During the current uncertainty surrounding everyday life not just in the UK, but around the world, preparations still have to put in place for when things return to some sort of normality.
With this in mind, over the last few weeks Athersley Recreation FC have been been putting plans in place for moving forward.
Pete Goodlad who has been acting as Interim Manager will be standing down at the conclusion of the current season to enable him to fully concentrate on his role as General Manager of the Club
From the beginning of the start of the next football season, whenever that may be, the Club are delighted to announce that Shane Kelsey has been appointed as First Team Manager, taking responsibility for all matters pertaining to the football playing side of the club. Having a wealth of experience in Non League football, as well as an intimate knowledge of Athersley Recreation FC’s ethics, the Club feel that Shane is an ideal fit for their vision going forward.
In discussions with Shane, the club have agreed to adopt his strategy of having Coaches rather than Assistant Managers in place, giving him a far more flexible team to work alongside to try and ensure that all members feel that everyone is approachable. The coaches that will be working alongside Shane are Ryan Eastwood, Kevan Locke, Chris Rix and Tony Wigfull. Working in tandem with Shane managing the Reserves will be Adam White and Richard Liversedge.
Also to enhance our Coaching facilities we will from time to time be accessing the services of a Coaching Mentor to assist in further development of our playing squad.
The Club wish Shane and his team all the very best and look forward with great anticipation to working with them to see how their infectious enthusiasm strives to move the Clubs development forward.

Michael Shepherd
(Athersley Recreation FC - Chairman)

Kels as we all know him had this to say!

I would like to start off by thanking Pete,Alan and the rest of the board for the trust they have shown in giving me the opportunity to drive the club forward in the next step of its proud history. It’s an honour and privilege to be named manager of Athersley Rec Football Club.

The goal is quite a clear and simple one. Lay the foundations to enables the club to be more self sufficient in terms of players development in a time when football at all levels seems to be adamant on instant success. That is an option that we don’t have nor would we adopt should we be lucky enough to have the finances to do that. Athersley has always been a community driven club and we must fight tooth and nail to retain the communities values and revive the bond with the local community in order to survive and flourish in this difficult environment. By stripping it back to the very bottom and reinstating those core values then we hope to get back it’s identity with the community and surrounding area which has slightly gone adrift over the past few years.

The trajectory of the club from the day Pete and Alan founded it has always been an upwards one. That success was built on loyalty to “homegrown” players coming through our fantastic youth set, something that is very close to my heart as both Myself and Ryan coach the U8s too. This pathway to the first team seems to have been forgotten in recent years in favour of other ideas. I am determined to see our youth selection flourish and bare fruits. For a club like us it’s vital, if we are serious about reconnecting with the community this is a must.

The first step in this plan is to surround myself with individuals who share the same ideas and more importantly the same commitment. In Ryan, Kevan , Chris and Tony we have just that.

In particular Kevan who has been around the club for some years now. He has been absolutely vital in steadying the ship this season after let’s face, it was an absolute disaster pre season and start to the season. He could have so easily walked away but by sticking around it shows what this club means to him. He deserves so much credit and his inside knowledge of the club will be pivotal in implementing and driving forward the plan.

The newest member of the management team coming in is Ryan Eastwood. It’s so important to have someone around you who knows you better then yourself at times. Ryan’s that man. Like myself Ryan is a former player at the club and also knows the club inside out. His determination and his unselfish attitude to helping others achieve their goals is something that will benefit this young squad so much. He is a real asset to have.

With Tony and Chris I feel that the skill sets they bring to the team, especially on the training pitch will again prove to be invaluable. They are both vastly experienced and I’m lucky to have them onboard. And lastly the management team extends to the reserves were we have a great team already in place in Adam and Rich who will drive the same ideas as myself. I’m looking forward to working with this management team and seeing were it takes us.

I am so looking forward to a new challenge in my footballing journey. I have been lucky to play under some great mangers, such as Pete , Craig Elliott, Wayne Benn, Eric Gilchrist. These managers each had their own unique styles and methods but all had the same underlying core skills that ultimately success is built on. Those being an Unbelievably unselfish work ethic, a determination to keep pushing beyond their comfort zones and most importantly to me, they were straight talkers.
I would be an idiot not to use those past experiences to my advantage by adopting the same core skills that those managers had and add to those my own personal skills too.
Again I cannot thank the board enough in appointing me as manager and hope to do the club proud. The squad we currently have in place deserves so much credit and praise too for their effort this season. They were dealt a bad hand at the beginning of the season by being ill prepared for what they were about to face. I may not have the Ivy League CV of a lot of mangers and coaches but I believe that along with my team, we can together bring coaching methods that are relative to this level and and what the lads relate to as well as bringing back the community relationship.

Up the Rec

Kels