St Ives Town Football Club has officially opened a new community cafe at their Quattro-Tech Westwood Road ground.

The catering facility was funded through a grant the club received from the Mick George Community Fund.  The grant enabled the club to transform a previous structure of concrete beams and uprights into a functional and welcoming café.

Works started towards the end of last season and the project, inclusive of the interior fit-out, has been completed on time ahead of the 2024-25 campaign and welcomed its first customers at the Arsenal Legends charity match last weekend.

Ives Chairman Paul Reason said “We are delighted with the new café at the ground.  It provides a great space to offer catering and hospitality to teams using our pitch together with families and supporters.  I would also like to thank Gary Clarke for his excellent work overseeing the project and with the café already proving popular I have every confidence that it will be a success”.

St Ives Town Football Club is looking forward to welcoming a team of Arsenal Legends for a charity match on Sunday 7 July.

The match is billed as St Ives Legends v Arsenal Legends and is taking place to raise funds for Cambridgeshire based charity, Sports Connections Foundation (SCF).  The charity was established in 2010 with the aim of using the power of sport to inspire, empower, educate and transform the lives of children and young people.

Heading up the Arsenal team will be Nigel Winterburn who made over 400 appearances for the Gunners and won League, FA Cup, League Cup and Cup Winners Cup medals whilst he played under George Graham.

The first signing George Graham made when he was manager of Arsenal was Perry Groves, and he looks set to feature along with the likes of David Hillier and Ian Selley.

The Ives team will feature players who have been part of the club in recent years, and hopes are high that Conor Washington who was a prolfiic goalscorer for the club will be be at the game.  Washington transferred from the club into league football when he signed for Newport.  He is currently at Derby County but has made several international caps with Northern Ireland.

Aside from the football, there is a whole host of other activities such as football competitions including a crossbar challenge, bouncy castles, a question and answer session featuring Nigel Winterburn and an auction.

Ives Chairman Paul Reason said “This promises to be a fantastic day.  We are raising money for a really worthwhile charity and I urge lots of people to come out and support it.  As well as the football, there is fun for all the family and the club is incredibly grateful to the Arsenal Legends team for sending many household names and we are looking forward to a great occasion.”

ADMISSION DETAILS

The match takes place at St Ives Quattro-Tech Westwood Road ground and gates open at 11am when all the off the field activities begin.  The match itself kicks off at 3:00pm.  Admission is pay on the day and prices are £5.00 for Adults and £3.00 for concessions. Please note that no tickets are being sold in advance for this match. It is pay on the day.

TIMETABLE OF EVENTS

Doors open at 11:00am.

11:00am – 2:00pm: Football competitions, activities & refreshments

2:00pm: Teams warm-up

3:00pm: Kick-off

3:45pm: Half-Time/Crossbar Challenge. More details on how to take part in the crossbar challenge will be announced on the day.

5:30pm: Ives Director of Public Relations, Andy Dunn hosts a question and answer session with Nigel Winterburn and Conor Washington. Details of how you can take part in this will be announced on the day.

6:00pm: Your chance to bid for souvenir memorabilia from the day.

*Please note that the information above inclusive of timings is subject to change. Please keep revisiting this page for any updates between now and the event.

SPORTS CONNECTIONS FOUNDATION

The match will be raising money for local charity, Sports Connections Foundation. To find out more about the charity, visit their website. The link is HERE. There will be opportunities to donate to the charity on the day of the match itself.

MATCHDAY HOSPITALITY

The club is selling a hospitality package for the game. The cost is £60.00 per person and this includes entry to the match, 3 course lunch served at 1:30pm, drink before and after the game, wine with meal plus a chance to name your man of the match and photo opportunity with the recipient. For more details, please contact Paul Reason: paul@rcostings.co.uk

MATCHDAY CAR PARKING

The main club car park will be closed. Other parking will be available at the adjoining leisure centre and surrounding area.

MATCHDAY PROGRAMMES

The club is selling programmes for the game. These are priced at £2.00 and will be available to purchase inside the ground.

REFRESHMENTS

There will be several refreshment outlets available inside the ground which will be open throughout the day. These include a barbeque.

WHO’S PLAYING??

