*BS*Dover Athletic Under 14s and 15s were recognised for their sportsmanship at the Valley Express Kent Youth League AGM last week, the first time the club has been awarded.*BF*

In the photo, Youth Section Chairman Daren Smith receives one of the awards from Bill Kelly, the Vice Chairman of the League.

Daren said: “Myself and Jon Barrett attended the AGM on 27th June and were pleasantly surprised to receive the awards for both U14s and U15s age groups.

“The Sportsmanship awards are given out to one side in each division to find the most sporting team. The criteria includes the least bookings, most welcoming to both Ref and opponents and by votes from our peers.

“This is the first time that Dover Athletic Youth has received one of these awards and to receive two is a great honour.”

*BS*Dover’s number one speaks about his new contract, expectations for the season and his recent trip to Bermuda to represent the England C team.*BF*

Following a fine season between the sticks, Walker has decided to extend his Crabble stay for a further two years and was clearly glad his future had finally been sorted:

“I would have liked it to have been sorted earlier, but I had a busy summer playing for the England C! There were other offers, but it’s nice to play after training all week.

“I am still young and after these two years are up I will only be 23 and hopefully I can continue playing for another twenty years.”

Recent press quotes from Chris Kinnear expressed delight that the ex Brighton player has decided to stay and Walker was keen to return the compliment: “I enjoy working with him, we only lost once in the league under him last season and he has clearly brought something to the club. He told me he will be building a young, hungry team this season.”

*BS*On training full-time and working at his game…*BF*

With the league season just over six weeks away and training started, Walker revealed his plans: “I am going to train with Crawley this season where I can and help them out for things like shooting practice – it suits both parties. It really helps as well that they have a goalkeeping coach, even though Hooky tries to teach me!

*Ppic1*”As for the season ahead, I just want to be more consistent. Even though I have just had a good season, I made some mistakes last year and want to improve. I am my harshest critic.”

The tall stopper won the hearts of the Crabble faithful last season with some all action displays, including two penalty saves to send Dover into the play off final against eventual winners Salisbury.

After the disappointment of May’s final defeat in extra time, Mitchell is clearly looking to go one better next season: “It was really harsh on everyone connected with the club, but Dover is a well run with a good home crowd.

“I expect us to be challenging this season along with the likes of Eastleigh, Sutton, Chelmsford and Ebbsfleet.”

*BS*Looking forward to the season ahead…*BF*

Wednesday’s fixture release sees Whites play three of the first four games against newly promoted teams Whitehawk, Gosport and Concord along with a juicy home game against Ebbsfleet sandwiched in between.

Mitchell is relishing playing against his old team mates, who followed Steve Brown up the A2 after his appointment by the new owners at Ebbsfleet: “I am looking forward to seeing them as they are all good lads and it certainly is the game the fans would have picked to see first. It won’t be strange to play against them as part of football is that players move on.”

Walker also gave his opinion on playing the newly promoted teams early on: “Every team can beat every team in this league and just because they have come from the league below, they are still going to be tough games. We will approach these games with caution as we do every game.”

*BS*Representing England C this summer…*BF*

Whereas most players will have visited exotic locations this summer to relax after another hard season, Mitchell Walker’s recent trip to Bermuda was for very different reasons after his call up to the England C squad for the first time.

Mitch said: “The standard was really good and it was a very professional set-up. I learnt so much from the manager and the goalkeeper coach and I hope the chance will pop up again. It was such an honour to play for my country and Bermuda was an amazing experience.”

*BS*The Football Conference and BT Sport have agreed a two-year deal for the new channels to show 30 live matches a season from the Conference Premier.*BF*

BT Sport will host live broadcasts from the grounds for 25 league matches, plus both legs of the play-off semis and the Promotion Final at Wembley, from the start of the 2013-14 season in August.

The deal will bring live football from the 5th tier, immediately below League Two, to a much wider audience than ever before, which will enable greater opportunities for marketing and sponsorship deals.

Simon Green, head of BT Sport, said: “We are delighted that we’ve been able to invest in the Non-League game and play our part in helping community clubs to flourish.

