We interviewed our chairman, Malcolm Boyes, to get the club’s views on our return to the Southern Combination Football League (SCFL), how that may affect the club moving forward, the season ahead, our youth teams and the club’s future.

Hi Malcolm, many thanks for taking the time to speak with us.
Firstly, how are you?

MB – I’m great thanks

We’ve just completed the 21/22 season, our last in the Southern Counties East Football League (SCEFL). Our first team finished 10th in the table, our highest finish since the 17/18 campaign. Excellent work from the boys wouldn’t you say?

MB – I’ve been delighted to see the club improve throughout the 21/22 season, on and off the pitch. The first team achieved more than was expected by many, we reached a cup final, although sadly the result didn’t go our way. That was the icing on the cake for us all, the committee, managers, players and supporters.

Of course, the big news recently is that as of the coming season, we will be making our return to the Southern Combination Football League (SCFL). We’ve not been a part of this league for several years, a chance to renew some old friendships…and rivalries.
What are the club’s views on the switch and how do you see it affecting the club as a whole?

MB – The club was not looking to move leagues; we were more than happy in the SCEFL. We know however that because we are a border club and have been moved in the past, we were always likely to be on everyone’s radar for lateral movement.
Every club gets the usual Christmas email from their FA, informing them that they may be moved. Every club’s fate is determined by who gets relegated from the league above.
In our case, with Phoenix Sports and Whitstable Town being relegated to the SCEFL, our destiny was foretold.
As for how the switch will affect the club, personally I don’t think it will mean much at all. The perception that we’ll lose players, there’ll be more travelling or that the league isn’t as strong is not backed up by the facts.
You always get a turnover of players every season for many different reasons. Regarding the travel times on away days, the distance we’ll cover over the course of the season will be around 150 miles less in reality.
On the standard of the league itself, I can only say that Littlehampton Town have reached the FA Vase final this season.

Any teams that you’re particularly looking forward to facing again?

MB – We have had some great games with Eastbourne Town over recent years, so I’ll be looking forward to those matches. Newhaven are a good club, as are Peacehaven & Telscombe and Hassocks. Of course, our local derby will now be against AFC Uckfield so there’s another couple of matches to savour.

For our supporters, the volunteers and everybody associated with the club, the league change gives them the opportunity to visit new away grounds as we take on new opposition.
Is there anything you’d like to say to them regarding the change?

MB – Just the same message as when we were moved around seven seasons ago, embrace the opportunity to visit the new grounds you may not have visited before.
There aren’t as many ground shares in the SCFL as there are in the SCEFL, also because the ground grading regulations have been more rigorously enforced in the SCFL, you may be surprised at how good many of these stadiums are.
No matter what league we play in though, your support does make a difference to the players out on the pitch.
I hope a decision made at Wembley doesn’t mean that our players don’t get the support they 100% deserve.

Moving on to our development teams, we recently held our 22nd Annual Youth Football Fiesta. It was amazing to see so many talented young teams from across the Southeast join us for the event, they all played a part in making it a huge success.
How would you like to see the club move forward in terms of youth football?

MB – Currently we do not field teams at every age range, so that’s something that needs to be improved for a club of our size and stature.
The facilities we currently use for winter training are not as good as I’d like, they don’t allow our young boys and girls the opportunity to play at the highest level they can.
The club itself can’t solve all the issues however, we are actively taking part in discussions with various bodies to improve the facilities that are available to us. Anything we can put in place wouldn’t just be for the benefit of our players, but for all the children in Crowborough and the surrounding area.

You were elected as our chairman back in May 2021, what would you say have been your biggest challenges in running CAFC?

MB – As is the case with most clubs at this level, CAFC is run by volunteers who come from a wide range of backgrounds. Therefore, the time our volunteers can dedicate to the club is limited. It could be that they have work commitments, are retired, have families or grandchildren. This means that the amount you can develop and what you can achieve, is often tempered by what time the volunteers can give to the club. All our people have one common interest however, they all love football.
More volunteers on match days for all the teams, young or old, would always be warmly welcomed and greatly appreciated.
Finance is always an issue, we have very good sponsors who help us year in, year out.
As you saw at the Fiesta, we have great people involved with the club who help make the Fiesta what it is which also helps financially.

Finally, fast forward 2-3 years from now. Obviously back-to-back promotions would be great, but what would you like to see happen or develop across the club?

MB – Winning matches at all levels makes everyone happy, it puts smiles on everyone’s faces and it seems to make problems disappear. We know however that life isn’t that easy and sometimes success coming to soon ultimately brings its own problems.
My personal desire is that over the time scale you’ve mentioned, the club grows stronger across all levels, all age ranges and in all areas.
We are currently working on a strategy that, over time, will allow for development across our senior and youth teams. We also want to see the development of a women’s team and increase the number of girls who play for us. This development must be sustainable over a long period however, we’re not thinking only for the short term.

…back-to-back promotions it is then.
Thanks again for taking the time to speak to us, Malcolm. Here’s to a successful 22/23 season and beyond. Up the Crows!

MB – Up the Crows!