Liam Kent takes the reins as the new chairman at Ollerton Town Football Club in Nottinghamshire
A stalwart who has been around his grassroots football club for 17 seasons has been appointed as its chairman.
Liam Kent was voted in as the new chairman at Ollerton Town's recent annual meeting by the rest of the committee.
After Ollerton Town's former manager, Steve Bodle moved to Shirebrook with his staff and most of the first team last season — the club had to tread water to survive.
An 11-game losing streak and several short manager stints followed before the joint manager team of Craig Collins and Tom Chambers were appointed.
The club is now in a rebuilding phase and this has coincided with the former chairman John Thompson and general manager Adge Owen both resigning after years of service.
"In truth, I was somewhat hesitant about becoming chairman," said Liam Kent about his appointment.
"It's a big commitment and I wasn't sure that it was right for me.
"I spoke to family and people whose opinion I trust and they all made very good points warning me about doing it.
"However, when I was sat in the room and everyone in the meeting wanted me to do it, that show of faith and trust was hard to turn down."
Kent has been around the club since he was 12-years-old.
He first got involved when his father was playing for the club and his dad was later invited back to be the assistant manager.
"I started coming to watch the football and then I soon started doing the match reports," said Kent.
"This evolved into me doing all of the media work and eventually over time, we've reached this point."
Kent is a young chairman but he said he is taking a measured approach to helping his football club be viable.
"People might look at my age and question if I'm suitable.
"I don't have the deep pockets of most chairmen in our league but I have a lot of experience despite my age."
Kent said he was looking forward to the club continuing to move in a stable direction.
"I've got to make sure the club is run sustainably and ensure that long-term stability isn't sacrificed for short-term success," said Kent.
"We also need to get back to being a club that welcomes the local community.
"In line with this, we've got two junior sides this year and we hope that if we can a success of that, more will join next season.
"There are no big exciting plans this year.
"The focus is about making sure we build a stable foundation so we can kick on and move things forward in the future.
Kent is realistic about the club's immediate goals.
"If we're still at step six and in a healthy financial position, I'll be very happy," he said.
"We're in a very tough league, with some clubs spending big money.
"We're not paying, so we're going to have to do things the hard way and try to be smart.
"Thankfully we've got a management team who understand the task and we're all on the same page.
"Hopefully, next summer will be a bit of an easier one for us and we can kick on with some much-needed improvements to the ground.
"We also want to continue to grow the club by bringing more junior teams to the club.
"The ultimate aim is to create a clear pathway from junior football right up to the first team."
Kent added that while the club was focused on the future, it was important to acknowledge the previous chairman and general manager.
"The club wouldn't be where it is today without John and Adge," said Kent.
"I thank them both for their efforts and wish them well as they enjoy some well-deserved time off from the club.
"They are big shoes to fill but I hope to be able to rise to it.
"We've got a really good committee here.
"What's been so good is that lately when we've gone through difficulty, it's brought people together and united us.
"We've had lads who were regular spectators step up big time and join the committee and I'd like to thank them for doing so and making my job easier.
"We're always on the lookout for new faces and more bodies so please get in touch if you'd like to join us on the journey."
