WHAT'S YOUR FOOTBALLING HISTORY? WHAT IS YOUR POSITION AT THE CLUB?
My name is Jamie Nimmo and I'm club captain at Greenwich Mariners FC. I started playing around age seven with a local boys club back home in Lanarkshire. Like most kids in the area a bunch of us at the same school would join the same club and progress from there. It was always better playing alongside friends all the way through secondary school and then on to regional level teams as the bond and understanding you gain isn't to be underestimated. On the flip side when I moved to London five years ago I started looking for a team in order to meet new people and by January 2013 I had signed up for Greenwich Mariners.
Here we are just over three years (and three trophies) later and I'm club captain and also involved with the committee side of things too. Luckily we have a great bunch of lads so a bit of that camaraderie from the younger days is still there.
WHEN WAS THE CLUB FORMED AND HOW DID THE FORMATION COME ABOUT?
We were formed in 2011 by Mike Lee, our Chairman, Jamie Bartlett - our former player/manager and a friend of theirs. The idea for the club was born out of AFC Bournemouth's disappointment in the play-off's that season, hence the reason our club colours are red & black.
Since the club was first formed we've had a rapid development on and off the pitch which resulted in winning a league & cup double in 2014 followed by another league title in 2015 - all as an FA Charter Standard accredited club. All the guys from those early days through to now deserve tremendous credit for where we are as a club.
WHAT ARE YOUR AIMS FOR NEXT SEASON WITH THE CLUB?
By previous standards we had a poor season last year after moving over to the OBDSFL*. The standard was definitely a step up to what we were used to and we never really got going which was a huge disappointment. We have a new manager this season so he knows where he wants us to improve and has already started working on it in training. In total we lost sixteen points from a winning position last season so taking that into account our initial aim is to become more organised and cohesive as a unit which will hopefully help get us the results to mount a challenge for the promotion places in our division at the very least.
*The club were members of the Woolwich & Eltham Sunday League.
WHAT'S THE BEST AND WORST THINGS ABOUT FOOTBALL AT THIS LEVEL?
The best thing has to be being able to play the game we all love with our friends in a competitive environment. From the dressing room banter to the guy who never scores firing in a 25 yard rocket to the keeper dropping one in his own net there's always something to talk about.
As for the worst thing I'd have to give two answers -
i) The inconsistency. Player attendance, pitches, dressing rooms, referees. The list goes on. If we could improve the worst bits just 20% then the game would be in a much healthier state in my opinion.
ii) Racism. Unacceptable at any level and it needs a permanent solution.
HOW WOULD YOU CHANGE THE GAME TO MAKE IT BETTER?
I believe the key lies with the investment in facilities and coaches. From kids through to adults on a Sunday morning we all get the same excitement and fulfilment when playing on a nice pitch at a nice club with a coach who cares about your development and knows how to help you improve. It can be incredibly disheartening when you run onto a boggy pitch with squinty lines, bent goalposts and grass up past your ankles!
PLAY THE BEAUTIFUL GAME OR IS IT THE RESULTS THAT MATTER?
In an ideal world both. I guess the emphasis changes with age. At a young age it should be all about playing the beautiful game and developing technical ability. As players grow older it's then about integrating those skills with a winning mentality in order to produce elite level players. Like I said before we need more qualified coaches to make that a reality.
WHERE DO THE MARINERS PLAY THEIR HOME GAMES? ARE ALL THE PLAYERS LOCAL?
We play our home matches at Old Colfeians Rugby Club in Lee. The football pitch there is one of the best I've played on at this level and it's a great place to be able to call our home. Most of our players are local which has always been the case. Only one guy really has to travel any great distance. When we are looking for new players it's something we consider as we feel it improves the chances of having a committed player who attends social events, training and matches.
WHAT GAME ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO? WHO ARE YOUR LOCAL RIVALS?
It's a terrible cliche but I'm always looking forward to the next game, which for us is a friendly on Sunday 24th July. I've not payed too much attention to the league fixtures yet as we need to focus on getting a good pre-season under our belts. Once that's out the way then I'll talk with the manager and see how we'll approach the first league game.
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| The team celebrate winning The Bert Holloway Cup Final in 2014 which was played at Welling United's Park View Ground. The Mariners won 6-1 versus Advent Royals. |
ORPINGTON AND BROMLEY DISTRICT SUNDAY FOOTBALL LEAGUE
DIVISION THREE
Beckenham Manor
Bexley United
Biggin Hill Junior
Erith United
Ex-Blues Hurricanes
Ex-Blues Tornados
FC Elmstead Hawks
FC London Boys
Fairfield
Greenwich Mariners
Orpington Rovers
Sydney Royals
They start their league campaign with an away game at Fairfield on Sunday 11th September followed by a home game against Beckenham Manor on Sunday 18th September.
You can follow them on twitter @GwichMarinersFC and visit their website here. Thank you to Jamie for speaking to TheColdEnd - We wish him and The Mariners all the best for the forthcoming season.
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