We are not just interested in the glamour of the Premier League; we’d like to bring the excitement and grit of the Conference Premier to a new audience, as well as its existing strong fan base. There are some terrific clubs in the Conference Premier and some fantastic stories and characters, which we aim to develop in our coverage.”

Brian Lee, chairman of The Football Conference, said: “We welcome the opportunity to be joining the revolutionary BT Sport, which we are sure will be a ‘game changer ‘ for ourselves and BT Sport. We feel that the prospect of showcasing our wonderful brand of live football to a potentially mind-blowing number of viewers can only enhance our product. We hope sponsors of clubs and competition alike recognise the huge step that we are now undertaking. We sincerely hope this is the start of a long and fruitful partnership for both parties.”

The new season promises to be a classic battle for promotion to the Football League.

FA Cup giant killers of last season Luton Town will be out to end their exile from the Football League alongside the Mariners from Grimsby Town, who will feel they have stayed long enough in the Football Conference.

New boys Barnet, with Edgar Davids at the helm, will no doubt be out to make a quick return, starting the new season at their new stadium, “The Hive”. Big spenders Forest Green Rovers will be out to repay their “green millionaire” Dale Vince, who is bankrolling the Gloucestershire village side, with the promised land of the Football League the only objective for manager David Hockaday.

Promotion Finalists finalist’s Wrexham, will again turn to their experienced players such as Brett Ormerod, Dean Keates and player manager Andy Morrell to achieve their dream whilst Kidderminster Harriers, runners up last season, will be hoping to go one better this time around under the guidance of manager of the year, Steve Burr.

Chester FC and FC Halifax Town return with new identities to the highest tier of the Conference after their trials and tribulations of recent years and it will be a challenge for both alongside established clubs in the Conference Premier.

BT Sport will show 38 exclusively live football matches from the Barclays Premier League, including 18 of the ‘top picks’ from August 2013 for three seasons. The channels will also show live FA Cup, Europa League and Scottish Premier League matches, as well as top tier live football from Germany, Italy, France, Brazil, Australia and the USA, plus action from the FA Women’s Super League.

*BS*Whites will kick-off their Conference South campaign away to newly promoted Gosport Borough on Saturday 17th August.*BF*

The first four matches in the club’s fixture list are against teams which were not in Conference South last season.

Chris Kinnear’s rejuvenated squad will come up against some familiar faces in the much-anticipated Kent derby against Ebbsfleet United at Crabble on Tuesday 20th August at 7.45pm.

After the visit of Ryman Premier play-off winners Concord Rangers to Crabble on Saturday 24th August, the August Bank Holiday Monday fixture two days later sees us travel to Ryman Premier champions Whitehawk in Sussex.

Athletic’s Christmas schedule has given supporters three exciting Kent derbies in just seven days. Tonbridge Angels come to Crabble on Boxing Day, with the return match at Longmead on New Years Day. In between those is Ebbsfleet United away on Saturday 28th December.

Later in the season, Whitehawk come to Crabble on Easter Monday 21st April. Whites will end their league campaign away to Hayes and Yeading on Saturday 26th April.

*Link1*

*BS*The Football Conference and BT Sport have agreed a two-year deal for the new channels to show 30 live matches a season from the Conference Premier.*BF*

BT Sport will host live broadcasts from the grounds for 25 league matches, plus both legs of the play-off semis and the Promotion Final at Wembley, from the start of the 2013-14 season in August.

The deal will bring live football from the 5th tier, immediately below League Two, to a much wider audience than ever before, which will enable greater opportunities for marketing and sponsorship deals.

Simon Green, head of BT Sport, said: “We are delighted that we’ve been able to invest in the Non-League game and play our part in helping community clubs to flourish.

We are not just interested in the glamour of the Premier League; we’d like to bring the excitement and grit of the Conference Premier to a new audience, as well as its existing strong fan base. There are some terrific clubs in the Conference Premier and some fantastic stories and characters, which we aim to develop in our coverage.”

