Category: General Club News

Nania returns to the Ives as new Club President

St Ives Town Football Club are delighted to announce the appointment of Neville Nania as their new club president.

Neville is one of the most well-known figures in Huntingdonshire football and returns to the Quattro-Tech Westwood Road having previously been club Chairman for a 10-year term before standing down in 2010 and moving into football management with Godmanchester Rovers as first team manager in the Eastern Counties League. Basically, to fulfil his desire to go back into coaching and management.

His role as President will see him work with the current board of directors in developing the club strategy as well as assisting with raising the profile of the club.

Club Chairman Paul Reason said “I would like to welcome Neville back to the club. The club continues to grow and the fantastic team that we have built behind the scenes has played a large part in the big strides the club has made in the last couple of years. The appointment of Neville will only improve this and his assistance with the overall strategy of the club, and the innovative ideas he will bring, will be a massive benefit to St Ives Town”.

The new Ives president said“ Since moving away from Godmanchester Rovers in 2016 after winning the Hunts Senior Cup as my last game, I took the opportunity to watch my team Crystal Palace as a season ticket holder, which I thoroughly enjoy and spending more time with the family. However, from afar I have seen how St Ives continue to grow as a club under the stewardship of Paul Reason and the rest of his team of volunteers. Indeed, In the past I had an association with St Ives Town for 17 consecutive years as was also Chairman of the St Ives Town Colts club before taking the reigns of the senior club. When Paul asked me to consider taking the role of President, and after discussion with my wife and family, I had no hesitation in accepting and look forward to how I can help the club raise its profile in the years ahead”

Ives go top of hospitality league

St Ives Town have recently gone top of the league for hospitality in the Southern League Premier Division Central.

Points are awarded by fellow member clubs for hospitality on a matchday and with the Ives consistently scoring highly this season, it has seen them take top spot.

Chairman Paul Reason said “This is great news and is reward for the hard work that our hospitality team have put in this year and we hope to sustain our top spot for the remainder of the season.  We have had an increase in matchday sponsors this year who along with visiting officials always compliment us on how good our offering is”.

The club has recently improved it’s hospitality and catering facilities by having a new kitchen installed and would like to thank Graeme Thackeray and HBC Kitchens for donating the kitchen and Dan Coulson and other volunteers who assisted in fitting it.

Anyone who wants to take advantage of our matchday sponsorship should contact paul@rcostings.co.uk for further details

Updates on loan signings

See below an update on loan signings within the first team squad:

Existing Loanees:

Brandon Njoku

After a successful loan period with the Ives, Brandon was recalled by his parent club Cambridge United before their home game against Leyton Orient. Brandon went on to make a promising 15 minute cameo for Cambridge as they lost 2-0. Everyone at St Ives wishes Brandon the best of luck and thanks him for his performances.

Dan Barton

Another promising Cambridge United loanee, we are delighted that Cambridge have extended his loan spell with us until the end of the season.

Josh Tomlinson

Josh has put in some excellent performances for the Ives during his short loan spell from Northampton Town and we are delighted that they have also extended his loan with us until the end of the season.

Eddie Brearey

After a successful first half of the season with us, Oxford United have decided to recall Eddie. Eddie has put in some stellar performances between the sticks for us this season and we wish him the best of luck.

New Loanees:

Torin Ntege

We are delighted to have signed Torin Ntege on loan from Peterborough United. The 17 year old promising attacker was part of our squad that travelled to Stamford on New Years Day. Welcome Torin!

James Dadge

With Eddie Brearey heading back to Oxford, we have moved fast to secure the loan signing of James Dadge. A promising young goalkeeper, Ives fans will be familiar with James from his loan spell with us towards the end of last season and we look forward to seeing him in an Ives shirt again. Welcome James!

NYE Tickets still available

There are still tickets available for the St Ives Town FC New Years Eve Party.

