Many thanks to all of the club sponsors for supporting us last season. The coming season holds much in store for players and fans alike - good luck and thanks to everyone who helps to keep the club running. Please click on a sponsor to visit their web site.

News at Buckland Athletic Football Club

HEADLINES

Devon Senior Cup, Herald, Fred Hewings Cup semi-final details for 2nds & 3rds

Throgmorton Cup semi-final draw

Buckland announce manager for 2010-11 season

Buck's enter new Veteran's team

DATE FOR NEXT SPORTSMAN'S EVENING WITH NOBBY STILES

1st Team fixtures updated

Join The club's 200 Club.

OTHER NEWS

Devon Senior Cup Final, Thursday 29th April at Coach Road, 7.30pm kick off, Buckland Athletic 2nds vs Elburton Villa 2nds.

The semi-finals have been finalised for this season's SDL Herald Cup competition, Buckland Athletic vs Denbury Athletic, will be at the Recreational Ground (Newton Spurs), on Friday 2nd April with a 2pm kick off. The other semi between Hookhills and WBB will be at Ipplepen on teh same day but with a 11am kick off.

The Fred Hewings Cup semi-finals are, Loddiswell vs Buckland Athletic 3rds, with the other beingb Kingskerswell & Chelston 2nds against Bovey Tracey 3rds, these games will take place on Saturday 3rd April.

Buckland Athletic have been drawn against The Royal Marines or Alphington in the semi-final of this season's Throgmorton Cup competition with the bthe date and venue yet to be confirmed. This game will take place on Wednesday 31st March, 7.30pm kick off at Newton Abbot Spurs AFC.

PRESS RELEASE

Further to Phil Bayliss' decision to relinquish his post as First team manager at South Western league premier division leaders Buckland Athletic at the end of this coming season, the club have moved swiftly to seek a replacement in order to ensure continuity and keep the momentum going at the pace which has seen the club rise to its current position leading the Peninsula league and looking onward & upward to future rises up the FA pyramid.

Former Truro City manager Steve Massey is the man relishing the task of continuing the great work achieved by Bayliss and indeed the backroom staff at the club, for the upcoming 2010 -2011 season and beyond. He returns to the game after a four year break having had successful managerial spells at Falmouth, Truro & the Cornish County side.  His Playing career also reads very well both professionally & on the semi-professional circuit.

Massey's professional playing career began at Stockport in 1973 aged 16, & began to make his way south in 1978 with a move to Bournemouth before spells at Peterborough & Northampton. A successful tenure there meant a £50,00 transfer to Hull City in 1983 where he played alongside Steve McClaren & Brain Marwood.  Two years later came a brief move to Cambridge United before finishing his professional playing days at Wrexham in 1988 after having a taste of European football with the then European Cup winners Cup.   Steve's retirement from the professional game saw a move down to Cornwall and into his family holiday park business in Mullion.  Still eager to don his boots he signed for Truro City in September 1988 and took over as player / manager in 1991 winning the league & cup double, the

first silverware at the club since 1962.

After a move to Devon in 1994 he resigned from his post at Truro to concentrate on his expanding holiday park business, but stayed in the game with a post as the Cornwall County team manager, taking them to two county championship finals in three seasons.

After a three year break from the game Massey took over at Falmouth Town in the old South Western League, before returning to Truro City where he built the team that gained the first of its four consecutive promotions & the FA Vase in 2006.

"IT IS MY STRONGEST INTENTION THAT I WANT TO ONCE MORE BUILD A TEAM TO WIN THE VASE AT WEMBLEY!   BUT THIS TIME BE THERE MYSELF!!"  Quoted Massey when speaking of his ambitions for tenure as first team manager with Buckland Athletic.  "This is a great opportunity to come back into the game, and the fact that it is with such a successful and ambitious and superbly run club is the icing on the cake. I'm looking forward to working alongside the current staff at the club to make Buckland Athletic the best and most successful club in the South West".

This is Steve’s blog on the very good www.cornishsoccer.info website. 

This makes very interesting reading for every Buckland member and fans alike.

