Sholing are building from a position of strength.
Their 11th place finish in the Pitching In Southern League Premier South was the highest in the club’s history and already this close season, fan’s favourite, Michael Folivi, a regular on the scoresheet in 2024/25, has signed a new deal, whilst excellent progress has been made on the installation of a new 3G surface at the Mortgage Decisions Stadium that will open up many new and exciting opportunities for the club.
“There are plenty of positive things going on here,” said CEO, Paul Knott, proudly. “We’ve agreed new contracts with some of the key members of the playing staff, whilst manager, Paul Doswell, and his team are working on a number of exciting new signings as we look to build on the solid season we’ve just had.
“Meanwhile works on the 3G pitch are going very well. This will become a great asset for both the club and the community, supporting the various sections of the club, including our Youth and Women’s teams as well as supporting the growth of the new LSC Academy.
“It’s also been great to see The Supporters’ Club establish and grow, with so many new faces around the club. Their dedication both home and away has been the best it’s ever been and it’s appreciated throughout the club. On top of this, we have seen our home crowds grow from an average of 200 up to over 550 due to the successes of Project 5000.
“We’re working on a lot of exciting plans behind-the-scenes, so we’re already looking forward to what the new season will hold in store for us.”
Sharing the excitement, is star man, Michael Folivi, who wasted little time in penning a new deal at the start of May.
“I can understand why a lot of people associated with the club are excited,” he told us. “From the new pitch to the ambition that the club has in building upon last season, it’s all looking really promising and I am so happy to be part of it.
“The new playing surface will really suit a lot of our players and our playing style, so credit to all involved in making this happen.
“The negotiations were easy for me here; there was a lot of honesty on both sides. The club are aware of my ambition to play as high as possible and whilst they will not stand in my way if something comes about, I feel that it goes hand-in-hand with me doing well for the club and continuing to score goals.
“My main focus is on helping the club push for promotion. If you do your job, everything else takes care of itself.
“The 2024/25 season couldn’t have ended any better for me. It was a rocky start to the campaign not being settled at a club, so I took the decision to find regular football in order to find the heights that I know I am capable of.
“Thankfully I found a good home here at Sholing; a footballing team that likes to pass the ball with a great staff team and board, backed by superb fans who have really got behind me. With all of this, I went on to score a goal a game between October and the end of the season – quite an impressive record, even if I say so myself!
“Having finished 11th this time around, now we want to push for a place in the top five. The Premier South is a strong League; there are a lot of good players involved and the standard is not far off The National League South.
“Crowds are also growing across the League and that’s because the quality of the product on offer is getting better all of the time.
“It’s physical and there’s a mixture of footballing teams and direct teams, which makes for an entertaining competition and I really enjoy the different challenges that I face.
“I’m really looking forward to what the new season will bring for me and the club. Figuring that if I can score 21 goals in 21 games as I have done, hopefully I will be just as consistent through the whole of the season ahead.
“Being in a promotion race will be the main priority and that will come through sacrifice and hard work, which I ready for, so bring it on!”
IMAGE: Sholing FC
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