Tickets are priced at just £5.00 and you can reserve yours by contacting Gareth Chapman or Mark Walker via email on garethchaps@icloud.com or mwalker2020@outlook.com. Tickets are priced at just £5.00 and the event starts at 7:30pm.

Club news round-up

As we approach Christmas, here is the latest news from around the club

First Team

The Ives have three matches over Christmas starting at Leamington on Saturday followed by a Boxing Day home clash with Kettering Town and then a trip to Stamford on New Years Day. A reminder that the match against Kettering on Boxing Day is a 1:00pm kick-off. The Ives go into these matches 15th in the table, on 24 points which is four places, and four points clear of the relegation zone.

Reserve & A Teams

The reserves are without football action over the festive season which means they will next take to the field on 06 January when they travel to Eynesbury United for an Intermediate Cup fixture. In terms of their league position, the reserves are currently fifth in the Cambs League Senior B Division, seven points off leaders March Town United reserves. It’s a similar story for the A Team as they have no football action until 6 January when they host Houghton and Wyton. The A Team go into Christmas currently sixth in Division 2B of the Cambs League.

Ladies Second Team

The Ladies second team had match action last Sunday. Unfortunately, they fell to a 7-1 league defeat to Histon Development. The next league match for the Ladies second team is on 7 January when they travel to Netherton United.

Youth Update

Our boys under 14 team are the stand out performers of the season so far from the youth set-up. They are currently five points clear at the top of their league having lost only once so far during the current campaign. At the weekend, they beat Leigh Ramblers 4-1 in a cup competition. The only other youth football at the weekend saw a victory for the under 15’s as they progressed through to the next round of the County Youth Cup.

150 Club

The latest winners of the 150 Club were announced at the weekend. As usual, there was prizes for first second and third. First went to Jack Clarke. Second was Peter Chapman and third was Paul Reason. The next draw will be on Boxing Day.

Christmas Draw

Also being drawn on Boxing Day will be the Christmas Draw. Before it is drawn, you will still be able to purchase tickets priced at £1.00 each. These can be purchased from the clubhouse during the game against Kettering Town. A number of prizes will be on offer to the winners.

New Years Eve Tickets

You can see in 2024 at the football club by purchasing a ticket for our New Years Eve Party. Tickets are still available and they are priced at £5.00. Please contact Gareth Chapman or Mark Walker for further details.

Club Podcast

Get set for the launch of a Club podcast in the new year. This will be a new weekly feature from the club media team and it is hoped to be launched at some point in January. More details to follow soon.

Commercial News

A big thank you to all our commercial partners and to those who have sponsored the club throughout the year. On Saturday for the game against Hitchin, we had a group of Ives fans sponsoring the game who enjoyed our matchday hospitality, which continues to go from strength to strength. On the back of those fans sponsoring a game, we are pleased to say there has been more interest from supporters who want to follow their lead at future home matches. So if you want to do this or know of a group or organisation who wants to sponsor the club in other ways, then please get in contact with Mark Taylor: mark@marktaylormarketing.co.uk.

Volunteers

The club is always looking to recruit more volunteers. There’s always jobs to do or help required around the ground be it on a matchday or during the week. If you have a few spare hours and would like to get involved, then please contact Club Chairman, Paul Reason: paul@rcostings.co.uk.

Programme Articles

We always welcome programme content from supporters. This can be anything from a Birthday mention to some other news. You can also submit any music requests or stadium announcements on a matchday. To do this, please contact stivestownmedia@hotmail.co.uk

And Finally….

The Chairman and Board of Directors would like to thank the fans, volunteers and everyone connected with the club for their support during 2023. Attendances for this season are currently showing an increase and it will be great if this continued into 2024 which we hope will be a successful one for the club. We would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Dave Bull

The club are devastated to announce the recent passing of Dave Bull. Dave was heavily involved with the club for over 40 years both as a player and then as a Director. He commenced his St Ives career in the 1950’s at the old Meadow Lane ground and was one of the people instrumental in the club moving to it’s current site at Westwood Road.