I’m back in Management and it feels absolutely magnificent, to say I’m excited is an understatement!!
I have been getting itchy feet for a few months now, way back in September last year I started to feel that perhaps the time for coming back was getting closer!

At that time of course I was watching a lot of Truro City games and the pull for me to be involved was a strong one. So when Kevin Heaney asked me for first round of talks just before McCarthy went, I thought maybe this is where my future lies?
Chief Executive?

I was asked to become Chief Executive at the club and this really appealed to me. To have control of the football side and being able to influence the direction of the club away from the brick wall it was running into was very exciting for me.

But needless to say the dream wouldn’t last and when Mr Heaney, who owns the ball and will only let you play with it when he wants, the role in all reality would be so frustrating and undermining, I decided very reluctantly to turn it down.

That was early December and the urge to come back had been dampened somewhat by the events in me turning the CEO position down.

It was a last minute decision to go out for New year to watch the England Cricket team in South Africa, and the thought of being involved in football again never mind managing a team once more was a million miles away at that time. In fact if anyone had said to me while sat in sunshine watching cricket in Cape Town, “you will be back in management by end of Feb” and not only that but, “they could be the champions as well” I would have phoned the local asylum and said one of your patients as escaped!

I had many offers of work over the last two years, but nothing either really excited me or was ambitious enough for me to take up a challenge.
Interested in taking over?

Then last month out of the blue, after being invited out to lunch by the management team at Buckland, Phil Bayliss and Jamie Carwardine, they asked me if I would be interested in taking over when Phil was going to step down.

I had already an excellent relationship with them over the last 18 months or so; we lunched on 3 or 4 occasions and I really got to know them both.

I had liked what they were about and how they went about running the club and the preparation they put into games. I had done a little bit of scouting for them and was always impressed with their knowledge about the game and in particular how it should be played.

What I wasn’t ready for was the “lid” it blew off on my own ambitions and desires to come back and succeed again in the game! I was bubbling once more, I knew I would be back some time and in some capacity but this was unbelievable. From
nowhere my enthusiasm and excitement was ignited again and it just felt so right, and only 25 minutes from my house!!
Make no bones about it this is one privileged job!

It is an honour to have been asked to take this relatively young but very ambitious football club forward to the next levels.

It is a totally unique situation to be in as well. The position of appointing a new manager at any football club is because 99.9% of the time the club/team were or are failing. But this is very different; I could be taking over the Champions! And doesn’t it feel good!

Phil is stepping down at the end of the season and what better way for him to go then to be crowned SWPL Champions?

Phil with Jamie has transformed Buckland Athletic from junior football into one of the major players in non-league soccer in the South West.

Besides a fabulous playing squad with local talented guys, the club have won the best Ground award for the last two years, and those who have visited would know the reason why!
An army of volunteers

The dressing rooms and facilities are second to none, the set up is very well organised and they have an army of volunteers that are the envy of many clubs up and down the country. The programme is another award winning feature of the club and the potential is sky high.

I’m thrilled to say that Jamie will be staying on as my assistant and from now to the end of the season I will be helping the management as much as they would like me to, but otherwise see my role sitting in stands watching and learning!

Massey’s Mutterings have been a great success and I’ve really enjoyed the writing, but there is nothing like writing from the inside, being involved once again in the dressing rooms, smelling and sensing the anticipation and expectations of the players, feeling the fear in the oppositions dressing room!

Standing on the touchline knowing success is just a few minutes away! The banter and comradeship of the team you have put together, its US v. rest of the world.

Yes I have enjoyed my time out and I feel I have become an even better manager for it, but to hear once more Team Manager Steve Massey is music to my ears, bring it on!

Best Wishes, Mass.

