Binfield are progressing nicely off the pitch, as well as on it, ahead of the 2026/27 season.
Here, Club Chairman Andy Cotton talks to Jack Craske about the work that goes on behind the scenes as he looks to continue the sustainable development the club is currently undertaking.
Cotton took over in the boardroom at Hill Farm Lane in January 2022 and he assesses The Moles’ progress since he took to the helm, explaining the importance of the work of the volunteers and how that translates to success you might see on the pitch. The Moles’ Chairman analyses the impact that the annual junior tournament has on the club, and outlines plans for the future…
Andy, you’ve been the chairman of Binfield FC for over four years now. Could you talk us through the progress the club has made since the start of your tenure?
I came in on the back of a tremendous run for the club. We experienced an incredible FA Vase journey and earned promotion into Step 4 football in the Isthmian League South Central Division.
Before discussing the progress during my tenure, I must pay homage to our previous chairman, Bob Bacon, whom I worked with closely for ten years as vice-chairman and main sponsor. Bob put an immense amount of work into Binfield and left the club in a fantastic position. I still speak to him regularly and see him at games; everyone at the club should remain incredibly grateful to him.
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Taking over was a tough challenge, but four seasons down the line, we have successfully maintained our status at Step 4. We’ve seen many great non-league clubs enter our league and fall below us, while some have moved up.
What makes Binfield unique compared to many other Step 4 clubs is that we aren’t driven by individual ambition or owned by a single person. We are a local club, essentially owned by its members. My job as a custodian of Binfield is to protect its future, not to make decisions based on a personal angle.
In the last four seasons, we have completed a massive ground-grading project. When I took over, we had only just broken ground on the new stand, the enclosure, the new turnstiles, and the kitchen. We also completely revamped the clubhouse and have been working hard to improve our pitch. Climate change has made pitch maintenance a challenge with significant summer droughts and heavy winter rain, but we are working hard to get everything in a good place come the start of the season.
How important is it for the club to remain sustainable and stay within its means regarding the playing budget, especially when other clubs are investing heavily?
It is hugely important for the longevity of the football club that we do not pack the first team with unsustainable budgets. Short-term gratification from a single sponsor throwing money at a squad is risky because circumstances can change quickly in this day and age.
“As long as I am at the helm, we will operate sustainably. If the club desperately needs something it can’t afford, I will usually step in to contribute, but we maintain a very strict playing budget policy“
We want to be successful and have great cup runs. Our FA Vase run was amazing, culminating in reaching the final. The team that Carl Withers and Jamie McClurg put together back then was fantastic, and I still see most of those players kicking around in Step 3 and 4 today.”
As long as I am at the helm, we will operate sustainably. If the club desperately needs something it can’t afford, I will usually step in to contribute, but we maintain a very strict playing budget policy.
Our bedrock is our Soccer School, which provides football for kids starting at young ages. We provide football for the entire community, from the very young up to adults, across 35 teams managed by over 100 coaches. The first team is supported by a strong reserve setup and a development side playing in the Thames Valley Premier League. We also have a strong Allied Counties youth team. This structure creates a clear pathway for local youth players to mature into adult footballers and earn opportunities in our first team.
We probably operate on the lowest budget in the league, yet we possess some of the most widely recognised talent. Over the last three seasons, we’ve had three first-team players move on to professional contracts. Last season, our incredibly talented squad had an average age of just 20 years and seven months. Five or six of those lads were poached by higher-level clubs this summer. They left with our full blessing and no animosity because they earned those opportunities.
They developed beautifully under our first-team manager, Ross Weatherstone, who is an unbelievable coach supported by a phenomenal management and medical team. We don’t have prima donnas. This club isn’t a monetary transaction or an ego trip for a sponsor; it’s a structured, friendly, community environment focused on giving young, committed individuals a stage to showcase their talents. We are regularly beating clubs spending upwards of £100,000 a season because our philosophy is built on development and sustainability.
Could you talk about the key individuals who support you behind the scenes and the work they do?
