutely buzzing, watching the reaction of the parents priceless, very proud. That was the catalyst to us going on to win our first games.

Q) How long have you volunteered at the club for?
About 15 years now (alhough I did have a gap of 2-3 years)

Q) What has kept you as a volunteer for so long?
Just the simple fact that there is a lot to be done, you start doing a little and get carried away a bit. I’ve done lots of different roles over the years and it becomes part of your life.

Q) What does Southam mean to you?
Southam United means an awful lot to me. They say “You only miss your water when your well runs dry”. Well we had a couple of years without a team when the ground was sold. This left a void for me and when the new ground was built it became even more important to help out and make it a success.

Q) Why should more people volunteer at non-league clubs?
People should volunteer at non-league clubs because things dont just happen. An extra pair of hands with a garden fork can be the difference between the match being postponed or not. No game = nothing to watch. Quite simple really.

The club would simply not be the same without Rav, I cannot express enough just how much he has done and continues to do for the club. Quite simply – people like Rav are why non-league exists a bonafide club legend.

Mike Davis (CEO)

Q) What is the biggest challenge is managing a non-league team?
To maintain the positive mindset and keeping all the players engaged with their commitments and enthusiasm. It’s a long season and you have to appreciate that your players have been at work all day and done a day’s graft even before they sit in the car and travel to the games on a Saturday or midweek, you have to remain grateful and appreciative of all there efforts not only on the field of play but off it to.

Q) One thing that a fan of a Premier league team might be surprised to know about Non-league.
The amount of time you spend in actually preparing for training, a game, reflecting, traveling, If you was to add the hours up in all of these areas a management  team can spend anything from 3-8 hours driving a week,  a few hours a phone calls and texts every other day across the management team and players, and this happens weekly  throughout a year not a season as you have preseason in June- Aug then the close of season April, so you probably only have 1 month off all year. Premier league players and staff remember this; All this time needs to be fitted in alongside full time work as well as family commitments.

Q) What do the fans mean to you both?
Everything!!! these guys spend their own hard money to support, enjoy and encourage us on every week. We have supporters who travel to away games who can leave the house first thing in the morning and get back in late at night, this is a commitment that we wouldn’t be the club we are today if it wasn’t for these people. for that we are both so grateful.

Q) What does success look like this season and then the next?
Its continuing to improve, targets are set at the start of the season and agreed from the board to us, and we have to deliver them. It is not only on the field it is off the field to.  The club has to grow, and not stand still. With all this in mind where we currently are as a club in terms of competing at this level we face massive challenges in terms of travelling and budget so a strong midtable finish and good cup runs mean a very successful season. The club since the reform hasn’t finished above 12^th but going into the run in we have a chance of finishing higher than that this season as well as us reaching a semi-final.

Q) Why should more people come down and watch a Southam united match?
The hospitality, the appreciation for their support is very warmly welcomed by all staff on and of the field, they will watch a brand of football which will entertain and show the supporters that we want to succeed and not only progress up the table but to coach players on how to improve their own games, for them to grow in strength as well as the club and us as in managers, ultimately we aim to create a friendly family environment that the whole community can engage with.

Please come and support the saints at our next game…

View from the fans

Q) Current favourite player?
Craig Watkin (Wokko) Always puts a shift in, desire, passion, and likes to get stuck i.



Q) Do Southam matchdays provide value for money?
Yea for me they do, happy hours around the game, entry fee is fair, and the club facilities are well above what you would expect at this level on NL football.

Q) Why do you keep coming back?
The club is really trying to identify with the local community, I live not 300 yards from the club, so for me I want to be a part of that journey with the locals, and to hopefully see the club become the community hub it’s striving to be. Add to that a friendly environment and a great group of lads trying their best every week to get a result, I mean if you like football, why wouldn’t you go each week.



Q) What do you think Southam offer that nobody else does?
In the most part for me is the openness, the CEO has always said Southam is the local people’s club, that resonates through the entire club, and is part of the fabric for what they are driving towards, everyone involved with the club has the same approach, and it creates a welcoming “local club” mentality all through the layers.



Q) For anyone who is thinking of attending a game but isnt quite sure if to or not, what would you say to them?
Get down there, see for yourself how friendly the environment is, children welcome upstairs as well, always a bite to eat available, and draught beer / cider. Great view across the pitch and a good group of committed players and volunteers looking to make it an enjoyable game for everyone.

Now before we see wha the future holds for Southam, a special mention must go out to Benson who is the official mascot of Southam United and is fan Waynes doggy! So cute!