The Arsenal team will include a number of household names from yesteryear. These include:

Nigel Winterburn

A player who was signed by George Graham in 1987 from Wimbledon where he had been part of a squad that had a meteoric rise to the top flight of English football. After signing for the Gunners, he settled into his left back berth and went on to make over 400 appearances for the club and during his time with Arsenal, he won 3 league titles, 2 FA Cups, 1 x League Cup, and a European Cup Winners Cup medal. He also has 2 caps for England.

Lee Harper

A goalkeeper who was signed by Arsenal from non-league football in 1994. As a third choice keeper he saw his appearances limited and made the move to QPR and later Northampton Town making over 200 apperances for both clubs.

Perry Groves

A player who was first signing George Graham made as Arsenal manager. Arriving at Highbury from Colchester United as a left winger, he became a favourite among fans of the Gunners and went on to make over 150 apperances, winning the title twice and the league cup during his time at the club.

Omer Riza

A player who started his career as a youth with Arsenal and made his first team debut in November 1998 in a league cup tie against Derby County. After a year at the Gunners, he had a spell with West Ham before playing for various other clubs including fellow Cambridgeshire non-league side, Histon for who he made over 50 appearances.

Chris Whyte

A central defender who made over 90 appearances for Arsenal from the late 70’s to the mid 80’s. Playing under Terry Neil, he featured in an Arsenal defensive quartet that included David O’Leary. He gained four England Under 21 caps and after a spell in America, he went onto make his name at various other clubs including West Brom, Birmingham and Leeds United for whom he made over 100 appearances.

Jeremie Aliadiere

A striker who signed for Arsenal at the age of 16. He made a number of appearances in the Premier League for the Gunners, most notably in season 2003-04 when Arsenal won the league title. He then went on to make over 70 appearances for Middlesbrough before returning to French football.

Ian Selley

A midfielder who joined Arsenal in 1990 as a trainee. He made his first team debut at the age of 18. He made over 40 appearances for Arsenal most notably in the 1993/94 season where he collected a medal in the European Cup Winners Cup to go alongside an FA Cup and League Cup winners medal from the previous season.

David Hillier

A midfielder who joined Arsenal as a schoolboy in 1984. He then went on to progress through the Youth and Reserve Team at Highbury before making his debut in a league cup tie in 1990, that was the first of 143 appearances that he made for the Gunners. A former England Under 21 International.

Paolo Vernazza

A player who started his career at Arsenal, but ultimately played only a handful of games for the first team but was in the 1999 Charity Shield squad. He was later transferred to Watford where he made almost 100 appearances.

The Ives Team…..

Whilst we hope Conor Washington will be at the game, he will sadly not feature in the match. However, we are scheduled to welcome back the likes of Niall Conroy, Jamie Alsop, Jordan Lambert, Jimmy Dean and Junior McDougald who plays a lead role at Sports Connections Foundation.

A reminder….

Please check back to this page for updated information between now and the event on Sunday 7 July 2024.

The FA have today published provisional league allocations for the 2024/25 season.

In the PitchingIN Southern League Premier Division Central, St Ives Town will be joined by a mix of clubs who have been promoted or relegated into a division which will consist of 22 teams.

At the end of last season, Long Eaton United, Berkhamsted and Hitchin Town were relegated whilst Nuneaton Borough resigned from the league midway through the campaign. Gaining promotion were Needham Market and Leamington. As part of the provisional allocations, Mickleover have moved laterally to the Northern Premier League.

This means that there are seven teams replacing them for the 2024/25 season. Relegated from the National League North to Southern League Premier Division Central are Banbury United who join Bishop’s Stortford who were also relegated from the same division. Making an immediate return to the division are Bedford Town who were promoted via the play-offs. Also joining the division courtesy of promotion are Biggleswade Town, Harborough Town, Lowestoft Town and Spalding United.

