Whites help out asylum charity cause.

This week we had a visit to the football club from Ben Falp, a social worker who is helping out children fleeing war torn countries who are looking to explore their love of the game, with any help they can get. They have come here with basically nothing and now there is a scheme in place to help these kids not only get involved in football but also in a social capacity, coming into new surroundings.

Ben said ‘I am a Social Work Assistant with the Canterbury Children in Care team and I work almost exclusively with Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Young People who live independently in the community. Nearly all of these young people have had to leave their homes and families and undertake incredibly difficult and often traumatic journeys to seek a better life in the United Kingdom. They have often had to do this to escape war or persecution and, as such, have arrived in the U.K. without any belongings other than the clothes they are wearing.

We see this as an opportunity for these Young People to make new friends, give them a sense of belonging and help them feel a part of the local community – Ben Falp

My colleague, Jeffrey Reene, who is an Education Support Officer with Virtual Schools Kent and I, have started offering football training for the Young People we work with. I am a qualified FA coach and have been involved in Grass Roots football for many years and our aim is to eventually have a team entered into a league in the local area. However, this ambition of ours is not the only reason we are offering training. We see this as an opportunity for these Young People to make new friends, give them a sense of belonging and help them feel a part of the local community; all things they may struggle with due to their personal circumstances. It is also an opportunity to give these Young People something to do in their free time, some much needed exercise to benefit both their physical and mental health and an opportunity to practice speaking English (as nearly all these Young People are currently studying English as a second language).’

The club donated left over kit from past seasons including shorts, socks and training wear.

Pleasure to help out.

We meet our new look community team.

With the news that Megger are set to sponsor Dover Athletic from the Youth Section through to the first team, the Dover business is now branching out into the community with the newly arranged Trust. Jeremy Simpson, who will be chair of the trust, will be flanked by both Deborah and Paul Harrison. Debs and Paul have worked tirelessly behind the scenes at Crabble over the years and now they are looking to help get the scheme back into the public domain having previously existed in its current form prior to Covid.

Vicky Pawley will be the clubs new Community Engagement & Inclusion Officer, who will start her post on July 3rd, looking to create new ties within the community and the football club. It’s another step in the right direction with the club’s main sponsor Megger again at the forefront.

I am delighted that we have resumed the Dover Athletic Community Trust. Our aim is to promote health and wellbeing within our local community, using the physical assets at the Dover Athletic club as a base. This will extend beyond football and I am delighted that Vikki Pawley is joining us as Community Officer to lead our outreach around Dover.  – Jeremy Simpson

So what is the mission statement of the Trust?

To become an integral force for good within the local community, promoting inclusion for all. To make a positive difference to the local community using the connection with the football club to instigate and promote initiatives to encourage participation and inclusion, particularly amongst young people, the disabled, those with special needs, older persons and ethnic minorities. At the same time we will be looking at developing football for women and girls of all abilities.

We will use sports programmes, well-being and mental health initiatives to promote physical and mental health, including well-being within the community. We will look to work closely with other community stakeholders including Dover District Council as well as others who share our common objectives to ensure we deliver key health and well-being objectives.

COYW.

For anyone who doesn’t know how the Striker Lottery works well let me explain if for you. Each week, so long as you have paid your £1 weekly subscription, your number will be entered into a draw. If your number is drawn, congratulations – you’re a winner! It’s as simple as that. The draw is held every Wednesday. Keep an eye on the website and social media pages for full details. Who knows, your number could scoop the £1,000 top prize.

Please note that only paid-for tickets are entered in the draw. For your convenience, your membership fee can be collected from you, or you can pay at the Club Office or, to save time, you can pay monthly or quarterly by standing order.

Contact harry.reid@doverathletic.com to register your interest and good luck.

We unveil our new kit. 

This season sees Dover Athletic turn the big four zero, as we celebrate our 40th anniversary. And with such a big occasion we have decided to mark it with a special edition kit for the coming campaign. Dover Athletic took over from Dover FC after the club had run into massive debt and were dissolved in 1983. Athletic took over the mantle and replaced Dover in the Southern League and the rest is history, so they say.

There have been some fantastic highs in that period, as well as real lows as the club has continued to play its football at non league level. Some would argue that the golden period for the club was between the 2007-16 seasons when back to back promotions were secured from the Isthmian League to the Conference South (in old money) where eventually Chris Kinnear guided us back into the National League in 2014. The Whites beat Ebbsfleet United on their own patch courtesy of Nathan Elder’s thumping header in a 1-0 win.

Just two seasons later and the club were in touching distance of the Football League, only to be denied by eventual winners of the play-offs, Forest Green. Chris Kinnear had two separate spells at the club and is arguably Dover’s greatest ever manager having guided the club to two titles in his first stint. The first in 1989/90 and the second in 1992/93. The Whites have had their fare share of colourful managers in the past with the likes of Peter Taylor, Clive Walker and Bill Williams, who guided us to within a whisker of Wembley, losing to Cheltenham Town in the FA Trophy semi-final back in 1997/98.

There have also been some magnificent cup runs, most notably in the FA Cup where the Whites have faced the likes of Oxford United, Aldershot, MK Dons, Huddersfield Town, Crystal Palace and who can forget when we went to Gillingham and turned them over.

We are delighted to be working with our new kit partner VX3 with our bespoke 40th anniversary kit. – Jim Parmenter

As ever in football, we always look to move forward and what better way than this new edition shirt with the anniversary marking above the club crest.

Sizes and Price:

Adult shirt – £44 available in XS,S,M,L,XL,2XL,3XL & 4xL

Kids shirt – £37 available in 2,6,8,10 & 12 Years

You can now pre-order your shirt by contacting the office on 01304 822373. Once these are available, you will be able to purchase via the website or in the club shop, we assume this to be in June. You can still get your EARLY BIRD season tickets by clicking HERE.

Come on you 40 year old Whites.