Brian Lee, chairman of The Football Conference, said: “We welcome the opportunity to be joining the revolutionary BT Sport, which we are sure will be a ‘game changer ‘ for ourselves and BT Sport. We feel that the prospect of showcasing our wonderful brand of live football to a potentially mind-blowing number of viewers can only enhance our product. We hope sponsors of clubs and competition alike recognise the huge step that we are now undertaking. We sincerely hope this is the start of a long and fruitful partnership for both parties.”

The new season promises to be a classic battle for promotion to the Football League.

FA Cup giant killers of last season Luton Town will be out to end their exile from the Football League alongside the Mariners from Grimsby Town, who will feel they have stayed long enough in the Football Conference.

New boys Barnet, with Edgar Davids at the helm, will no doubt be out to make a quick return, starting the new season at their new stadium, “The Hive”. Big spenders Forest Green Rovers will be out to repay their “green millionaire” Dale Vince, who is bankrolling the Gloucestershire village side, with the promised land of the Football League the only objective for manager David Hockaday.

Promotion Finalists finalist’s Wrexham, will again turn to their experienced players such as Brett Ormerod, Dean Keates and player manager Andy Morrell to achieve their dream whilst Kidderminster Harriers, runners up last season, will be hoping to go one better this time around under the guidance of manager of the year, Steve Burr.

Chester FC and FC Halifax Town return with new identities to the highest tier of the Conference after their trials and tribulations of recent years and it will be a challenge for both alongside established clubs in the Conference Premier.

BT Sport will show 38 exclusively live football matches from the Barclays Premier League, including 18 of the ‘top picks’ from August 2013 for three seasons. The channels will also show live FA Cup, Europa League and Scottish Premier League matches, as well as top tier live football from Germany, Italy, France, Brazil, Australia and the USA, plus action from the FA Women’s Super League.

*BS*Whites will kick-off their Conference South campaign away to newly promoted Gosport Borough on Saturday 17th August.*BF*

The first four matches in the club’s fixture list are against teams which were not in Conference South last season.

Chris Kinnear’s rejuvenated squad will come up against some familiar faces in the much-anticipated Kent derby against Ebbsfleet United at Crabble on Tuesday 20th August at 7.45pm.

After the visit of Ryman Premier play-off winners Concord Rangers to Crabble on Saturday 24th August, the August Bank Holiday Monday fixture two days later sees us travel to Ryman Premier champions Whitehawk in Sussex.

Athletic’s Christmas schedule has given supporters three exciting Kent derbies in just seven days. Tonbridge Angels come to Crabble on Boxing Day, with the return match at Longmead on New Years Day. In between those is Ebbsfleet United away on Saturday 28th December.

Later in the season, Whitehawk come to Crabble on Easter Monday 21st April. Whites will end their league campaign away to Hayes and Yeading on Saturday 26th April.

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*BS*Dover Athletic’s new replica kits are starting to arrive at Crabble, including the special pink away kit – as modelled here by director Steve Parmenter.*BF*

A pink strip has been chosen to raise funds for a breast cancer charity. The club will donate 50% of all profits made from the sale of the pink replica shirts.

Replica shirts ordered by supporters are currently being manufactured – delivery date to be confirmed. The White Cliffs of Dover feature as part of the design on the back of the shirt.

*Link1*

*BS*SURRIDGE SPORTS BECOME CONFERENCE KIT PARTNER*BF*

*Lpic1*We are also pleased to see that Surridge Sport, our kit supplier, has been confirmed as the official Technical Kit Supplier for the Football Conference for the next two years.

Surridge Sport became Dover Athletic’s kit supplier in 2012 and also works with clubs such as Bury, Barnet, Mansfield and Shrewsbury. The company will now supply bench wear to all Conference clubs.

*BS*Official statement by the Football Conference:*BF*

The Football Conference is pleased to officially announce Surridge Sport as its new Technical Kit Supplier for 2013/14 having signed a 2 year agreement to supply bench wear for each of the 68 clubs throughout the competition.

