Today started badly. Gordon and Wendy started work on washing the kit this morning only to find that the water pressure was not sufficient to fill the machines properly.

On further inspection there was flooding found in the female toilets due to a leak from a damaged toilet cistern pipe.

The water was turned off, the washing stopped and a call made to Dave at Cambridge Gas Services for advice and help.

Thankfully, Dave was able to come round urgently and repair the pipework this afternoon.

Washing was resumed and the kit should now be ready for training tomorrow and the Yeovil match on Saturday

Thank you to Cambridge Gas Services for their help

Everywhere around the Abbey Stadium is being looked at. Above Ian looks at a tree.

We are all trying to tidy the ground and also following the recent storms highlighting areas of concern, risk and could cause damage.

In the groundsman compound there are four trees that have taken a lot of punishment during recent weeks.  Due to their position  on the boundary overhanging our neighbours we would to cut them back to a manageable height.

Ian and Mick has done what they can manage themselves, however the remainder requires a tree surgeon or specialist to complete

CAN YOU HELP - YES YOU CAN - Do you know someone or are you someone who could complete the work for us. If so, please contact me via the feedback form below

The January edition of the Abbey News is now online to read. Follow the link here or find it under the link other at the top of the page.

Did you know any of the players in the photograph. If so please contact us via the contact form below or if you would like to write an article or to provide feedback get n touch

Legge and Amoo join participants in Cambridge United disability football sessionsOn Saturday 27th January, Cambridge United stars Leon Legge and David Amoo joined in with some of Cambridge United’s disability football sessions which run on a Saturday morning.

Ambulant cerebral palsy sessions, which take place weekly at Impington Village College from 10am-11am, are generously sponsored by Irwin Mitchell and coached by Phil Mullen. The sessions consist of relaxed football matches, in which, this week, the participants were joined by Legge and Amoo.

These sessions were followed by Cambridge United’s Down’s syndrome football sessions from 11am-12pm in which both players also took part.


Read more click here

If you have missed something - Catch up on the previous weeks news  -

Previous Stories
29 January-----------Coventry Match day info - Parking and A14 closures information
26 January-----------CUFC Lottery Results W/E 26/01/2018
26 January-----------100 hundred years of coconuts - Jean Cromer interview
25 January-----------Digital Drop-In @ the Abbey Stadium
25 January-----------Clearing up the frontage
25 January-----------A cabinet full of cups
24 January-----------#Hiddenhistory - Supporters Direct partner with The Women's Football Conference
24 January-----------At the training ground today - The Apprentice Groundsman
24 January-----------Billy Day 1936-2018
24 January-----------Royal Anglian Regiment Benevolent Charity Appeal
23 January-----------How we are doing the work
23 January-----------Locating Manholes - The Apprentice Groundsman
23 January-----------Match day Information - Coventry City Parking information
22 January-----------Today at the Abbey - Wash day - clearing debris, testing boilers and a video view from the dug out - The Apprentice Groundsman
22 January-----------The painting continues in the hallway - The Apprentice Groundsman
21 January-----------MY DAD SAID WE HAD A PROPER BADGE ONCE

If you are traveling to Coventry -  I hope you find the following information useful -

Please see link for A14 closures this week -  click here or www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/a14-road-works-closed-m11-14208173

COVENTRY AWAY SUPPORTER INFORMATION as per Coventry website CLICK HERE

Parking Info below -

The following information has been received from the Event Support Team at the Ricoh Arena in advance of our match against Coventry -
 
Event Support Team manage the Official Off-Site Car Park’s here at the Ricoh Arena, and we wanted to pass on some information to anyone that may be travelling here from your club for the upcoming game, regarding the parking available within the local area along with the current restrictions that are in place.
 
There is a 2km resident’s permit zone in operation surrounding the arena, meaning that you cannot park on any of the streets without having a permit. This is enforced by Coventry City Council who do regular patrols and issue parking tickets on the day. There has also been a change of Management Company at the large Tesco car park next door, which strictly enforces a no more than 2 hour stay regulation on a match day. They use an ANPR system and a £100 fine (£60 if paid within 14 days) is sent through the post if the stay goes over this.
 
We at Event Support Team offer a number of convenient parking options, all of which are between a 5 – 15 minute walk from the arena, and our prices start from just £5 per space! Also, because some of our car parks are considerably smaller than other options, you benefit from not usually having long queues when exiting.
 
We do recommend booking in advance, as we often sell out prior to the date of the match. You can book online at www.ricoharenaparking.co.uk 

If we have not sold out in advance, then cash parking will be available on the day, but this is not something that we can guarantee.
 
