As the year begins to draw to a close, we take a look back on some of the highlights off the field.
Torquay United AFC is privileged to be able to call upon a whole host of volunteers, who all play a vital role in the smooth running of the Club, and in 2022 no less than three TUAFC volunteers won the National League’s coveted ‘Volunteer of the Month’ award. Every month three winners are chosen from each of the three National League divisions to highlight the outstanding contribution made by volunteers across the three divisions that make up the National League, with United’s Ric Robins, Tommy Rackley and Andrew Fiderkiewicz all being presented with their awards in January, April and September respectively.
Another regular feature throughout the season saw a signed TUAFC first-team shirt auction, with a local charitable cause benefitting directly from the amount raised. In 2022, United were pleased to raise funds for Nick Sharpe in his 365 Sea Swim Challenge, Rowcroft Hospice, the Ukraine Humanitarian appeal, the family of Gulls fan Ben Oliver, and in support of ex-Torquay ‘keeper Scott Corderoy.
February saw Torquay United AFC, in collaboration with the Torbay League Of Friends, present Torbay Hospital with funds raised to boost their Covid Emergency Appeal. Following the huge response from the Yellow Army to the Advent Calendar Raffle last December, and with the Torbay Hospital League of Friends joining forces with the Club to further swell the donation, representatives of TUAFC were delighted to officially present the donation to the Hospital.
The following month, International Women’s Day (IWD) was celebrated at Plainmoor. IWD is one of the most important days of the year to celebrate women’s achievements, and with 60% of the Club’s non-playing staff being female, Torquay United was proud to pay homage to this day, as well as continuing to promote its growing partnership with the #HerGameToo movement.
Torquay United Women FC – who won the Devon Premier Cup for the first in their history in 2021/22 – remained a prominent part of matchdays at Plainmoor, regularly greeting supporters old and new into the stadium, helping to keep everyone refreshed during the baking hot pre-season friendlies, and also proving to be a hit with our younger fans, as they handed our our much-loved Community Clappers!
With this year marking the 40th anniversary of Rowcroft Hospice, TUAFC joined forces with other leading businesses and local landmarks to appear in a unique local edition of Hasbro’s iconic board game, Monopoly. United players Kieron Evans and Will Goodwin would give fans just a taster of the competitive nature of the world’s best-known property trading game, and with the Club proudly adorning the famous board, the Yellow Army responded in their numbers by purchasing this special edition of the game from Plainmoor’s Club Shop, and duly raising valuable funds for the Hospice in the process!
United’s Retro Gulls initiative has continued to grow from strength to strength. Aimed at supporters aged 50 and over, our Retro Gulls have enjoyed a some memorable events in Boots & Laces every month, with United stars present and past attending each meeting. Focused on all things Torquay United, it gives our older generation of supporters the chance to discuss the current team, and those of yesteryear, with both fellow supporters and United stars past and present.
Boots & Laces is often the social hub of the Club, and with Red Nose Day taking place in March, two back-to-back fancy dress discos were held to help raise with money for Comic Relief, whilst giving both adults and children an excuse to dress up and dance the night away too!
Community Days at Plainmoor have proven to be one of the biggest success stories over the past year, with the Wollens Terrace handed over to local sports teams for the match against Eastleigh in April. With a number of our guests witnessing live football for the very first time, the offer of free tickets for these community groups saw hundreds of new faces descend on Plainmoor, with many of them coming back for more thereafter, with the Club repeating the feat again for the televised clash with Altrincham in October.
The football season may have ended in June, but United were still playing a prominent role in the local community in June, as the Club took its place on the meadow alongside a number of other stalls, with many other events taking place to celebrate the historic occasion of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Joining in with the festivities was United mascot Gilbert the Gull, who proved popular amongst the youngsters and took part in a memorable penalty contest, whilst members of the Torquay United Women’s team were also on hand to meet and greet. There were also a number of footballing challenges were also on offer to keep both local residents and visitors entertained!