We are incredibly blessed with the group of people running the club. I must mention Rob Challis, who did an amazing job for many years as club secretary, clubhouse manager, kit man, and PR and volunteer guru. When Rob retired a few years ago, Angela Knightley and Kieran Wickham stepped up to help me navigate that tough transition period and keep the club on course.
Today, our off-pitch team is thriving, and there’s too many people to thank individually. Rob Sutton does an unbelievable job as our first-team secretary; Kieran continues to do great work despite the challenge of recently welcoming two new babies to his family. Our vice-chairman, Craig Gilbert, is an incredible man who works tirelessly across the whole club, particularly managing the junior section.
Our clubhouse manager, Luke Beard, has taken our events to another level. He is also incredibly handy with a toolbox and is constantly refurbishing the facility to keep the place looking great. Andrew Spiers has made a massive impact on handling our communications and website. Lewis Pike helps extensively with ground maintenance, coaching, and executive duties; he is a proper football man who will likely be chairman here one day. We also have Alan Clark and his son Jamie Clark running the soccer school, both of whom are epic individuals.
Our culture has naturally shifted and modernised since our FA Vase days. That level of excitement is like a drug hit that is very difficult to replicate, and many clubs struggle long after experiencing it. However, we have managed to keep progressing thanks entirely to this phenomenal team of volunteers.
Binfield’s annual junior tournament expanded significantly this year to include an extra weekend. How has that event evolved?
Our junior tournament is easily the best in the county, if not the entire Southeast. We hosted 160 teams this year and have built a highly respected, oversubscribed following. Crucially, for the first time ever, we successfully introduced a girls-only tournament weekend with close to 60 teams. The feedback from other club chairs and coaches has been so positive that we are already tracking toward 80 plus teams for next summer.
The tournament brings the whole community together, and the first-team players and management all chip in to help across both days. It serves as a major fundraiser. Every season, we reinvest that money directly into upgrading the facilities for future seasons. For instance, a couple of seasons ago, tournament funds paid for our pitch irrigation system. Without that water supply during recent droughts, playing safe football on our pitch would have been impossible. I was speaking to Lewis Hall recently, and his standout memories of growing up at Binfield aren’t just playing for the ‘Binfield Dragons’ at young ages, but the tournament weekends. He still comes back to help present awards when his schedule allows. On top of the tournament, we also hosted the village’s Party on the Pitch event for the first time last summer, drawing a record 1,000 people. All of these fundraising efforts allow us to keep player subscription fees as low and affordable as possible for local families.
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Looking ahead at the next 12 months, what does success look like for Binfield FC both on and off the pitch?
Success means remaining highly competitive at Step 4 and maintaining the widespread respect that Binfield commands across the league structure. By respect, I don’t just mean winning fair play awards for the fewest bookings; I mean respect for how we conduct ourselves and treat others.
Off the pitch, we have several major projects in the pipeline. We are pursuing grant funding to further improve our pitches. We are also exploring strategic football partnerships with co-educational bodies, which could truly transform our facilities down at Hill Farm Lane. A fundamental measure of success for me is that we remain completely debt-free, owing nobody anything, while providing quality football for our 500 plus players.
On the pitch, I want the first team to target the FA Cup first round proper and push for the league playoffs over the next season or two. Sustaining ourselves at this level is hard work, but with a few flipped results last year, we would have easily finished mid-table.
Ultimately, nothing gives me greater pleasure than watching local lads progress from our junior section, move up the club pathway, and shine in the first team. When their time with us is done and they move on to even bigger things, it is incredibly inspiring for those of us who volunteer our time. We have a fantastic story to tell here, and anyone who comes down to Hill Farm Lane on a Saturday or Tuesday night will experience great Step 4 football.
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The Moles are set to get their 2026/27 Isthmian League campaign underway at Hill Farm Lane on August 15th as they host Hendon. Before that though, the Moles make the trip to Didcot Town in the Extra Preliminary Round of the FA Cup on August 8th.
