The last two years have been interrupted by the COVID pandemic. It has been been a worrying and upsetting time for many and I hope that the new season brings something of a return to normality to you all.

I would ask you to remain vigilant as although many restrictions have been eased, the virus is still amongst us and it is still resulting in people becoming serious ill and sadly, for some it proves fatal. The good practices we have adopted over the past 19 months can still be applied - face masks are encouraged in enclosed spaces, wash or sanitise your hands and keep a social distance.

This year, Amaranth has grown and we start the new campaign with 17 teams. This is the biggest the club has ever been and I thank you and the coaches for your support.

Being bigger though does mean we all have to squash a bit more into the same space and I would ask you all to observe the following guidelines when you are using the club and facilities;

Please ensure you dispose of litter carefully. We are surrounded by beautiful fields and farm animals and anything you leave behind can kill or seriously injury those animals. Please help us to keep our grounds tidy and if you see discarded rubbish, please pick it up and place it in the bins provided.
If parking at Amaranth, please observe any instructions you are given. We often have to find parking for up to 16 teams at any given time (four games playing and four games that follow afterwards). You need to park as close as possible to other vehicles and make sure you do not block exits. If you can volunteer to help us in the car parks, it would be greatly appreciated.
Wherever possible we will open the cafe for refreshments. Please try to use this service as it helps to raise funds of the club and avoid bringing your own food and drink. It should be noted that Alcohol is strictly banned from consumption at the side of the pitches and must be purchased and consumed at the clubhouse.
Please keep off the pitches. These should only be used for matches. It can be all too tempting to kick a spare ball in an empty net, or let your kids wander on to a pitch to mess about. We take a great deal of care of our pitches and they should only be used for the purposes they are there for - for football games!

Amaranth is a Charter Standard Community club. We are not here to win at all costs and we do not have the mentality that we are seeking perfection. We remind all parents of junior players that we are here to provide a fun, safe environment in which your children can ENJOY playing football. Please DO NOT stand on the side of the pitches shouting and instructing the players, leave this to the coaches. We should applaud and encourage both teams, and when mistakes are made, we deal with it at training. Please remember this is not Elland Road, it is grassroots football.

The same respect and courtesy should be shown to referees, coaches and managers. We do not tolerate abuse of anyone at Amaranth and we will take firm action against those not willing to observe these rules.

Amaranth subscribe to the RESPECT code of Conduct and parents and players should ensure they are familiar with this code. More details can be found at the following link.

https://www.thefa.com/get-involved/respect/play-your-part

Finally I want to thank all of the managers, coaches and committee members in getting us ready for the season ahead. There has been a lot of work going on behind the scenes over the summer to ensure we are ready for the next nine months of football.

Good luck to all of our teams and to each of the players. All that we ask it that you try your best, be prepared to learn and develop and support each other - and most of all, stay safe and enjoy.

Richard Baggott
Chairman
Amaranth Crossgates