The following month, Torquay United’s Community Fun Day showcased the ‘Best of the Bay’, with the lawn outside Boots & Laces turning into a hive of fun and games in a bid to raise funds for a new life-saving public defibrillator. A superb Prize Raffle and stalls from a number of leading local attractions and businesses all came together, making it a hugely enjoyable, and worthwhile occasion that all of Torbay could be proud!
Another regular sight throughout the course of the campaign was the appearance of Gulls players at Torquay United Community Sports Trust’s Football Camps.
Gulls stars Corie Andrews and Dan Martin were just two of a number of players who made guest appearances, and after spending the day having fun in the sun, the children aged between 6-14 were delighted to see the United duo bringing the fun-packed day to a close, both on hand to oversee the football-mad boys and girls in action, before handing out awards and taking part in an enjoyable Q&A session with the group.
With the new season getting underway in August, TUAFC announced details that would see children & families throughout Torbay benefit from free tickets to watch live football at Plainmoor throughout the 2022/23 season, with support from the National Lottery. With the support provided by The National Lottery for community groups, the Club in turn decided to donate fifty season tickets to Torbay Children’s Services, in order to provide Torbay Council with the opportunity to distribute these tickets to children and families throughout the local community.
For the home match against Scunthorpe, TUAFC paid tribute to the NHS, by welcoming a number of staff members to Plainmoor as guests of the Club. The continued hard work of local NHS staff remains hugely appreciated by everyone at Torquay United AFC, with the Club delighted to provide a number of complimentary tickets as a thank you for everything they continue to do for the local community, often in very difficult circumstances.
In October, Torquay United AFC announced its latest partnership, with Swim Torquay. Based just steps away from the stadium at Plainmoor, Swim Torquay is often the base for United players in the days following a match, for Club Physio Regan Miles to get the team in for a pool session as part of their post-match recovery routine, and with swimming boasting a wealth of health benefits, this is another partnership that is sure to stay afloat for some time to come yet!
There was still plenty of time for more positive news as 2022 reached November, with its next initiative seeing local children within the Torbay community given the VIP treatment at Plainmoor, enabling up to sixty local children, with autism and other learning difficulties, to experience live football. The Club went on to announce it would be providing VIP tours to the children ahead of each match, enabling them to meet members of the Club’s footballing staff and off-field team and familiarise themselves with the stadium and their surroundings prior to the big day. As well as working together with Play Torbay and Torbay Council Children’s Services, TUAFC would like to thank the Torquay United Supporters Trust for assisting with this community initiative.
Following Remembrance Day, the Club confirmed it would once again be auctioning off the special edition poppy shirts worn by the first-team, with all profits raised going to the Royal British Legion. TUAFC, as a Club, has always been proud to continue honouring the sacrifices of fallen, whilst also supporting the work of the Royal British Legion in helping members of the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, veterans and their families.
Later that month, Jo Harris was announced as the Club’s Community Captain to help mark the Premier League’s 30th-anniversary celebrations. Torquay-born and raised Club stalwart Jo Harris has been named as Torquay United AFC’s Community Captain in recognition of her incredible work in the local area, which has included playing an integral role in a number of community ventures. The Community Captain accolade is being given to more than 100 members of the public who have made an outstanding contribution to their club and local community, as part of the Premier League’s 30th anniversary celebrations.
As Christmas approached, TUAFC auctioned off a number of shirts worn by the current United squad, as well as signed FA Cup footballs and a number 2022/23 home shirts signed by the team, with the net proceeds raised going to the Louisa Cary Ward. The Yellow Army, as always, responded in their numbers, bagging a unique piece of TUAFC history, whilst helping support the tremendous work the Ward continues to do.
The festivities were fast-approaching, but the Club wasn’t done yet, as it announced it had joined forces with Men’s Mental Health Warriors. Founded by local mental health advocate Paul Edmundson, MMHW are a self-help group for men aged 18+ who are struggling with their mental health, and with Torbay sadly having one of the highest suicide rates in the country, as well as stereotypes of those struggling with mental health -particularly men- sadly still evident, MMH Warriors’ partnership with The Gulls will also help to break down those barriers, with the Club already working with the group on a number of exciting new initiatives for 2023.
What a year 2022 has been. Together, 2023 can be even better!
#OneClub #OneCommunity