Upon finishing his playing career Dave then stepped up and took on the very important role of Club Secretary not to mention acting as Chairman for a few years as well. During the 1980’s in particular the club progressed massively with Dave being one of the driving forces. In fact, this was very much laying the foundations for the great success and growth that the club has enjoyed over the last 20 years or so.

In retirement, Dave became a staunch and loyal supporter of ‘The ‘Ives’ hardly missing a game in years. He was always very supportive of everything everyone at the club was trying to achieve.

Dave was hugely popular and well respected by everyone. The club’s thoughts are with Dave’s family and friends at this very sad time.

As a mark of respect to Dave, the club will holding a minutes applause before our home game with Hitchin Town on Saturday afternoon.

News Round-up

Here’s all the latest news from the club

Player Movements

The club can confirm that Charlie Johnson has left the Quattro-Tech Westwood Road and has joined Royston Town. We would like to thank Charlie for his efforts whilst he was part of the first team squad and wish him all the very best at his new club.

Also leaving is Peter Abimbola. Peter has been with the Ives on loan from Northampton Town in recent weeks and has been recalled by the Cobblers. On his first game back, he came on as a substitute in their game with Derby County. We wish Peter all the best for the future.

Next first team fixture.

The next game for the first team is the Isuzu FA Trophy 2nd round fixture at Aveley on Saturday. Aveley are currently having an excellent season in the National League South, and will be a difficult opponent for the Ives. The journey is no more than 90 minutes from St Ives, so if you can go, then please do so as the Ives will benefit from as much support as possible on Saturday. Kick-off is at 3:00pm.

Victory for the Reserves

St Ives Town Reserves had a good victory on Saturday as they recorded a 3-2 win at Swavesey Institute. The win means that it is four wins out of four in all competitions.

Defeat for the A Team

The A Team suffered a defeat on Saturday as they fell to a 5-3 loss at Hartford Rangers in a Junior Cup tie. Two of the three goals for the Ives were scored by Jude Sedgwick.

Youth Teams

The under 12’s had a resounding 3-0 victory at Peterborough RTC. Two goals for Sam Lowe. The under 13’s had a day to forget as they were on the wrong end of a 9-0 reverse at Mulbarton but better news for the under 14’s who won 4-1 at Haverhill. Meanwhile, there was two defeats for the under 15’s and under 16’s who lost against Leiston and Chelmsford respectively. But, the under 18’s secured victory as they beat Hemingford Colts 4-2 in a County Youth Cup fixture.

Defeat for the Ladies Second Team

There was defeat on Sunday for the Ladies Second Team who lost 3-2 at home to Netherton United. The result leaves the Ladies second team 10th in the table on four points.

150 Club

It was the first draw of the 150 Club for this season on Saturday and congratulations go to Paul Hunt who won £150.00. The second prize of £100.00 went to Bobby Reason and the 3rd prize of £50.00 went to Paul Moseley. Congratulations to everyone. You can still join for this season, so please contact Phil Moore for further details.

Christmas Draw and NYE Event

A reminder that you can take part in the Christmas Draw. It’s just £1.00 a square with a number of prizes on offer and these are available to purchase in the clubhouse on matchdays. The draw will be made at the Kettering Town game on Boxing Day. A reminder also that you can purchase a ticket for the New Years Party at the club. The fun starts from 7:30pm on 31 December and tickets are priced at just £5.00. Please see/contact Marc Walker or Gareth Chapman for further details.

Programme Cover Competition

On the subject of Christmas, a reminder that we are currently running a competition to design a festive football themed front cover for our match programme v Kettering on Boxing Day. The competition closes on 11 December, and is open for Children up to the age of 11 years old. Click here for more details.

And Finally…

Thank you to all of our fans who came to the Quattro-Tech Westwood Road on Saturday and cheered the boys to victory. A fantastic attendance of 482, and we hope to see you all for our next home game which is against Barwell on Monday 27 November, with a 7:45pm kick-off.

