2025 has been a challenging year, but also a grounding one. It has forced clarity. It has stripped things back to what matters and what actually moves this football club forward.

On the pitch, there have been positives across all sections of the club. The first team stabilised and improved as 2025 progressed under it's new leadership. The Ladies continued to compete strongly in a very tough division and produced some excellent results. The Reserves, A Team, and youth sections all showed commitment and growth, supported by people who genuinely care about the club and the players.

Off the pitch, 2025 has been dominated by one issue. The lease.

It has been frustrating, draining, and at times exhausting. But it has also confirmed something important. Without a secure lease, Wells City cannot move forward properly. Everything links back to it. Facilities, investment, player experience, running costs, and long-term planning all depend on having certainty over our home.

That is why our key target for 2026 is simple and non-negotiable.

We must secure the new lease and finalise the club structure that sits alongside it.

Once that is in place, we are ready to move. Not talk. Not plan. Actually move.

The first two projects are already clear and fully costed.
The LED floodlight upgrade.
The changing room improvement project.

These are not vanity projects. They are practical, overdue, and necessary. The floodlights will reduce running costs and improve reliability. The changing rooms will give players facilities that reflect the effort they put in every week and the standards we expect as a club.

2026 is about turning effort into outcomes. It is about doing fewer things, but doing the right things properly. It is about structure, sustainability, and control.

This club is run by volunteers who give time, energy, and commitment week after week. That will never change. But what can change is the environment they are working in. Better facilities. Better systems. Less firefighting.

That is the direction.

If we secure the lease in 2026, Wells City moves into the next phase of its life. If we do not, we will still keep going, but the ceiling remains low.

So the focus is clear.
Lease first.
Structure next.
Investment after that.

Everything else follows.

Thank you to everyone who has stuck with the club through 2025. Players, coaches, volunteers, sponsors, and supporters. The work continues, and the intent for 2026 is very clear.

See you soon!

Written By:
Alex Petheram
Chairman
06/01/2026