|
TFFC NEWS & VIEWS 2008/09 |
| Welcome to TFN, Maccabi football's oldest established newsletter! ABSOLUTELY TRUE! No other Maccabi club has had a regular newsletter running as long as THE FORTUNE NEWS! Now in e-mail form, this newsletter first originated as a printed sheet as far back as 1976 and continued each season on a regular basis until modern technology saw the printed format change to e-mail several years ago. Season 2008/09 will be Temple Fortune's 33rd of keen participation in Maccabi football, currently making us the longest running Club to continuously participate in the MSFL for this long! And now TFN enters its 33rd season too – an incredible achievement of longevity at this level of parks football! So a big welcome to THE FORTUNE NEWS, official mouthpiece of one of Maccabi's longest established and best run clubs. |
 |
"Another season of participation in Maccabi football is fast approaching for TEMPLE FORTUNE FC. So a sincere welcome to this first newsletter of the season. It doesn't seem too long since the last issue of 2007/08 was emailed out a few weeks ago!
Formed in 1968, we are one of the longest serving clubs in the Maccabi (Southern) Football League, having completed our 32nd consecutive season of league participation during 2007/08 (an achievement unmatched by any other current team over the past 30 years). This milestone is one of which we are very proud and is testimony to the excellent organisation which has blessed TFFC over the years. Apart from being well-run, we are traditionally a friendly club with a very good reputation for sound administration, which is maintained by a dedicated 10-strong Management Committee.
The strength of this Club has always been our management team. We have four officers, myself included, dealing with the behind-the-scenes administration side, whilst six others run the playing side involving our two teams, three officers per team to ensure that they are in good reliable hands. This set-up allows our team managers to concentrate on the footballing aspect, without becoming embroiled in major admin matters such as membership, registration, pitches, fixtures or referees, etc. It is a successful tried and tested format which has served the Club well during our continued existance which is fast approaching an incredible 40 years now.
The 2008/09 season will be Temple Fortune's 33rd campaign in the M(S)FL and 10th in the Maccabi Masters Football League, an organisation this Club helped form in 1999. We will be running one team in the M(S)FL and two in the MMFL, including a new side in the Masters First Division for the first time. The Club took a most progressive and adventurous step by forming the Old Boys 'A' Team on Sunday 20th April 2008, providing TFFC with three teams for the first time since 2004 when the Second Team last was in existance.
When it comes to continuous participation since 1976, the TFFC is currently the longest running club in Maccabi football, an achievement of longevity of which I am hugely proud. September 2006 marked 30 years since Temple Fortune first participated in Maccabi football and we commemorated this fine achievement by returning back to our original league colours of green and white, much like Arsenal marked Highbury's final season by playing in redcurrent. However, now we have reverted to our traditional colours of yellow and red as we look to celebrate the Club's 40th anniversary of being founded in December 2008. We have a new commemorative crest displaying the prominent 40 years and James Ryan of Ellis & Co has generously sponsored a new kit for one of our Old Boys teams carrying this crest. The two other teams have excellent playing kits also in variations of our yellow and red colours.
This Club is buzzing with excitement for the season ahead and once again we are hopeful that Temple Fortune will have a successful campaign. But whether or not it will be a good season in terms of results, we trust the Club will remain friendly and enjoyable to existing players and newcomers alike. Because, overall, these are the paramount reasons why we exist at this level of Sunday league football. The latter, enjoyment, is a fundamental purpose which should not be forgotten, at the same time that our players will strive for the added bonus of success. A healthy mixture, of course! Let's hope for both over the coming months!
Should you have any queries or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact me by email on info@tffc.co.uk. In the meantime, please look around this website which is very comprehensive and should interest anyone interested in football as a whole, let alone TFFC. Wishing you plenty of 'good fortune' for the 2008/09 season, so to speak!"
Nigel Kyte
 |
Temple Fortune are commemorating 40 years in existence this year by running three teams again for the first time since 2004. Whilst two teams are taking part in the Masters League, the Club's First XI are entering the MSFL for the 33rd consecutive season, making them the longest running current club in the league. Manager Andrew Souber says: "We are optimistic of being competitive this season. We have virtually a new team after the older players, who have served us so well over many seasons, have moved on to Masters football. Lee Fegan and myself have been working hard behind the scenes in the recruitment of new players and hope that we will give a good account of ourselves."