The full provisional line-up is:

AFC Sudbury
AFC Telford United
Alvechurch
Banbury United
Barwell
Bedford Town
Biggleswade Town
Bishop’s Stortford
Bromsgrove Sporting
Coalville Town
Halesowen Town
Harborough Town
Kettering Town
Leiston
Lowestoft Town
Redditch United
Royston Town
Spalding United
St Ives Town
Stamford
Stourbridge
Stratford Town

Season tickets to watch St Ives Town for the 2024/25 campaign are now on sale, with prices remaining the lowest in the league. Those prices are:

Adults: £130.00
Concessions (over 65): £110.00
Students: £60.00
Child (under 16): £35.00

Season tickets are valid for entry to all first team games excluding cup matches. Full terms and conditions can be found on the application form. As an incentive, all season ticket holders will be entitled to a 10% discount on purchases in the Ives online club shop.

Commenting on the prices for the new season, Ives Chairman Paul Reason said “The club feels that this is excellent value and with the prices representing a significant saving, we are hopeful that many of our fans will take the opportunity to purchase a season ticket for what we all hope will be another exciting campaign”.

To purchase your 2024/25 season ticket, download the application form from the link below which has all the details of how you can apply and pay for your ticket.

The funeral details of lifelong supporter Martin Carter have been announced. It will take place at 11am on 16th May at Cambridge crematorium. Anyone who would like to pay their respects is invited to attend.

Martin was a popular and well known figure at the Quattro-Tech Westwood Road and passed away last Monday evening.

The Quattro-Tech Westwood Road will be the place to be on Sunday 7 July as teams of legends from St Ives Town and Arsenal take part in a charity football match.

The match will be played to raise funds for the Children’s Charity, Sports Connections Foundation (SCF).  The local charity was launched 14 years ago by former professional footballers and Ives players Junior McDougald and Richard Philp with the aim of using sport to transform the lives of children and young people.

McDougald who also hopes to be playing in the Ives legends team said “I would love to see past and present players, fans, and the local community come together to enjoy what promises to be a fun-filled and action-packed day. I am truly grateful to Paul Reason, Neville Nania, St Ives Town FC as well as Arsenal legends Nigel Winterburn and Jimmy Carter for their support in helping to pull together a team to help us raise awareness and much needed funds for such deserving children & young people who we are privileged to support”.

Since the charity was formed it has overseen the development of four main programmes which include Sporting Wishes – Making dreams come true for children and young people living with life-limiting illnesses. The Inspire Through Sport Programme has been created to help develop positive futures and exciting career pathways with a particular focus on those who face challenging circumstances. The Prokick Schools Challenge Initiative that has so far engaged with over 586,000 children and a small ITS International project that uses sport and education to help guide children away from a life of poverty.

Neville Nania manager of the St Ives Legends team has been delighted by the response of former St Ives players who are excited at the prospect of playing a part in the match against a team that will feature not only Arsenal Legends but special guests too. He commented “Everyone is looking forward to it, we will be trying hard to get Conor Washington back to the Quattro-Tech Westwood Road, which was the scene of his prolific goalscoring exploits before embarking on a wonderful professional football career with teams that include Peterborough Utd, QPR and Rotherham Utd as well as featuring on the international stage with Northern Ireland. We look forward to welcoming back lots of familiar old faces and new ones too for what I know will be an enjoyable day and one that we hope will make a big difference to SCF”.

Heading up the Arsenal squad will be SCF ambassador, Nigel Winterburn who played an incredible 584 games for the Gunners, winning 3 League titles, 2 FA Cups, 1 League Cup and a European Cup Winners Cup.

Winterburn said “I am delighted to be coming to St Ives Town in July with a team of Arsenal legends and special guests to support such a worthwhile charity.  As an ambassador of SCF, I am fully aware of the excellent work that they do and the difference they make to children’s lives.  The event will show how football can come together to raise money for such a worthwhile cause”.

As well as the football, there will be appearances by some special guests with events for all the family happening elsewhere around the ground.  Further event information including details of who will be playing for both teams and ticket prices will be announced nearer the time.

At an awards ceremony last night Dan Barton was named as the first team supporters player of the year. Barton, who has been on a season long loan from Cambridge United, has been an ever present in the Ives team with a number of consistent and excellent performances that made him the fans favourite. Also collecting awards were Jonny Edwards for leading scorer and managers player of the year. Meanwhile, skipper Michael Richens collected the award for Players Player of the Year.