Our newly formed Buckland Athletic Veterans side will play just three times only this season in what is described as a taster by Devon County FA who have set up two mini leagues to see if there would be enough interest to enlarge it next season and have one bigger league or perhaps two smaller ones by areas from which the teams entered in come from.  But back to this season we have entered and are in the South and West Division along with Abbotskerswell, Elburton Villa and Harbertonford.  The other Division will be from the East with the four teams being Exeter South, Millway Rise (from Axminster), Teamworks (Exeter) and Tedburn St Mary.  The idea is for this season that each team plays the other once and will have one home game, one away and one of a neutral ground with the winners of each group playing in the final at Coach Road sometime in May.  Well as far as I know so far we are due to play Abbotskerswell at Coach Road on Sunday 28th February with an 11am kick off, this is also Carling Cup Final day at Wembley and it will be on the big TV at Coach Road for those that want to make a day of it.  Our second fixture has been pencilled in for a floodlight game here at Homers Heath on Thursday 25th March against Harbertonford and we will then have to agree with the Plymouth side Elburton Villa when we will visit them which will be some Sunday morning in march and when we win the league (hopefully) we then get to face the winners of the East section at Coach Road in the final at a date to be confirmed.  So a nice little taster to see if we do want to go ion next season.  To those of you out there reading this who have played for Buckland Athletic over the years and are 35 and over and would like to sign on please contact me ROY behind the bar or ring Newton Abbot 01626 369345, although I am taking names I am not the manager and can’t guarantee anyone a place in the side.  Talking of which the team will be any eleven from sixteen chosen with roll on roll off substitutes, so as you can get your breath back if needs be.  For any more information on this look on our website or call me.  

NEW DATE FOR NEXT SPORTSMAN'S EVENING: Further to our very successful and much talked about previous Sportsman's evenings, we are now in the process of organising a St Georges Day special. It is to be held on Thursday 22nd April at Homers Heath.... 7:00 til late.  The guest speaker will be 1966 World Cup winner Nobby Stiles MBE He will be supported by comedian John Stiles, and other attractions on the night include Irish Bingo, horse racing and a sports memorabilia auction. A replica of the 1966 Jules Rimet trophy will be on hand for photos as well as the Champions League trophy. There will be a three course meal, with special dietary needs including Vegetarians and Gluten free, catered for. We are selling tickets @£40 or tables of ten @ £350.  Sponsorship opportunities are available for the evening, please ask for details.  An ideal opportunity to celebrate St Georges Day and show your patriotism ! Please could you let me know asap if you would like a table as we are expecting the event to sell out fairly quickly by either e-mailing commercial@bucklandathleticfc.co.uk or by calling T 01626 365428 or M 07866 430125 to speak to Ian Miller.

The 1st Team fixtures page has been updated for the remainder of the season, obviously that not taking into account any further cancellations.

We are looking to increase the number of people in the 200 club fundraising scheme. With an increase in numbers there will be able to be an increase in the 1st Prize money which is currently £100. This costs just £1 per week and can be done by direct debit, with the draws taking place every month from now on, this fund helps all the teams at Buckland Athletic, so please if you aren't already in it then please join now. Please e-mail the club if you are interested in joining at commercial@bucklandathleticfc.co.uk

The following sponsors have been secured for the coming season:

1st Team home kit: The Landscape Company

1st Team away Kit: Wotton Printers

Kit for Torquay United Charity match: K2 Hairdressing

Programme Sponsors and Printers: Wotton Printers

Under 10's (Judd's team): Civil Solutions/BAFC 1st Team

Under 10's (Dave Stockers team): TNT Couriers

Under 12's (Malcolm Coe's team): Tax Assist Accountancy

We would like to thank all those company's that have pledged the sponsorship for the coming season. I would like to thank Wotton Printers who last season printed our award winning matchday programme, and have agreed to do this again this season at a reduced price.

There are still lot's of sponsorship opportunities on offer to any company that is interested in joining forces with South Devon's most forward thinking club. Please e-mail commercial@bucklandathleticfc.co.uk for further information on what we have to offer.

The end of season dinner and dance was a great success, held for the first time at Homers Heath, 120 people enjoyed the evening. Here is a list of teh winners on the night....

South West Peninsula League awards, Buckland Athletic won the Premier Division Ground award for the second season running. This award is voted for by the Premier division clubs, and is testament to all the hard work put in by the groundsstaff, the building crew, and the kitchen and bar staff. We also won the Premier Division programme award again for the second season running. The 1st team also picked up a cheque for £750 for finishing in third place in the league table.

Updated on Thursday 8th January, why not take a look at the SWPL page in 1st Team menu, read more here...