Assistant manager Lee Fegan adds: "I am delighted to be working alongside Andy Souber in what is expected to be a very tough Second Division this year. We certainly are not here to make up the numbers in the league and will be pushing for a high place." The First XI takes on a new younger look with several promising players joining the ranks. Newcomers include Adam and Ben Glekin, Mike Maxwell, Gideon Wetrin (for his second spell), John Fisher, David Selby and Paul Walker. They join a competitive squad together with Ollie Buckley, Jonathan Cohen, Richard Cooper, leading goalscorer Ben Isaacs, Rob Jay, Gav Levy and Ollie Squires amongst a few others. John Fisher is a talented midfielder with good vision, whilst Paul Walker looks strong either upfront or an an attacking midfielder. Hard-working Richard Cooper gives strength to the midfield where Ollie Buckley's deft touches will again prosper. But current Player of the Year Ben Isaacs remains a pivotal player in the side – a fast and strong striker with a good eye for goal.
 |
In recognition of 20 years of continuous service on the Management Committee of the Club, which includes 10 seasons as Old Boys Team Secretary (the longest serving Secretary), NICK WAITSMAN was elected as Vice-Chairman of the Temple Fortune Football Club a the AGM on Sunday 8th June 2008.
The Management Committee for season 2008/09 is as follows:
Chairman – Nigel Kyte; Vice-Chairman – Nick Waitsman; General Secretary – Lynne Kyte; Treasurer – Peter Kyte; First Team Secretary – Andrew Souber; First Team Administration Secretary – Michael Shorvon; Old Boys 'A' Team Secretary – Simon Allen; Old Boys 'A' Team Administration Secretary – left vacant; Old Boys 'B' Team Secretary – David Goldberg; Old Boys 'B' Team Administration Secretary – Steven Feiger.
This coming season the Club will be having TEAM MANAGERS, who will work in tandum with the Team Secretary of each side, assisted by the Admin Secretary. We are delighted to name the following managers:
First Team – ANDREW SOUBER, assisted by LEE FEGAN; Old Boys 'A' Team Secretary – GARRY SIMPSON; Old Boys 'B' Team Secretary – NICK WAITSMAN. Good luck to them all during season 2008/09!
 |
• FIRST TEAM: Yellow shirts with navy flashes, yellow shorts with navy side stripes, red socks with yellow hoop at top (existing Bekhors.com kit which is in excellent condition. Set of brand new socks added).
• OLD BOYS 'A' TEAM: Red shirts with yellow flashes, yellow shorts with red flashes, red socks with yellow hoop at top (existing Ellis & Co shirts – one season old – which is in excellent condition, with a set of brand new yellow shorts).
• OLD BOYS 'B' TEAM: Yellow shirts with red flashes, red shorts with yellow flashes, yellow socks with red hoop at top (new kit sponsored by Ellis & Co).
• CLASH COLOURS: Green and white vertical striped shirts, green shorts, green socks. We have 2 kits in circulation for 'clash' purposes.
Above: The new Old Boys 'A' team (prior to their inaugural match on 7th September 2008) kitted out in an original adaptation of the Club's colours, which is a reverse of the traditional yellow and red.
 |
Two new teams have joined the Maccabi Masters Football League for season 2008/08, including Temple Fortune's Old Boys 'A'; side, taking the total number of teams participating to 17.
BRADY have dropped one team from the First Division and will revert to having one in each division. LONDON MACCABI LIONS originally opted to have two teams in the the top division but this has now been put back to as it was last season. New teams are NORTH LONDON RAIDERS and TEMPLE FORTUNE 'A', both in Division One, whilst FAITHFOLD 'B' appear to have dropped out of Division 2.
Here are the teams making up the two Masters Divisions for the 2008/09 season:
DIVISION ONE: Brady Maccabi 'A', EDRS Stonegrove, Faithfold 'A', Glenthorne United 'A', London Maccabi Lions 'A', North London Raiders, South Mancs, Temple Fortune 'A'.
DIVISION TWO: Ashlodge, Brady Maccabi 'B', Clayhall Park Casuals 'A', Clayhall Park Casuals 'B', Glenthorne United 'B', London Maccabi Lions 'B', Norstar Old Boys, Pel City, Temple Fortune 'B'.
The League season is due to start on Sunday 14 September.
 |
The lower divisions of the Maccabi (Southern) Football League were the subject of much dramatic controversy after Oakwood EDRS 'A', Golders Green, Scrabble, Redbridge Jewish Care 'B' and Chigwell Athletic 'C' all folded, whilst Real MAL and Life FC amalgamated.
