Football in Berkshire co-editor Tom Canning opened the 2022 Berkshire Football Awards with a few words. Here’s what he said.
Hello and welcome to the 2022 Berkshire Football Awards sponsored by Eddie Stobart. I’ve been thinking about what to say here as a little intro before handing over to the much more eloquent Tom White.
And I was thinking about what local football has done for me. It’s given me friendships, it’s started me on a career path I’m still travelling and it’s become more than just 90 minutes on a pitch – I use this word a lot, but the community, this community we – and I mean everyone in this room – has built, is more than club rivalries, arguments and divides.
It’s friendship. And after three disrupted years, I think that’s become so important.
So thank you everyone for being an important part of that, whether you win tonight or not. It’s important for me to get across that everyone plays a role.
I wanted to thank Steve Witty at Eddie Stobart for his offer of sponsorship tonight. I wanted to thank as well ManVFat, Calibra Tree Surgeons, Lens Digital, Rural Pie Co, Since 71 Blog, Severn Sport, NG Sports Photography, Ascot Sports Bar, STAR and Berks County for their kind sponsorship of the individual awards tonight.
Finally, I want to thank the Football in Berkshire team for a sterling job this season so if you could please stand up Rob Davies, Steve Gabb, Neil Maskell, Alicia Povey, Tony Hardy and especially Abi Ticehurst – without whom a lot of tonight wouldn’t have happened. A round of applause, please!
More on the 2022 Berkshire Football Awards: All the winners | Hall of Fame | In Memoriam