Surridge Sport, who have a wonderful heritage are recognised as the perfect Partner for the Football Conference.

Brian Lee, the Chairman of the Football Conference said: “On behalf of our member clubs, I am delighted to welcome Surridge Sport with its wonderful history and track record into the Football Conference family of Sponsors. We are positive that they will prove to be a great addition. The quality of their bench wear and apparel will be appreciated by all management and players.”

Based in Burnley, they currently supply Bury, Barnet, Shrewsbury Town and Mansfield Town, amongst an array of football teams and they see the deal with The Football Conference as a great opportunity to extend their presence within the football sector.

Charles Lord, Group Director at Surridge said: “This new deal with the Football Conference gives us the exposure we require to obtain a prominent position in the national arena of the game, through our fantastic product base and the service we offer. The model we operate gives the clubs exactly what they want, when they want it and at a competitive price. Our service and product is a breath of fresh air in a highly competitive market.

“The early indications we have received from the Football Conference Board and its members is highly encouraging and we look forward to a great relationship.”

Surridge Sport was founded in 1867 and is one of the oldest sports brands in the world. The brand is not just synonymous with cricket but with football as well. The SS Cobbler was the first synthetic football to be used in the World Cup finals in 1958, when Pele entered the scene. The SS UFO was the official football used by the FA for years and the iconic white with a red band was the ball superbly struck by Justin Fashanu in 1979/80 for the goal of the season for Norwich against Liverpool.

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*BS*Dover Athletic’s new replica kits are starting to arrive at Crabble, including the special pink away kit – as modelled here by director Steve Parmenter.*BF*

A pink strip has been chosen to raise funds for a breast cancer charity. The club will donate 50% of all profits made from the sale of the pink replica shirts.

Replica shirts ordered by supporters are currently being manufactured – delivery date to be confirmed. The White Cliffs of Dover feature as part of the design on the back of the shirt.

*Link1*

*BS*SURRIDGE SPORTS BECOME CONFERENCE KIT PARTNER*BF*

*Lpic1*We are also pleased to see that Surridge Sport, our kit supplier, has been confirmed as the official Technical Kit Supplier for the Football Conference for the next two years.

Surridge Sport became Dover Athletic’s kit supplier in 2012 and also works with clubs such as Bury, Barnet, Mansfield and Shrewsbury. The company will now supply bench wear to all Conference clubs.

*BS*Official statement by the Football Conference:*BF*

The Football Conference is pleased to officially announce Surridge Sport as its new Technical Kit Supplier for 2013/14 having signed a 2 year agreement to supply bench wear for each of the 68 clubs throughout the competition.

Surridge Sport, who have a wonderful heritage are recognised as the perfect Partner for the Football Conference.

Brian Lee, the Chairman of the Football Conference said: “On behalf of our member clubs, I am delighted to welcome Surridge Sport with its wonderful history and track record into the Football Conference family of Sponsors. We are positive that they will prove to be a great addition. The quality of their bench wear and apparel will be appreciated by all management and players.”

Based in Burnley, they currently supply Bury, Barnet, Shrewsbury Town and Mansfield Town, amongst an array of football teams and they see the deal with The Football Conference as a great opportunity to extend their presence within the football sector.

Charles Lord, Group Director at Surridge said: “This new deal with the Football Conference gives us the exposure we require to obtain a prominent position in the national arena of the game, through our fantastic product base and the service we offer. The model we operate gives the clubs exactly what they want, when they want it and at a competitive price. Our service and product is a breath of fresh air in a highly competitive market.

“The early indications we have received from the Football Conference Board and its members is highly encouraging and we look forward to a great relationship.”

Surridge Sport was founded in 1867 and is one of the oldest sports brands in the world. The brand is not just synonymous with cricket but with football as well. The SS Cobbler was the first synthetic football to be used in the World Cup finals in 1958, when Pele entered the scene. The SS UFO was the official football used by the FA for years and the iconic white with a red band was the ball superbly struck by Justin Fashanu in 1979/80 for the goal of the season for Norwich against Liverpool.