The 4th January 2023 marks one year since membership to the Jammers Fans Association officially opened and what a year it has been. In the following post, we are covering what the JFA have been up to over the last twelve months…
Membership
We received 71 adult membership applications in 2022, along with 8 junior memberships taking the total number of members to 79.
As part of the 2023 renewal process, we have already had 7 new members sign up, but have sadly received some declines to renew however this was anticipated. We are pushing hard to reach 100 members in 2023 and would appreciate your support in making this happen.
100 Club
12 monthly draws for the monthly 100 club with over £950 handed out in prize money alone. The 100 Club has been superbly supported by not only our members, but non members too. The prize money has continued to grow on a frequent basis and is forecasted to grow from strength to strength during the next year.
Supporting M&TFC
Through funds which have been raised and generated throughout the year, we have been able to show our support to the football club financially in the form of sponsorship. We have donated over £500 to the football club, having sponsored Martyn Stokes for the 2022/23 season, an advertising board and an advert in the match day programme for 2022/23.
We also arranged several work tidy sessions in the summer of 2022, which helped the football club prepare for the 2022/23 season. A number of tasks where included, including line painting, weeding, fence cleaning and much more. The sessions were very successful and received a message of thanks from the management team at the football club.
Foodbank & Easter Egg Collections
In partnership with the Football Club, we have held three food bank collections and one Easter Egg collection which have supported the Maldon Food Pantry and HomeStart respectively. We have received fantastic messages from both organisations, thanking us for for our efforts and contributions, which couldn’t have happened with the generosity of so many.
Events
We have held a number of events throughout the year, ranging from a night at the Cricket, a Q&A session with then manager Paul Abrahams, our Christmas Curry, end of season drinks and most recently our Christmas Prize Draw.
The majority of the events have been well attended and we will be bringing more events to your calendar in 2023, with the first date already confirmed! It would be fantastic to see more new faces attending the events in 2023.
Fundraising
Our fundraising efforts in 2022 have helped not only the club, but have helped the JFA too. The return of the match day raffle, run by the JFA has seen £1392 be raised to date. This fundraising has helped contribute to the cost of away day coach trips and match official expenses.
The recent Christmas Prize Draw exceeded all expectations and raised over £800 which for the first ever draw is fantastic. The draw will return in 2023 where we will look to exceed the amount raised in 2022.
Other Achievements
We held our first AGM in June 2022, where the officers where elected for the first time for 12 and 24 months respectively.
We have sold JFA polo shirts, mugs and pin badges to our members, helping spread the JFA name.
At the end of the season, we crowned our first ever JFA Player of the Season which was handed to Scott Kemp after an impressive 2021/22 season. Within minutes of being crowned, Kemp famously dropped the trophy, resulting in a repair being required.
The JFA Committee have been busy in both Tiptree and Maldon, arranging for the monthly home fixtures being advertised in shop windows in both
We have conducted mail drops in both Tiptree and Maldon, advertising the 2022/23 home fixtures and the JFA membership, which has been well received in both communities.
Early in the 2022/23 season, we arranged a coach trip for supporters and the players to Lowestoft Town which was a fantastic day out and gave a great chance for our members to get to know each other.
We are planning to running more coach travel in 2023 which will be discounted for JFA members.
We have been confirmed as Affiliate members of the Football Supporters Association, which requires the JFA to be a “group who have a democratic structure and constitution”.
Due to the introduction of several JFA messaging forums, we have seen an increased number of supporters at away game following the increased level of car sharing and camaraderie amongst supporters. We have also purchased flags which are displayed at both home and away games, continuing to put the Jammers on the map.