St Ives Town FC Remembers

Prior to the game against Halesowen on Saturday, St Ives Town Football Club paid their respects to those who had made the ultimate sacrifice.

The club was joined by St Ives Mayor, Cllr Phil Pope who laid a wreath. Also laying wreaths were Marina Howlett from the Hunts FA and Corporal Mackenzie who was also joined by fellow military personnel, Sapper Harry Peters and Lance Corporal Hodge. Mike Robinson was the standard bearer whilst Kevin Charter provided a rendition of the last post. Following the last post, a minutes silence was observed. A number of the junior teams were present too as the whole club came together to remember the fallen.

This Saturday: St Ives Town remembers

St Ives Town FC to join the nation in remembering the service and sacrifice of the Armed Forces Community from Britain and the Commonwealth

On Saturday 11th November prior to our first team fixture against Halesowen, we invite you all to join us at St Ives Town F.C. for this event as we pay our respects with a minute’s silence.

At 2.45pm before the 3:00pm kick-off the mayor of St Ives, Cllr Phil Pope will lead the flag bearer and our teams onto the pitch to await the arrival of the first team and our guests Halesowen, accompanied by the match officials. Our under 8 and under 9 teams will be the match mascots for the day. This will be followed by a performance of the Last Post.

We invite all in attendance on the day to join Club representatives and take part in a minute’s silence.

Poppies will be available at the ground and all proceeds will go to the British Legion.

Grant success for Ives to build community catering facility

St Ives Town Football Club are delighted to announce that they have been awarded a provisional grant to provide a new catering facility at their Quattro-Tech Westwood Road stadium.

The provisional approval of the grant follows an application to the Mick George Community Fund to seek finance to refurbish a former storage area that was used for pitch maintenance equipment.  Once refurbishment of this space is complete, it will provide a new cafe at the stadium and will be open during the day with refreshments available for those who hire the 3G pitch at the ground.  It will also be available for the local community to use with outdoor seating provided.

Commenting on the news Ives Chairman Paul Reason said “It’s magnificent that our application for a grant to fund this project has been successful.  Our catering facilities at the club have improved significantly in recent times and this will now enable us to expand this side of the business further.  I would like to  thank Gary Clarke for his work and assistance with the grant application.  We are really excited to be moving forward with this project. The plan will come into action once we have received final approval including registration with Entrust, the regulator of the Landfill Communities Fund”.

Ives launch Christmas programme competition

With thoughts turning to the festive season, St Ives Town Football Club has launched a special Christmas themed competition aimed at youngsters.

The club is asking children up to the age of 11 to design a Christmas football themed programme cover for their home league match against Kettering Town on Boxing Day.  There will be prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd with the overall winner getting a free family ticket for the Boxing Day game and a printed copy of the match programme which will also be signed by the Ives players as well as some festive goodies.

Ives Chairman Paul Reason said “This is a great way for youngsters to engage with the club.  All entrants can be as imaginative and creative as they like providing the design has a Christmas and football theme.  Kids love Christmas and having already reached out to local primary and junior schools, we are expecting lots of interest”.

The closing date for the competition is Friday 8 December with the winner announced week commencing 11 December.  Entry forms can be downloaded from the club website or hard copies can be collected from the club office on a matchday.  The forms also provide further details of how entries can be returned to the club.

If you want to take part, then head over to our special competition section on the club website.  The link is HERE where you will find all the necessary information.

News round-up

Herewith the latest news from around the club.

First team squad movements

Ahead of the postponed league match at Stourbridge yesterday, two new additions were made to the first team squad.

First, we welcome Ben Mensah. Ben is a 20 year old full back and a former Peterborough United youngster, having signed a professional contract at London Road in 2020. However, he was released by Posh this summer.

