Whitstable Town’s longest serving chairman, Joe Brownett, has stepped down from the position to take on the role of club president.

He will now provide support for successor Steve Clayton, who takes on the responsibility having been chairman of the junior football section for the past three years.

The changes will unite the senior and junior clubs in view of further enhancing Town’s long-established youth policy.

Mr Brownett said: “I have a lot of confidence, the club is pushing forward with lots of new ideas and people and with a strong junior section.

“It was due a change I think. I’m getting a bit older now, I’m not running away from it but modern football needs a lot of people to do different jobs.

“My committee are getting a bit older as well, but a lot of them will stay on and advise and we intend to support what the junior club wants to do.

“It won’t be two separate teams, it will all be one club.”

The changes were crucially helped by a smooth process, with the ability to appoint internally offering security to the club’s ethos and overall goal.

Mr Brownett: “This is something I’m proud of, you need people in the wings that might want to do the job, we could have gone out and called for new people but they wouldn’t have been as interested in the club and the kids.”

Mr Clayton has expanded the junior section from four teams to 15 in the last three years, helping to introduce a conveyor belt that Whitstable hope can lead their youth prospects to first team football.

Mr Brownett added: “We’ve got great tradition.

“The Kent Youth League speaks for itself, we were one of the first founders of that and have supported it since.
“Whitstable stands for youth development.”

Besides boosting the first team’s progress in the Bostik League, combining the senior and junior set-ups is designed to increase interaction with the local community and help to improve facilities both on and off the pitch.

Mr Clayton said: “I have a fantastic team to support me in bringing our vision of making Whitstable Town Football Club the best it can be, laying the foundation today to create the pathways for the juniors of today to progress and play for their hometown club.

“We look forward with great excitement to the season ahead.”

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