If you have any questions at all please don’t hesitate to get in contact, our details are listed below.

Event Support Team Ltd A:
Ricoh Arena.
Judds Lane,
Longford,
Coventry.
CV6 6AQ

T: 02476 997605

E: info@estuk.co.uk

A U's supporter since the 1940s, Jean Cromer recalls the bell that was rung to indicate that United had scored at home and how 'Coconuts' was played over the Tannoy to let local people  know that United had won away in the days before television.

Watch the interview below

CUFC Lottery 'Accumulator' Results (26 January 2018) - this weeks winning 'Accumulator' numbers are (3104)
-there were no winners of the weekly 'Accumulator' this week, meaning next weeks 'Accumulator' will be £1100.

CUFC Lottery 'Main Draw' Results (26 January 2018) - this weeks winning 'Main Draw' numbers are (1749)
-there were no winners of the 'Main Draw' jackpot this week.
-next weeks 'Main Draw' jackpot will be £300.00.

As the 'Main Draw' jackpot was not won this week
-there are 2 CUFC Lottery members matching the first pair winning £10.00 each
-there are 0 Lottery members matching the second pair

If you are a winner of either the 'Accumulator' or 'Main Draw' you will be notified individually by email.

Yours sincerely,
The CUFC Lottery Team.

Digital Drop-InCome along to a digital drop-in session every week at Cambridge United's Learning Centre at the Abbey Stadium. The sessions will be put on by Cambridge Online for beginners to regular internet users, we welcome all! Bring your laptop or tablet, or use one of our computers.

Please drop in to our free and friendly computer session every Tuesday from 10:00 to 12:00 - starting on the 5th of December!

Read more here

 Earlier in the week we mentioned that the front of the ground was being tidied up due to some manhole covers needing to accessed.

Today we tidied up the leaves, weeds, moss and rubbish from the front wall. There are several reasons for doing this. It took six barrel loads to of waste

For example to -

• allow the foot of the wall to dry by removing the debris against it
  
• to ensure the front is presentable
  
• remove wet leaves that could be slipped on
  

Our aim is to be a good neighbour by keeping the area around the ground tidy.  We clear the rubbish now on a regular basis in Cut Throat Lane and also in the grass verge behind the Habbin Stand. Its not going to be perfect however we are trying to look after the environment around us.

Interesting today was a sighting of a buzzard flying over the ground

This article appeared in the Cambridge Independent's edition of 6-12 December 2017.

You can imagine the engraver, burin in hand, squinting at the scrap of paper in front of him and trying to decipher the handwritten scrawl.

‘That must be C Alsop and he’s first, so he must be the goalkeeper,’ he mutters to himself. ‘That one looks like F Tuff … funny name; and that one must be … no, it can’t be … yes, it’s R Twirmore. Must be a foreign chap.’

Our craftsman was doing his best to inscribe the names of the Abbey United team that had just won the Cambridgeshire Challenge Cup for 1924/25. To be fair to him, he got most of the names right, although not necessarily in the right order.

Click here to read more

www.100yearsofcoconuts.co.uk/blog/a-cabinet-full-of-cups

#Hiddenhistory - Supporters Direct partner with The Women's Football Conference

Supporters Direct have partnered with The Women's Football Conference 2018, titled 'Upfront and Onside'.  This conference is part of the Hidden Histories project, funded by the Arts Council and will be held at the National Football Museum in Manchester on 8th/9th March.


This will be the biggest conference on the history and heritage of women’s football and coincides with International Women's Day on 8th March.  Upfront & Onside features a programme of influential keynote speakers from around the globe focussing on over 150 years of the women’s game.


To get your tickets for the event and to read more about the speakers please click here.

I was sent to the training ground today. Ian and Mick must have got tired of me at the Abbey!!!!

There were some maintenance jobs to be done there and also some jobs to look at possibly doing in the future for example a new path area and a boot cleaning area created

Andy Beattie checking if the the new pictures are straight

While on site I met Cambridge United supporter Ron Leech who was working on site installing new gates to provide extra security

Cambridge United lost a link with its Southern League Cup-winning side of 1965 with the death, at the age of 81 on January 21, of Billy Day.
​
The speedy outside right, born on 27 December 1936, enjoyed a stellar career with his hometown club of Middlesbrough before moving to Newcastle and Peterborough and then becoming a favourite of the Abbey Stadium crowd for two seasons.

After signing for Boro from local club South Bank at the age of 18, he was dubbed the ‘flying winger’ for two reasons: his blistering pace and his habit, while on national service in Germany, of flying home every weekend to play. His son Colin told the Teesside Gazette: ‘He’d get home about 7am on a Saturday, have an hour’s sleep, and then be straight to play a game.’

