Centre Circle Canterbury 2017 Inc

The Centre Circle - Our Story Over 20 years ago a group of blokes decided there was more to football than just playing the game. As satisfying as it was to put on your boots and give it your all, football gave us a sense of purpose and a common bond that went beyond the pitch. On the evening of the 17th August 1998, the Centre Circle was born, with a number of objectives: • Raise funds via social events to support the footballing community in Canterbury; • To enjoy the company of like-minded people with a keen interest in the game of football • To assist in providing a positive public profile for football • To attend football occasions as a group - regionally, nationally, and internationally • To enjoy shared hobbies and other sports with fellow members. • To keep in touch with fellow members through a shared database. • Uphold and champion the core values of this charitable organisation From the above we succeeded in raising funds for the good of football in Canterbury. Whether it was equipment for junior teams or providing financial support for a promising young player to attend a trial with a professional club or a football academy, it was about promoting the game in a positive and supportive way. It was about the football family, our football family. While the Centre Circle was active we were making a difference and raising the local profile of the code - all funds went back into the game that we love. A number of factors led to the Centre Circle going into recess, but principal among them was the passing of Ian Marshall. We lost not only a loved and respected colleague but also greatly missed his wise counsel and the strong steering hand he gave to Centre Circle in his role as Chairman. Now 20 years on, somewhat older, somewhat wrinklier and somewhat less mobile, we would like to think that the passion we had all that long ago is still there. We have also lost a good number of our team mates along the way which tells us that we should do this again while we still can. And Christchurch 20 years on is in many ways very different to the city of the late 90’s - the challenge we have set ourselves is to rebuild the Centre Circle membership to reflect the diversification which has occurred both within our code and also the wider community over the intervening two decades. One of the great benefits of the Centre Circle is the friendly banter that exists between us all, whether we were team mates or not. You just can’t beat that. And at the same time, we do some good for the game.