We are about to go from “Updates” to “Results” as the season starts for the Seniors then in a couple of weeks for the youth teams. This season the start will not be as smooth as we would like because the exceptionally dry weather has lead to some grass pitches being unplayable. Much of London is built on clay which cracks in dry weather sometimes leaving gaping holes in pitches. The RFU has in fact delayed the start of the grassroots rugby season. We are in a better position because we now have our own artificial pitch and football is more forgiving than rugby. We will find out over the next few weeks how our own grass pitches and those of our opponents have coped.
Works at the Den:
Whilst many have been sipping Pina Coladas by the pool over the summer our Operations Committee has been working 24/7 progressing the works at the Den. There remains much to do but we will be able to use the changing rooms from this weekend and the turnstiles are due to be installed next Thursday. We should be fully operational by Christmas.
Season Starts: The fixtures still have not all been releasedbut we expect teams to start playing their League and Cup matches on:
The MCFL Senior Firsts: Start from Saturday 5th September
The MCFL Senior Blues: Start from Saturday 12th September
The MCFL Senior ODs: Start from Sunday 6th Sept
The HYFL U12 to U18 Boys: Start from Sunday 20th or 27th September
The HSC Season for U11s and younger: StartfromSunday27th September
The CGL for Girls: Start from Saturday 19th September
Book Tip: The Matilda Effect by Fiona Crawford. For those of you eking out the holiday season this book is full of entertaining anecdotes that show the joy of women’s football and the vibrant community surrounding it. It tells the story of Australia’s successful women’s national team. Crawford reflects on the sport’s history, giving recognition to the game’s trailblazers and showing how the success of the Matildas was not built in a day.