His national service stint also saw Day become the forces champion in the 100 yards.

To read more click here

eal

U’s fans! Was someone in your family involved in either World War I or World War II? If so, 100 Years of Coconuts and the Royal Anglian Regiment Benevolent Charity would like to hear from you.

The Charity is organising a very special event for a forthcoming United home match, and would like to feature relatives of forces members who served in either of the world wars in the matchday programme.

Or do you know a United supporter who has served in any of the UK forces? Would he or she like to aid the Charity on the day by helping with bucket collections?

In either case, please contact 100 Years of Coconuts: 100yearsofcoconuts@gmail.com. Thanks.

The Royal Anglian Regiment Benevolent Charity (royalanglianregiment.com/benevolent-charity.html) provides relief for persons who are in need, hardship or distress and are serving or former members of the regiment or former regiments or the dependents of those persons. It has made grants totalling £107,000 over the past year, to over 275 cases. Cases vary from assistance to soldiers on operations in Afghanistan to helping old comrades and their families.

We have been asked if all the painting and work being completed around the Abbey Stadium by the volunteers is costing the club money.

All the paint and materials have been sourced from either existing sponsors, paint left over from other work, the CUFC lottery or by individuals. The only paint costing money so far has been the Amber and Black masonary paint which has been used to help provide additional club identity around the Abbey Stadium and is paid for by the lottery

If you would like to help towards some of the paint costsplease click here 

The afternoon was spent trying to remove the growth and soil from the manhole covers at the front of the ground.

During the months soil, roots and weeds had completely covered them and access was required to the boxes.

While completing this work the opportunity was also taken to cut back the bush near the pathway to the Cut Throat Lane turnstiles and also start to tidy up the area at the front of the ground on Newmarket Road

The following information has been received from the Event Support Team at the Ricoh Arena in advance of our match against Coventry -
 
Event Support Team manage the Official Off-Site Car Park’s here at the Ricoh Arena, and we wanted to pass on some information to anyone that may be travelling here from your club for the upcoming game, regarding the parking available within the local area along with the current restrictions that are in place.
 
There is a 2km resident’s permit zone in operation surrounding the arena, meaning that you cannot park on any of the streets without having a permit. This is enforced by Coventry City Council who do regular patrols and issue parking tickets on the day. There has also been a change of Management Company at the large Tesco car park next door, which strictly enforces a no more than 2 hour stay regulation on a match day. They use an ANPR system and a £100 fine (£60 if paid within 14 days) is sent through the post if the stay goes over this.
 
We at Event Support Team offer a number of convenient parking options, all of which are between a 5 – 15 minute walk from the arena, and our prices start from just £5 per space! Also, because some of our car parks are considerably smaller than other options, you benefit from not usually having long queues when exiting.
 
We do recommend booking in advance, as we often sell out prior to the date of the match. You can book online at www.ricoharenaparking.co.uk 

If we have not sold out in advance, then cash parking will be available on the day, but this is not something that we can guarantee.
 
If you have any questions at all please don’t hesitate to get in contact, our details are listed below.

Event Support Team Ltd A:
Ricoh Arena.
Judds Lane,
Longford,
Coventry.
CV6 6AQ

T: 02476 997605

E: info@estuk.co.uk

For ticket and travel information click hereAWAY TICKETS AND TRAVEL | COVENTRY CITY

Much of the work at the Abbey for Ian & Mick is concentrating on the pitch, areas around safety and the larger maintenance jobs.

For example today one of their jobs was to test all the boilers around the ground to ensure they were heating up properly. This is to help avoid any chance of the Legionnaire bug being found in future. However, following the ice and cold this weekend the testing also highlighted a damaged pipe behind the South Habbin stand which required repair.

Today was also a  big day for washing kit etc - 14 wash cycles were completed and there is still more to be done tomorrow to catch up with everything. See photos below of some of items ready for washing.

Below is a short video of the view seen from the home dugout today

During the past couple of months the volunteer group have been busy painting the passageway underneath the Main Stand which runs along side the Dublin Suite.  It has taking time to complete and the work is still ongoing.

We have to fit the work in so there is no wet paint which could cause damage to the clothing of visitors therefore working between matches, functions, dinners etc.

We have tried to give the hallway some club identity by painting the door frames amber and adding a black skirting to run between the doors.

The entrance at the Cut Throat Lane is now completed and so is the first section of the hallway.

See below Alan starting today to paint the remaining door frames

Below the door  frames now painted Amber. The doors have since being photographed been re-varnished.