The most recent withdrawals in early August left Divisions 2 and 5 with nine teams whilst Divisions 3 and 4 only consisted of eight each. Initially David Wolff, M(S)FL Chairman, explained the problems: "A tremendous amount of work has gone into setting up the League for next season and it is far too late to make wholesale changes. The light divisions will be complimented by extra games in the Barry Goldstein Cup. Also we cant ‘promote’ teams more than one division under our regulations. No one has asked for teams to enter and then withdraw so we will just have to live with the consequences."
However, after protests from certain teams and considerable discussion, Mr Wolff issued a further email stating a major rejig of the lower Divisions: "I have been looking long and hard at the position we are now in and taken soundings. I believe that to go ahead with ‘small’ divisions and then running the risk of losing further teams is futile. It is far better for everyone for you to have greater competition and to this effect I have taken ‘Chairman’s action’ to revise the divisions by dropping Division 5 and enlarging Divisions 2, 3 and 4. The fixtures are being prepared tonight and will be with you shortly." He added that the handbooks are in the process of being printed and will not reflect these changes. Division 2 now consists of 11 teams, as does Division 3, The bottom division now is 4, which after the rejig has 12 teams.
So who are the teams in Temple Fortune's revamped division? The line-up is as follows: FAITHFOLD 'C', FC HEATH, HOLY MOUNT ZION, LONDON MACCABI LIONS 'C', NORTH LONDON RAIDERS 'B', NORTH WEST NEASDEN 'C', RAPID BANTA, RED SEA, SOUTHGATE HARMEN 'A' AND SOUTHGATE HARMEN 'B'.
Says Nigel Kyte, Temple Fortune Chairman: "Division 2 looks very tough and will provide a stiff challenge to our new-look team. At this time of the year I always look at the strength of Temple Fortune's division and it's only natural to think where we are likely to gain points and where it will be a tall order. Obviously it's difficult to guess the quality of other competing team, but looking at the Second Division line-up I reckon Fortune can look forward to a very difficult but excitingly challenging season ahead. With the likes of John Fisher, Ben Isaacs, Ollie Squires and Paul Walker on board, to mention just four, I'm sure we can hold our own and surprise a lot of people along the way."
The First Team won the first three-team Founders' Shield tournament for several years by beating both Old Boys teams in two one-hour games at Hillingdon Borough FC. The Firsts won 2-0 and 4-0 against the Old Boys 'A' and 'B' teams respectively.
Pictured below is First XI assistant manager Lee Fegan with the Shield, together with Mike Shorvon (First Team Administration Secretary) on the left and Stephanie Kyte (daughter of Nigel and Lynne) on the far right, who helped with the awards presentation morning. Full details of the Founders' Shield competition can be found on the link here.
 |
To commemorate our 40th birthday this year, the Club has opened an online store in conjunction with merchandise specialists Cafepress.
We are delighted to be able to provide you with the opportunity to purchase some TFFC garments and various other items at affordable prices, all carrying printed Club emblems and motifs. Whilst some players bought training tops last season, now others can also purchase TFFC-related items for the new season. A proportion of the proceeds will be donated to Cancer Research with the remainder going to the Club. All prices are in US dollars (exchange rate approximately 1.9 US$ to the pound) and ordering is online by credit card, as you would for anything else online.
Although Cafepress are not specifically a football company (which means no training tops or track suits), we recommend their neat 'performance jacket' in navy or black, or a hooded sweatshirt in white or grey which is printed both sides with TFFC emblems, or even a simple sweatshirt with a subtle TFFC crest on the front. Check out the 'View Larger' option on any garment to see photos, product description and size charts (with fit guide and measuring) – everything is there to give you maximum information to help you buy with confidence.
Why Cafepress? The Club has long considered TFFC merchandise but with every supplier we would have to order a certain number, pay in advance and run the risk of being left with excess garments – infact, a recipe for a financial loss! The great thing about Cafepress is that they ONLY print garments when ordered, which means there is NOTHING TO PAY in advance by the Club... no set-up charges, no left-over stock, no commitment whatsoever. It's their website, their stock, their delivery... all we do is make the logos, upload everything and hey presto, await commission on any orders!
REMEMBER... every item you purchase will be helping Cancer Research. The Club pledges to make a payment to this worthwhile cause. We sincerely hope that you like the products and that you will purchase from the TEMPLE FORTUNE FC ONLINE STORE for season 2008/09... bookmark it now on https://www.cafepress.com/tffc
 |
The Club received an email from Old Boys player Alan Davidoff which read as follows: "It did cast my mind though to something that TFFC could do for its many members now. There could be some sort of business forum whereby members and even ex-members of the club could leave a link and some text for their businesses on the TFFC website. You could even make a small charge and give a portion to charity. It would just be an extra feature for the site. We would certainly subscribe now that we have our own business."
