Jerry Dolke Departs

 

When Bromley have announced that Director of Football Jerry Dolke would be stepping down from his role at the end of the season it heralded the end of a very special era at the club.

Dolke played for Bromley from 1987 to 1990 and was a very popular figure with the supporters, he then returned to take over ownership of the club in 2001 and steered Bromley from the bottom of the Isthmian League Division One South all the way to the National League in 2015, winning several cups and promotions along on the way.

Not only did things improve significantly on the pitch, but the club also re-secured ownership of the Hayes Lane ground and made huge improvements to the facilities. The upstairs bar and the five a side pitches behind the benches end were massive strides forward at the time and the ground looked like it had bene given a much needed face lift. In 2019 Jerry passed over the ownership to Robin Stanton-Gleaves and took up his current role with The Ravens.

Jerry and his wife Julia have been part of the fabric of the club since 2001 and their hard work and dedication has been at the core of the rise up the pyramid and establishing it’s place in the local community, while maintaining a superb relationship with the club’s fans. Jerry played for the Hayes Lane Ultras FC supporters team on occasions and also donated a full first team kit to the team, which they wore with pride. He also organised an annual game on the pitch at the end of the season for HLUFC against his veterans team.

The announcement that Jerry would be leaving was greeted with an out pouring of gratitude from supporters on social media and also sadness at the end of a very special era at Hayes Lane.

Hopefully Jerry will be recognised in some form by having part of the new buildings/stands at the ground named after him. To be honest he actually deserves a statue!   

 

Colin Head                  

It’s Not Just a Cat

 

When rumours started to circulate last week than Gareth the Stadium cat at Bromley FC’s Hayes Lane ground was going to be moved on to pastures new there was a general wave of disappointment and concern for the old moggy, but it wasn’t just the animal’s welfare that was the cause for annoyance it was what he stood for. 

Bromley FC are in a great position at the moment, sitting fourth in the National League at the highest level they have ever played at, with eyes on a promotion to the Football League. The old Hayes Lane ground has had a remarkable make over including new stands, floodlights and ongoing work on hospitality facilities. They run successful Ladies, Under 23, Academy & children's teams, plus a superb Community programme that reaches out to people across the whole borough. There is so much to be positive about and attendances have gone from a few hundred to around 2,000 for a home game in a decade.   

With progress comes change though and that’s not always easy for long standing fans like myself to go along with. In recent times the club has changed the badge, the kit (no more black shorts) and club colours (now incorporating gold). The old photos of teams past that used to hang in the bar were left in a pile in the club shop and eventually sold off to fans just before the pandemic. Spectators can no longer pay cash on the gate to see a game, tickets are purchased in advance from the website, there’s no more deciding at 2pm ‘I fancy seeing Bromley play this afternoon’. The board carrying names of supporters who sponsored seats in the old benches end back in 2014 to ensure the club could compete in the play offs has disappeared and the pictures of cup winning teams that adorned the walls of the entrance to the hospitality venues have been painted over for a more corporate neutral feel. 

Little things really, but it felt like the past was being air brushed out. Then came the news of Gareth’s intended relocation, a uniquely non-league quirk of a cat living in the ground and generally being part of the fabric of the club. The cat has been living at Hayes Lane for years and was named after former player Gareth Williams who was a red headed striker from the 2007 promotion winning side. 

At times it’s felt like when you get into a band who plays in small club venues and then they move up to playing in front of a few thousand in arenas and you find yourself sharing the experience with a whole lot of people you don’t know and have a very different take on what the band stand for. You still love the band and their music, but it’s not going to be the same.                         

Gareth’s impending fate felt like a bridge too far in the club’s move to a more professional feel and within hours of the rumours reaching social media #savegareth was a thing. Within days of the impromptu campaign the club had changed it’s mind and the cat was staying put. It was good news, not only for Gareth himself, but for the fact that it proves the club still listens to it’s fans old and new with their concerns. The club are in the process of setting up a fans group to liaise with them and discuss issues like this. It has also since emerged the name of fans who sponsored seats will be recorded in the new facilities at the back of the Glyn Beverly stand when work in complete.

So although things have change beyond recognition at Bromley as it’s moved forward in the last few years, the spirit and a soul is still there.    

Col.  

PS. 

Less than a month after I wrote this Gareth was evicted from Hayes Lane and moved to Beckenham Town FC, where he is reported to be very happy. Maybe that soul i referred to is in more trouble of being lost than I thought.