The group have also returned the walls to white given it a brighter and fresher look.

They have also painted all along the back and sides of the Main Stand and also as photographed below the tunnels top walls. Hopefully you have also seen the areas of Black and Amber in the Stand

MY DAD SAID WE HAD A PROPER BADGE ONCE from Nov edition of Amber News

The December Amber News can be found by clicking here

I'll be honest I've not read the Amber News for a while but I did promise you an article a while back and here it is. Not the one I originally intended (still working on that and balancing the prospect of being sued for libel by some old hooligans) but one nonetheless. Don’t know if the pics work very well and I am absolutely no IT expert – just a member of the lost generation on that front! [me too – Ed]

And he was right. A short history lesson, sorry that sounds  so blinking patronising! My apologies, particularly as I know a lot of you have graced this earth a lot longer than me and indeed have supported CUFC equally longer. Anyway, the attached pics show our original Cambridge United badge. Well more or less. Let me explain.

Despite becoming Cambridge United in 1951, which rendered the old “AU” motif rather redundant, we didn’t have a badge until somebody came up with this idea which saw it designed and created in 1963 in time for the programme cover for the 1963/64 season and several subsequent seasons until the late 1960s. It’s incredible to think that we have NEVER worn this badge on a shirt, isn’t it? Yes we wore a hybridised version on the yellow (eek) and black quarter shirts between 1996 and 1998, thanks to Patrick the kit supplier at the time who were going through one of their retro phases. It’s equally astounding to note that CUFC didn’t wear a badge on their shirts from 1951 to 1974, full stop.  Twenty three years and no badge on the shirt, that’s weird, isn’t it? Even allowing for that spell in the 60s when badges on shirts did become rather ‘passe’, that’s a long time. Did nobody question it? Dad?

The attached image shows us the coat of arms of the City of Cambridge adorning a shield. This will be familiar to you if you’ve ever been in a taxi in Cambridge and/or you’ve clocked the design above the entrance to the Guildhall on the east side of the Market Square. The Council these days seem to distance themselves from it with a more ‘modern’ Big C design in front of what looks like King’s College Chapel, when it comes to “Welcome to Cambridge” signs anyway, although the original still holds sway as I say if you  jump in a cab outside the station on a wet evening home.

The CUFC monogram needs no explaining. Did Carlisle and Colchester exist then??  The original badge had two smaller shields to the left and the right, on the left was the motif of the Cambridge & District Sportsmen’s Guild, a fundraising outfit effectively(for CUFC)) which formed in the early 1960s and was based at the Supporters’ Club. And to the right was the Supporters’ Club badge itself. Come 1971 these emblems had disappeared from the badge (see my comments below), evidence no doubt of less than harmonious relations between all concerned. Which some may say remain to this day although the Guild dissolved many years ago.

Moving down the badge we see the “Abbey” construction paying homage, folklore tells us, to the Abbey Church (St Andrew the Less to give it its full name) on Newmarket Road. This  needs no introduction really as it gives its name to the whole district that I and many others including CUFC live in round here, is the political ward as part of Cambridge City Council and apparently gave its name to a little sporting institution which commenced proceedings in 1912. The ball, the goal and the verdant turf remind us what sport we’re talking about.

Finally, we have the scroll at the bottom emblazoned with United In Endeavour, the club’s (un-) official motto, as much CUFC as black and amber, coconuts, Harry Habbin, Corona soft drinks  and Ian Darler. Coined I recall in the 1960s when so many volunteers contributed so much to the development of the “Abbey” Stadium, particularly the construction of the Habbin Stand. Unified in their hard work.

I mentioned 1971 above. This is quite apposite because this is the last time we saw this badge (minus the two shields as I say) in any way representing Cambridge United. Decent as it was to see it on the cover of every home programme during the 1971/72 season, one cannot help but view it as a rather ignominious exit in the end for such a glorious creation. Come the start of the 1972/73 season then the “book and the ball” badge was on its way which eventually found itself on the shirt front at the beginning of the 1974/75 season. Although only Cambridge United could take two seasons to get the new badge from the programme cover on to the shirt. Again, weird.

And now I look at our current badge. How has this ‘effort’ survived over thirty years? How much thinking went in to it? If you took away the scroll at the bottom who would be able to tell whose badge it actually was? I give it a tick for the homage to the City of Cambridge coat of arms, ie the bridge balustrades, but the rest of it………where’s the club’s motto even? A toilet seat if ever there was one.