We also welcome Sam Tessler. Sam is a centre back who grew up in the USA playing for LA Galaxy and Pateadores Academy and represented the USA in Israel’s Maccabi Games in 2022. Sam played against the Ives in last seasons Hunts FA Senior Cup Final being a major influence in ensuring Yaxley kept a clean sheet in that game. This season he has been a regular with Northern Premier League East side Grantham Town.

Leaving the club is Fernando Bell-Toxtle who has joined Bedford Town. Fernando joined from Royston in the summer, but has seen his appearances restricted in recent times and we wish him well at his new club.

Next first team fixture

A reminder that the Ives are in action on Tuesday when they head to Coalville. Kick-off is at 7:45pm.

Victory for the Reserves

Despite the heavy rain on Friday night and early Saturday, the reserves managed to play at Godmanchester Reserves in a county cup tie and came away with an excellent 4-0 victory. The Ives opened the scoring inside the first 10 minutes with a goal from James Webb. Man of the match, Billy Chambers got the second with a chipped long range effort. Thomas Wakely slotted home the third and Lewis Dumont completed the scoring with a long range half volley that found the top corner.

Weekend youth fixtures

Some of our youth teams had football action this weekend. The headlines go to the under 14’s who secured a remarkable 21-0 victory in a county cup fixture against Gransden. Details of all the goal scorers to be announced in due course! Elsewhere, the under 13’s lost 6-1 in a County Youth Cup fixture at Peterborough RTC. But better news for the under 15’s who won 5-0 at home to Soham and there was another win too for the under 16’s who won 5-3 at home to previously unbeaten Tring.

Victory for the Ladies second team

The Ladies second team were in match action on Sunday and recorded a convincing victory as they recorded a fantastic 9-0 victory at Swavesey Spartans. The result moves the Ives up to ninth in the table.

Monday night football for under 18’s

The under 18’s host Cambridge City under 18’s in a league fixture on Monday night at the Quattro-Tech Westwood Road. Kick-off is at 7:45pm.

Halesowen fixture

A reminder that the first team are in home league action this Saturday when they host Halesowen Town. As this is remembrance weekend, we will be observing a minutes silence before kick-off this will be preceded by a wreath being laid and a bugle player. Representatives from our youth and ladies teams will also be present at the fixture.

FA Trophy second round

A reminder that the Ives have been drawn away to Aveley in the second round of the Isuzu FA Trophy. The tie will be played on Saturday 18 November. The club is considering organising travel to the game for supporters. More details on whether this will go ahead will be announced in due course.

And Finally….

A reminder that the Christmas Draw was launched at the last home game. It’s £1.00 a square with a number of prizes on offer. You can buy as many squares are you want from the clubhouse and the draw takes place at the Kettering game on Boxing Day. You can also purchase your tickets for the New Years Eve party and disco. These are priced at £5.00 and you can get yours from Gareth Chapman or Marc Walker on a matchday.

News Round-Up

Herewith the latest news from around the club

Tyrone Baker leaves the Ives

Tyrone Baker has had his contract cancelled and has left the club to sign for Potters Bar Town. Tyrone has been with the club since November 2021 after signing from Basildon United, and his impressive and consistent performances over the last two years saw him sign a contract ahead of the start of this season. However, he has seen his appearances become restricted this season and has now moved on to pastures new. Commenting on his departure, Ives manager Ricky Marheineke said “We are sad to see Tyrone leave the club. Unfortunately, the beginning of this season has not gone the way we had hoped and his appearances in the squad have become limited due to the formation we have been playing. That has understandably led to some frustration due to his lack of game time. Therefore, we have agreed to cancel his contract to allow him to move and we wish him well at his new club”.

Culkin also departs

The club can confirm that Murphy Culkin has also departed the Quattro-Tech Westwood Road. Murphy joined the Ives at the beginning of the season after playing at Redditch United last year. He has left to join Biggleswade Town, and we wish him well for the future.

FA Trophy Draw

Following the Ives 3-1 victory over Marine yesterday, they will be in the hat for the second round draw of the Isuzu FA Trophy. The draw will take place on Monday lunchtime and details will be made available on the club website and social media.