We have taken Alan's suggestion on board and are delighted to announce that the Business Directory feature is now live on the website. The page is devoted to TFFC members past and present who wish to advertise their businesses with a short description and link to their website. If you wish to have an entry listed in this directory, go to the Business Directory page for more information.
 |
The Presentation of Awards for season 2007/08, incorporating two pre-season inter-Club friendlies, was held at Hillingdon Borough FC on Sunday 7th September.
After the second match, a reception with refreshments was held in the clubhouse and the awards were presented to those who remained. The Founders' Shield was presented to Lee Fegan on behalf of the First Team. Sadly, the Old Boys 'A' team players did not stay which was disappointing. Here is a list of award winners for season 2007/08:
The Chairman's Merit Award: DAVID GOLDBERG; First Team Player of the Year: BEN ISAACS; Old Boys Team Player of the Year: STEVEN FEIGER; First Team Clubman of the Year: ANDREW SOUBER; Old Boys Team Clubman of the Year: NICHOLAS WAITSMAN; First Team Leading Goalscorer: BEN ISAACS; Old Boys Team Leading Goalscorer: STEVEN FEIGER; 20 Years Long Service Award: NICHOLAS WAITSMAN; 100 Club' Commemorative Award: JONATHAN DUBINER; 200 Club' Commemorative Award: GEDIS KORTACH, JAMES SIMPSON, PHIL SMALL & DAVID SUMMER; Leading Appearances Award: JAMES SIMPSON; 'TFN' Fantasy League winner: LYNNE KYTE; 'TFN' Inter-Club Football Quiz winner: STEVEN FEIGER.
 |
The OLD BOYS 'B' Team won the three-team round-robin tournament – involving Ashlodge and Norstar Old Boys – at the University of Herts ground in Hatfield, held on Sunday 31st August 2008.
The matches consisted of 35 minutes played through and in the opening fixture, Temple Fortune played out an uneventful goalless draw with NORSTAR. The closest the Old Boys came to scoring was when NOBS goalkeeper Len Wyse saved well from Robert Botkai in the last few minutes. Serge Weinberger kept out a couple of long shots before then, whilst NOBS also had a strong penalty appeal turned down.
In the second match, Temple Fortune defeated ASHLODGE by 3-0. Playing much better, the Yellows scored the first goal of the competition when JAMES RYAN ran through – with Ashlodge screaming for offside against Robert Botkai – and finished neatly. A few minutes later, the lead was extended to 2-0 when SIMON ALLEN was on hand to nudge the ball beyond the Ashlodge goalkeeper from close range. Ashlodge created very little for all their possession in midfield and Fortune defended well to keep out any threat. With a few minutes remaining, STEPHEN BROWER's excellent thumping header just under the crossbar from a corner settled the match. Robert Botkai and Simon Allen should have added to the margin but 3-0 was a well-deserved victory.
In the third match, NORSTAR beat ASHLODGE 2-1 thanks to a late winner by former Fortune player Henry Charles. So Temple Fortune won the tournament on goal difference after tying with NOBS on 4 points. Congratulations to the team!
 |
The introduction of a new Old Boys team means that we now have an A and B team, which in turn has made the current Old Boys perpetual trophies more or less redundant.
We need two new Player of the Year trophies, two Clubman trophies and two Leading Goalscorers trophies. The previous trophies for the Old Boys Player of the Year and Leading Goalscorer were handsome shields and these cost around £35 or so including engraving and delivery. If you would like to sponsor a trophy, which would carry your personal or company name, please email the Club.
 |
Please DO NOT take any individual TFFC playing kit home to wash (shirt, shorts, socks)... it is NOT PERMITTED and carries a club fine.
You MUST return all TFFC kit to the kit bag (rather than the dressing room floor) after every match. Further down in this newsletter is ADVICE TO PLAYERS information which you are asked to read carefully.
FORTUNE TELLER, SEASON 2007/08 >>>
FORTUNE TELLER, SEASON 2006/07 >>>
40TH ANNIVERSARY TOURNAMENT INTRODUCTION >>> INVITATION >>>
MESSAGE TO CLUBS >>>
To return to the full list of contents, click on THE FORTUNE NEWS below.