Time for a new badge. I’m not naïve enough to think we could see the return of the old badge. It’s naïve in this age of minimalism where new badges are concerned (see Arsenal, Spurs, Fulham,  Juventus(OMG!), Swansea, Cheltenham, etc) although Manchester City’s introduced last season demonstrates there is life out there and I can carry on dreaming……and look at Swindon’s and Barnsley’s return to their roots in badge terms in recent years. And Brentford? The bee returns in its full glory this season. What a sting that was.

Could we not use though some of the features from the old badge, the Abbey setting, the ball and the United In Endeavour scroll and introduce those into a modern design? With a bit more black and amber colouring, maybe.

Check out the new old flag in the Abbey Arms this season. I wonder how many people know the history behind it. And plenty of nods to the past in the CFU caravan, embroidered patches, car stickers, mugs, coasters, caps, beanie hats, they’re all there.

Thank you.
Andy “Foxy” Fox
A/k/a nutsaboutamber

If you have missed something - Catch up on the previous weeks news  -

Previous Stories
21 January-----------Fan reps continue dialogue with EFL
20 January-----------CUFC Lottery Result W/E 19/01/2018
20 January-----------Carrying out Maintenance work and repairing wind damage still - The Apprentice Groundsman Part 2
19 January-----------Carrying out Maintenance work - The Apprentice Groundsman
18 January-----------Floodlights @ the Abbey
18 January-----------Match Day Information - Forest Green & watch Shaun Derry talking about the match
18 January-----------Details concerning the     Seniors Afternoon Tea and Lunch.
17 January-----------Clock Repairer Needed
17 January-----------Moving Coconuts memorabilia to a new location
17 Janaury-----------Cambridge United Launches Amputee Football Club
17 Janaury-----------FEBRUARY HALF TERM EARLY BIRD OFFER | 20% OFF SOCCER SCHOOLS (Valid until the 21st January)
16 January-----------Recovering floating balls and taking measurements - The Apprentice Groundsman
16 January-----------Let's Get Running Cambridge
15 January-----------Forest Green match day news
15 Janaury-----------Helping to keep up appearances at the Abbey
15 Janaury-----------Wet Day at the Abbey - The Apprentice Groundsman

Have you seen the latest Amber News if not click here - December Amber News

Fan representatives from the EFL's three divisions met with EFL officials at the end of 2017 to discuss issues concerning supporters.

The meeting took place under the auspices of the Football Supporters' Federation and was the third meeting between fan organisations and the EFL following the Government's Expert Working Group (EWG) on Fan Engagement and Supporter Ownership. There is a commitment from both fan groups and the EFL to bi-annual meetings.

This meeting was attended by three fans from different clubs from each division, drawn from the FSF's network of democratically affiliated/associated fan groups, fanzines and activists. 

If you'd like to join as an individual click here or email join@fsf.org.uk if you'd like to affiliate/associate your organisation to the FSF. Find out more about theFSF click here

You can read the notes fromt he meeting below click here or on the link below

www.fsf.org.uk/assets/Downloads/News/2017/EFL-Supporter-Engagement-Meeting-FINAL.pdf

Thank you for your continued support of the CUFC Lottery.

CUFC Lottery 'Accumulator' Results (19 January 2018) - this weeks winning 'Accumulator' numbers are (0857)
-there were no winners of the weekly 'Accumulator' this week, meaning next weeks 'Accumulator' will be £1050.

CUFC Lottery 'Main Draw' Results (19 January 2018) - this weeks winning 'Main Draw' numbers are (0528)
-there were no winners of the 'Main Draw' jackpot this week.
-next weeks 'Main Draw' jackpot will be £300.00.

As the 'Main Draw' jackpot was not won this week
-there are 0 Lottery members matching the first pair
-there is 1 CUFC Lottery member matching the second pair winning £10.00

If you are a winner of either the 'Accumulator' or 'Main Draw' you will be notified individually by email.

Thursday and Friday saw two days of repairs and intermittence work taking place at the Abbey Stadium. We highlighted some of the work completed yesterday -click here to see it

Above - the cherry picker brought on site by Tyco is seen reversing from Cut Throat Lane down pass toilets to re-fix cables that have been brought down and repaired re-fixing.

There was a need to repair one of the cameras on the floodlights which had been affected in the wind and re-adjusting into it's correct position

Scroll down to see more -

There is a need to be constantly looking at the weather being forecasted, This weekend has heavey rain expected so the drian aways were lifted and  inspected. 

They needed to cleared of all debris built up recently to allow water to flow away. The front of the Dublin Suite wh is particularly at risk of flooding when there is heavy rain

Above an area of concrete by the steps on the main stand is repaired

below - CAT were also on site to re-attach items on the floodlights and that had come loose recently