Next First Team Fixture

Don’t forget the first team have a Hunts Senior Cup clash at Eaton Socon this Tuesday, 31 October. Kick-off is at 7:45pm.

Victories for the Reserves & A Team

The reserves and A team recorded victories on Saturday. The reserves beat Linton Granta reserves 3-2. The result moves them up to fourth in Cambs League, Senior B Table. The A team won 1-0 in a league match at Crusaders 2019. The victory moves the A Team up to fifth in the table

Youth Round-Up

Plenty of football action for our youth teams over the weekend. Starting with the under 12’s, and they lost 2-1 in their latest league fixture at Bourne Town. The under 13’s had a day to forget as they lost 5-0 at home to Needham Market. Following their 10-0 victory last week, the under 14’s went goal crazy again as they recorded a 9-2 victory at Leiston. The result puts the Ives five points clear at the top of the table. The under 15’s also recorded a victory in Suffolk as they returned home with a 2-0 win at Needham Market. The under 16’s had Friday night cup action and and won 2-0 to progress through to the next round of the RT Litho Cup.

Defeat for the Ladies Second Team

The Ladies second team couldn’t build on their cup win last week as they sadly fell to a 8-1 defeat at home to Waterbeach Colts. The result leaves the Ives ninth in the table.

Christmas Draw & NYE Tickets

Don’t forget on a matchday that you can purchase a square in our Christmas Draw. The squares are £1.00 each with a number of prizes on offer. The draw will take place at the Kettering game on Boxing Day. Tickets for the club New Years Eve Party and Disco are also available at just £5.00. Contact Gareth Chapman on 07754 601146 for more information.

150 Club

A reminder that the 150 Club starts again in November. It’s £50.00 to take part and that number is yours for the season. First prize each month is £150.00. If you want to take part contact Phil Moore phil.moore01@btinternet.com for further details

And Finally….

A big thank you to everyone who contributed to the ‘Coats 4 Kids’ bucket collection held by the Rotary Club of St Ives during the game against Marine yesterday. They collected the total of £205.31 and have passed on their thanks to everyone who gave so generously.

Ives v Marine: Coats 4 Kids collection

At the Marine FA Trophy game tomorrow, we will welcome representatives from the St Ives Rotary Club who will be doing a bucket collection for ‘Coats 4 Kids’.

With the winter months almost upon us, Rotary Clubs across the UK are collecting donations with the project aiming to provide more than 2,000 children living in poverty in this country with a brand new winter coat. So please give generously to a worthwhile cause.  There will be four representatives from St Ives Rotary Club collecting any loose change from supporters at the game.

Weekend Round-up

The Saturday action focussed on the first team as there was no action for either the reserves or A Team. Sadly, there was no victory for the first team as they fell to a 1-0 defeat Stratford. A reminder they are in action again tonight when they host Royston Town at the Quattro-Tech Westwood Road. Kick-off is at 7:45pm.

On Sunday there was plenty of youth matches as well as cup action for the Ladies second team. Starting with our youth teams, and the under 13’s had a day to forget as they suffered an 8-1 reverse at home to Histon.  The result leaves the Ives in tenth position on 3 points from their 5 games played.

The under 14’s had an absolutely field day against Huntingdon Town as they recorded a remarkable 10-0 victory.  Bailey Pammenter was the hero as he netted a hat-trick, but there was also goals for Oliver Whitehead, Angelo Siscar, Xavier Pietrzyk, Thomas Mustill, William Hollebon and a brace from James Harris.  The emphatic victory moves the under 14’s to top of the table, two points clear of Needham Market.

The under 16’s visited Godmanchester Town for league action and came away with an excellent 2-0 victory.  Jacob Dickson and Elliot Mendes on the scoresheet for the Ives who move up to fifth in the table.

