All hail - its the new football season!

While the hills that surround Shepton Mallet look parched and the Sun seems to have forgotten to make its usual early retreat, the 2010/11 football season is already looming.  Whether you need kit for your child (and are as clueless as I am about that stuff...gloves? shin pads?? ), you want to get involved or are just looking forward to watching some great sport, here at sheptonmalletpeople.co.uk we want to give you the lowdown on what we have available to us in the Town.

If you are one of those people in the ‘know’, you will be aware that Shepton Mallet Football Club has a much revered pitch which is often the first choice for competition finals.  The surroundings have themselves been referred to as having some of the charm that has long since been lost by the big league teams.  This year though, its exciting times as the ground has two new stands, as well as floodlights, making it another reason for Sheptonians to feel proud of their town and its facilities.  

Shepton Mallet FC currently runs three main teams (although they are keen on involving all ages as well as both men and women).  The “1st Team” play in the Toolstation Western League and kick the season off (literally) at home this Saturday at 3pm against Merthyr Town.  There is also the reserve team, who play in the Errea Somerset County League and the “A Team” who play in the Mid Somerset League. 

If you are one of those people who struggled to come to terms with

people who play for ‘Manchester United’ not actually being from

Manchester then you will be relieved to hear that Shepton Mallet FC

prides itself on being run as an outlet for local players and places

this as a priority over and above the obvious advantages of ‘shipping

in’ players from elsewhere.

Sponsorship all comes from local businesses: Local Metal and Metal Goods Fabricators Foresite Service Ltd provide sponsorship for the "1st Team", Builders Bridgeman Ltd sponsor the reserves, and M J Sports sponsor the "A" Team.

Anyone can join in.  All you need to do is to go along to training which happens every Tuesday and Thursday at 6.45pm, or if you prefer, contact one of the team managers for more information (contact details at the bottom).

If you are looking for sports equipment, Shepton Mallet FC’s Chairman John Hugill also runs “MJ Sports” in the Town. Go to 45a High Street and I can guarantee, from personal experience, that however little you know about the sport in question, the Hugill’s have the stock and expertise to back it up.  The shop was established in 2001 and stocks all core sporting equipment and clothing from major brands such as Adidas, Puma, Sucony, Umbro, Uhlsport, Speedo and many many more.

I personally went in, utterly clueless about the equipment my (then) 6 year old needed.  John quickly found the right kit including protective gear, helped with getting the sizes right and just generally made for a great shopping experience.  I have also been back since for swimming costumes and goggles, and the standard of service remains consistently high. The prices seemed good as well, so I am particularly pleased to see they have expanded into the adjacent shop and started to provide embroidery and heat printing services, enabling them to provide, in-house, customized kit for various purposes e.g. company sports teams, corporate and school wear.

If you are someone who likes to watch a bit of ‘the beautiful game’ but normally do so from the comfort of a sofa (at home or in the pub), why not go and watch your local team play and get really close to the action?  It’s better than HD and 3D, and its right on your doorstep.

1st Team Manager Keith Brown   07929659797

Reserves Team Manager  Dean Loxton   07936409911

"A" Team Manager   Mike Allen   07796932833

Chairman John Hugill/MJ Sports 45A High Street, Shepton Mallet - 01749 347 550