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John Galley announced as new Rovers Chairman

John Galley announced as new Rovers Chairman

Robert Lilley15 Nov 2016 - 01:30
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Current Wakering Colts Chairman voted in.....

I am excited that I can be part of this and am honoured and privileged to have the support from the village, football club and local community as these are the most important people to help develop and get involved with a great set up
- John Galley - Rovers Chairman

Rob Lilley speaks to our new Chairman

Firstly, I am proud and honoured to accept the position of Chairman of Great Wakering Rovers FC this evening, after being voted in by the current Committee. I sincerely hope to keep up the good work of the last few years and aim to guide the club into the future and onto new challenges and goals. There are real exciting times ahead for the village and the Rovers and can't wait to get started and get new faces involved with this great football club.

So what's your background?
I have a close affiliation with Great Wakering, as my family history goes back hundreds and hundreds of years in Great Wakering and I was brought up in the village as a youngster. My dad played for the Rovers youth Team in 1961 and returned in the early 70's to play for the 3rd's, 2nd's and one game for the 1st team........ I am the current Chairman of Great Wakering Colts YFC set up which was formed in 1978. I went to Great Wakering Primary School, then Hinguar Primary School and then attended Southend High School for Boys. I was fortunate to be in the first teams for the Colts in 1978 and still have contact with some of the original managers to this day, so my love and dedication for football in Great Wakering is always at the forefront of my thinking. I currently live in the village and am 46 years young. I am married to Shirley and have a son, Ryan, who plays for the U13's in the youth set up. I am a Director of Kestrel Printing Limited based in Southend so it is nice to be able to provide printing services to the football club through my business. Luckily, having been with my wonderful wife for the best part of 28 years, she knows my love for football and is very understanding, at least that what she tells me. I think that at least being half a mile down the road at the Rovers ground for 6 days of the week, she knows exactly where I am.......

What appealed to you about the position?

To be honest, it has kind of fell into my lap, as I was asked if I could step in to help steady the ship when Tony Butcher resigned the position at the start of October. It is not something that I thought I would even consider for the next 15 years, but the last 7 weeks have been very interesting to say the least, with Gary Ansell leaving the Club and then being involved with the selection process for the new manager - it has been like running a business, so I thought why not!! This is a great Football Club and has tremendous potential so is a really interesting project. I remember sitting at home pre-season watching Sky Sports news and a Great Wakering Rovers pre-season friendly result came scrolling across the bottom of the screen. Not bad for a village club!!

Tony Butcher put a lot of emphasis on youth development, will you keep up that mantle?
Absolutely 100%. Being the Chairman of the Colts, gives me a great insight into the youth set up of the Club and the number of teams that we have here now, from Soccer schools for the Under 6's right the way through to our Alliance, U21's and First team. The progression is there for all to see and we have had Colts players make it all the way to the Rovers 1st team, which demonstrates the clubs ethos for youth development. Dave Patient was due to be become our Director of Football earlier on in the year but due to an operation, Tony had to delay this, but I am pleased that we have been able to now appoint Dave to this position now as he is over seeing the Youth of the Club, amongst many other duties. Dave was watching the U16's on Sunday and is always on the look out for development within. We are currently looking to form more teams of various age groups in the Colts, as the set up is so good here that we are continuously being asked for teams to migrate with us and already this season have created 3 new teams at different age groups..... We focus on good coaches, that can develop the youngsters to play football a certain way. We are not a 'kick and run' club and want the boys to learn how to play football.. The Rovers EJA at U16 & U18 and then the U21 Ryman and of course the 1st team provide terrific stepping stones for progression and this has clearly been demonstrated over the past years with players being spotted and snapped up by pro clubs.... It was only 4years ago that Deli Ali was playing at Burroughs Park for MK Dons Youth v Southend United so we have had our pitch graced with a few famous names..... The U21's have provided a lot of players over the past month to support the first team during our manager-less period and everyone has stepped up to the plate - so our youth development is a massive part of the Rovers.

How big a challenge is this, and what are your short and long term goals for success?
I think that when a club has a major upheaval, like the Rovers has had over the past couple of months, there is always a great challenge in front of us and I am happy to be at the forefront of this. The support from other clubs both local and far and wide has been over whelming. It is a great feeling to be constantly told that teams love coming to the Rovers due to the warm welcome they get, the hospitality and the playing facilities that we offer - and this makes my job somewhat easier in the long run. Meeting opposition Committee, Players, Supporters and Managers has been a pleasure and it has been great to catch up with people that I haven't seen for a while... On Saturday night I was having a great bit of banter with Basildon United's Manager, Blox, after our 2 - 1 away win at Soham on Saturday and also our game with them midweek, that I don't really want to mention, so its great that people interact with us and have the mutual respect that I also have for them.
Of course we are always going to get one or two negative comments, but this is football and when people tend to be in your shadow you have to expect it.

Our short term is to stay in the Ryman league but with the overall support that this club has, we want to build nicely for the next couple of years. A NEW major sponsor is first on our list as we approach our centenary celebrations, as for the first time in many years the opportunity has arisen for a new First team sponsor to be put in place and with great, positive publicity for the club in the next few years are looking to build solid foundations to propel this club to new goals and achievements.

What would constitute a successful season this campaign?
A successful season this campaign now is purely survival. It would be tremendous to secure our Ryman league status - as we did have higher aspirations at the start of the season, but for one reason or another, unfortunately, these have not gone to plan. We have brought in a new gaffer in the form of Keith Wilson, and already in the couple of weeks that he has been here, he has seen all of the current first team, U21, U18's and trailists play in league, cup and friendly games. As a committee, we have put our faith in him, not just short term, but to take this club forward over a long term period to shape a new future for the Rovers.

What support will be given to Keith Wilson as GWR try to get themselves out of trouble near the foot of the Ryman North? Will extra funds be made available?
Keith has 100% backing from all at Great Wakering Rovers FC. Myself, the Committee, supporters and players alike, are fully committed in our support for Keith and this already has been proven both on and off of the pitch. Keith has only been here a couple of weeks but already has united a new dressing room. Lots of new players have been brought in with some familiar faces amongst them. There is a real sense of togetherness and spirit developing amongst the squad, which flows out onto the field and resonates around the club. The banter on the Coach to and from Soham FC on Saturday was brilliant and the ability to be able to sign players like Jake Gordon, who scored twice on his debut and retain players like Captain, John Easterford, says a lot for the respect and presence that Keith has, in and around our club. There is a real new excitement within the club and Keith's first home game generated the 2nd biggest crowd in the division last time out. Keith knows what he needs to do and is also very aware of the budget situation. We are not in a position to throw silly money at a budget and this is a similar situation for most clubs, and Keith is working very closely with Dave Patient' on bringing the right players into the club with a great pedigree to drive the team forward. The commitment and dedication on Saturday from the new and current players was a pleasure to watch and even though there were a few heart in mouth moments, I'm sure the team and the Gaffer had it all under control....

The new set up is great, with a full professional growth plan in place, and after hosting East Thurrock in a friendly on Tuesday evening, it shows the intent to get the right players and staff in to take this club forward.

Do you have any final words?
I am very much looking forward to the challenge ahead and am certain that we have the correct management team and structure in place now, to bring the great times back to Great Wakering Rovers FC over the coming years. I am excited that I can be part of this and am honoured and privileged to have the support from the village, football club and local community as these are the most important people to help develop and get involved with a great set up.

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