Finally, congratulations to the Ives Ladies second team who recorded an excellent victory in a league cup fixture courtesy of a 4-1 win over Netherton United.  The goals for the Ives were scored by Enya Griffiths, Kellie-Marie Dixon and two from Jaden Johnson.

Volunteers Needed

St Ives Town Football Club is currently looking to recruit more volunteers to assist in the following areas at the club:

  • Matchday Turnstile Operators
  • Matchday Stewards
  • Matchday Raffle Ticket Sellers
  • Kitchen & Bar Staff
  • Stadium Maintenance
  • Assistance with Event and Club Promotions

If anyone would like to get involved then in the first instance, please contact Club Chairman, Paul Reason: paul@rcostings.co.uk

Weekend Round-Up – 14 & 15 October

Whilst the first team fell to a last gasp 1-0 defeat at home to Bromsgrove Sporting, there was better news for the reserves who recorded an excellent 2-0 victory at Histon.  The result means that the reserves return to winning ways after a recent run of three straight league defeats.  The win sees the reserves occupy fifth spot in the Cambs League Senior B Division.

The A Team was involved in the drama of a penalty shoot-out as they secured a place in the next round of the Bill Coad Cup with a victory at Eaton Socon.  The scores were level at 1-1 after 90 minutes with Owen Ashurst getting the goal for the Ives.  Then came penalties, and the Ives secured a place in the next round courtesy of a 5-4 victory.

The Under 12’s were in league cup action, and they progressed through to the next round courtesy of a 4-0 victory at Wisbech St Mary.  There was youth action elsewhere, with the under 13’s losing 3-2 at Leiston.  Better news though for the under 14’s who hammered Newmarket Town 7-1.  Scoring two goals each for the Ives were Darius Minea, Max Orange and Xavier Pietrzyk with Jayden Windsor netting the other.  Meanwhile, there was also a victory for the Under 16’s who beat Letchworth Garden City Eagles Youth 3-2 with goals coming from Kiyan Brown, Oliver Nosal and Jacob Dickson.

Finally, there was Women’s Senior Cup action for the Ladies Second Team as they hosted Godmanchester Town Ladies.  Sadly, Ives lost 4-0 and it was Godmanchester who progressed through to the next round.

Asylum seekers attend Trophy fixture

A group of asylum seekers got a taste of some local football last weekend as they came to cheer St Ives Town onto victory in the FA Trophy.

The group (pictured with Ives boss Ricky Marheineke) are currently housed at the Dolphin Hotel in the town and have fled their homeland to seek refuge in Huntingdonshire.  They witnessed an excellent performance on the pitch as the Ives secured a 3-2 victory over Kettering Town.

Gary Clarke who organised the visit for the group to the club said “All those who attended are keen football fans.  We gave them free entry to the game, and I would like to thank everyone at Kettering Town for their co-operation with that agreement. We also gave the group some old St Ives shirts to make sure they were decked out in club colours, and they really enjoyed the afternoon.  The football club is very much at the heartbeat of the local community, and we thought it was important they came to a game so they can see what the area has to offer”.

Ives strengthen community links with Eyespecs partnership

St Ives Town Football Club are delighted to announce a fantastic new partnership with another great local company, EyeSpecs. The company which has 40 years ophthalmic eyewear manufacturing experience, is based at Edison Road in the town. EyeSpecs offers exclusive frame ranges, designer names and includes sunglasses and sports eyewear. The company can save you up to £200 on High Street prices.

Commenting on the deal, Andrew Kennedy, EyeSpecs Director said “we are proud to be supporting such a successful local community club as St Ives Town. We owe a great deal to the people of St Ives and the surrounding area, and it is a real privilege to give something back.”

Mark Taylor the club’s Commercial Director said “EyeSpecs are a long-standing local business with a marvellous reputation, and it is great to have a major company in UK optics partnering with the club. This is so important for the club’s continued growth in the local community and brilliant news that EyeSpecs are offering great help to everyone associated with it.”