There was also a special award for manager Ricky Marheineke and goalkeeping coach Paul Swannell in recognition of their 10 years at the club.

This Saturday will see the end of season awards take place in the clubhouse after the final first team fixture against Alvechurch.

There will be five presentations for the under 19, under 18, A Team, Reserve Team and First Team Player of the Year. The event will start no later than 6:00pm and will last just over an hour.

Admission is free, and the club will be delighted to see as many supporters as possible stay after the game and mix with the players and officials of the club to celebrate the end of the season. A reminder that voting is still open for the first team player of the year. The link is HERE. Alternatively, you can collect a voting slip from the matchday office on Saturday.

St Ives Town Football Club is today mourning the loss of lifelong supporter Martin Carter who passed away on Monday night.

As a supporter and volunteer of the Ives for many years, Martin was known by so many at the club and together with his wife Janet and brother Steve, he was an ever present supporting the Ives at both home and away matches.

Chairman Paul Reason said “The passing of Martin is devastating news and a shock for everyone who knew him.  Not only was he a popular and well known figure at the club but one of the most dedicated and loyal fans as he hardly ever missed a first team game either home or away.  On behalf of everyone at St Ives Town, I would like to offer our sincere condolences to Janet, Steve and his family at such a sad time.  As a club, we will be paying our respects prior to the final game of the season against Alvechurch on Saturday”.

The club is aware that many supporters will be wanting to attend the funeral, and these details will be announced in due course.

To celebrate the launch of our online shop, we are offering all St Ives Town FC fans 5% discount on any orders made on the shop for the rest of March using the code “SITFCLAUNCH”.*

To make an order, head over to our online shop using the link below and use the above code.

Head to the store and show your support for the Ives! ⬇️

st-ives-town-fc-shop.fourthwall.com

*T’s and C’s apply:

• Minimum $45 order
• Up to 1 use

All fans of St Ives Town are invited to attend an open meeting at the club later this month.

The meeting will take place on Thursday 21 March with Chairman Paul Reason and representatives from the board of directors available to provide an update on everything behind the scenes and to answer any questions from supporters. First team manager Ricky Marheineke will also be at the meeting which will begin at 7:45pm. The clubhouse will be open from 6:30pm.

St Ives Town Football Club is inviting applications for the following vacancy.

Complex Steward

Summary:

St Ives Town Football Club consists of several teams ranging from the men’s first team to reserves, A Team, youth, and ladies.  The club is based at the Quattro-Tech Westwood Road and the stadium comprises of an artificial 3G pitch which is used by the club teams and is also hired by others within the local community 7 days a week.  This role is for someone who could help maintain the facilities and the Stadium complex at the Quattro-Tech Westwood Road. 

Job description and duties:

1. Opening and closing the facility
2. Footwear checks for all personnel who enter the 3G playing surface.
3. Oversee general cleanliness and presentation of the stadium complex ensuring removal of all litter and dealing with left items/lost property etc.
4. Accountability for when the pitch is hired and used.
5. Health and safety following the required training.
6. Dealing with customer requirements and or incidents
7. Oversee the presentation of the facility and pitch including assisting with movement of goals.
8. Dealing with the operation of stadium floodlights.

This role would be of minimum wage requirements and would suit someone who could help maintain the facilities and take pride in our stadium complex.  Reliability and great customer service skills are required for this role to assist our valued complex users.

The hours would be varied and would include evenings and weekends.

Benefits would include refreshments and a season ticket to St Ives Town, who have a strong reputation as a family, friendly club.

Applications should be sent via email to club Chairman, Paul Reason: Paulreason@mail.com

Last Saturday was a day to remember for representatives of the St Ives Rangers U9 Black Sox team, who were official matchday mascots for the first team clash with Stratford Town.

Their day included a tour of the Quattro-Tech Westwood Road stadium which included a big round of applause from a packed hospitality suite as they walked through. They then had a pre-match meeting with Ives manager Ricky Marheineke and then accompanied the Ives out onto the pitch ahead of kick-off.

As the pictures below show, they all had a great time and we look forward to seeing them back at the Quattro-Tech Westwood Road again soon.

If you have a youth team that would be interested in being mascots for the day, then please get in touch via our website or message us on social media.