Future plans as told by Mike Davis (CEO)

Q) What would you say to someone considering a visit to Southam?
Come down and see what we are about, we are confident as a club you’d receive a warm welcome and have a great experience at the club. When people attend games its not just a way of supporting our club, it’s a way of supporting non league football as a whole and with the ever increasing financial divide in football your support is now as important as it’s ever been. We believe in non league football and believe it has the ability to inspire realistic opportunities for kids in the game so come down and bring the family.

Q) What does the 5 year plan for the club look like?
Without giving too much away or delving into too much detail, bright, brighter than its ever looked before. Historically the club has struggled in many ways for an array of reasons but things, after much hard work, long hours, blood sweat and tears, have started to fit into place. When we first took over the club there wasn’t even paint on the walls, carpet on the floor and the first team were playing out of a local college facility lucky to have 3 fans at a game. In a short space of time we can now boast impressive facilities, a home for the club with a bar, kitchen, restaurant, café which has helped accelerate the five year plan. The main part of the plan is that of sustainability, to safeguard the club and ensure its future around self sufficient financial sustainability. We have invested heavily into revenue generating areas at the club so eventually the club can ‘wash its own face’ as such. Our five year plan is split into 4 key areas to help up focus on developmental goals

• Business
• ⁠Community
• ⁠Club
• ⁠Committee & Structure

Q) What are the future plans for:

Stadium
We are currently in the process of designing and building new dug outs which hopefully will be complete in the very near future. We are looking at building and installing an area outdoors which space has been allocated that can be used as an outdoor seating and dining area as well as a small sized training area which will allow for additional all weather facilitation to prevent missed training session. We are in the process of looking into funding options for an all weather full sized pitch, the planning committee have set this as a main club priority.

Academy
When I first arrived at the club there was an education academy here at Southam, which was, as with the rest of the club on the brink of closure. We managed to save the remaining students and ensure they all left with their qualifications, some going onto university and some seeing scholarships to America. I decided we needed to ensure we, as a club, we’re in the best possible position to be able to offer the best possible provision and learning experience for the academy student before reopening its doors. I’d like to say we will have academy structure back up and running writhing the next three years but only when I’m confident that we can offer the level of provision any learners would deserve.

Recruitment
Recruitment for me is key to the clubs continual growth and development. Recruitment of staff, recruitment of volunteers, recruitment fans, players and kids onto our pathway. We want people to believe in what we are trying to achieve and want the local community to buy into the club so our recruitment policy is generally a simplistic one, keep doing what we are doing, keep believing in the process and keep following our 4 foundational pillars (passion, pride, loyalty & respect), if we do this I believe people will come to us, players will want to play for us, fans will want to support us, the local community will want to help us where they can and future generations will want to run out under the lights of BHP on a Friday evening. Every home game see’s a local team or one of our internal teams bring young players down for a mascot experience where they can walk out the tunnel with the players, warm up on the pitch, play a mini match at half time and eat with the players after the game, I’m confident that if you ask these kids that night who they want to play for in the future, the majority would say Southam United FC.

Community projects
As a club, the community is very much at the heart of what we do.

We provide a facility for whatever they need (parties, anniversaries, meetings) at a hugely discounted rate in comparison to other spaces of the size we offer.

Aswell as that we are the home to the home county football teams , so that includes the the kids and womens games. We have offered them sponsorship deals and advertising around the stadium to help promote youth football in the area.

We also have a local businesses who use the pitch for free to get more people engaged in sport, a local band practices in the hall free of charge, local schools proms are also held in the hall completely free of charge.

Outreach programmes we are trying to introduce include us buying – A playstation, Xbox, Projector, Snooker table, x2 Pool tables, Fusball Table & a Dart board in the hopes of opening a youth club one night a week from next season. This is in the hope that it will give the local children a place to go to and a safe space to socialise together.

Finally we are looking to host a inter-school football tournament for the surronding primary schools in the area (6 in total) we will be putting this on completely free of charge.

We just want to give back to the community in a positive way and above is just some of the things and projects which we hope will be a big part of that.

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So that brings us to the end yet another ‘Through the Turnstile’.

Southam United is a club that is brimming with good people, just in the short time in putting this together they have been nothing but helpful, kind, friendly and welcoming. It is this sort of reception which I know each and every one of you would receive should you choose to give Southam a chance on a matchday and after seeing all what they have to offer alongside all of the good work they are doing for the local community, you would be silly not to!

Enjoy a matchday at this wonderful club who are destined for good things, you heard it here first.