The start of the new Maccabi GB Southern Football League (MGBSFL) is fast-approaching with the competition now operating with a new format.
Thirteen teams will contest the newly named Championship with each playing each other once, before splitting into two sections for the final half-dozen games.
Hoping to finish top of the pile are Rapid Vienna, whose manager Josh Novack said: “Success is promotion and a trophy – whether that’s one of the domestic cups or the title. No less than that, but the title is the real aim, and I believe we’re the favourites to win it. As always, we’ll bring a mentality that no one else in the division has – we fight for each other and have so much heart and desire. It’s more than a game to us, and it shows in our performances.
“We won the Barry Goldstein Cup in our first season, got to the final of it last season, and this season we are striving for a lot more. The league title is the aim, without a doubt, but a cup to go along with it would be nice.”
A strong pre-season will help, as could the arrivals of Ben Lazarus and Roye Chitiyat and making the loan signings of Oli Gotkine and Tommy Lustigman permanent. Novack added: “We’re a top outfit and are incredibly confident that we can win the title this season.”
Also harbouring title ambitions are Brady. Their manager Ricky Ansher said: “As always our aim will be to finish as high up the table as possible. But considering our title hopes fell apart on the opening day last year, we’ll take it steady for now.
“Success is measured in trophies at the end of the day, so obviously a title or a cup would be great.
“We finished second and reached two semi-finals last year and it still felt like a poor season.
“Preparation this time has been solid and we’re getting to know each other. Confidence is high, we’ve not had any issues scoring goals in pre-season, it’s now figuring out how to stop conceding them too!
“For the first time in a while, we’ve built a proper squad of committed boys, so it would be unfair to single anyone out.
“Every single player has a role to play and will be integral to any success we have this season.”
Schlepfield Wednesday manager Joseph Vanner wants to see his side push on this season – and that would mean claiming silverware.
He said: “We had a really good debut season, but now need to push to that next step and win a trophy, and that’s what our aim and success would be.
A ‘good’ pre-season has seen them contest a good amount of friendlies, and vanner said: “The squad is gelling nicely with the new players who have joined us for this season.”
Citing Ollie Rokenson, Sam Goldberg, Alfie Keene, Oli Simble as the names to look out for, he added: “Of course, we would love to win the league but after last season’s cup final loss, I’m sure all the lads would like to go one step further in the cup and win the final.”
Also hoping for a season to remember is 40 Year Wanderers manager Sam Anderson.
He said: “It’s been a quietly busy summer with a lot of new faces entering the building, I couldn’t be happier with the business we’ve been able to do.
“Pre-season has been slow, but everyone is incredibly excited and optimistic about what can be achieved.
“With the quality we’ve signed, I really expect us to be a team to watch.”
With new signings Bailey Stockman and Levi Haughton pulling strings behind an already lethal partnership of Dexter Purton and Sam Holden, combined with the defensive solidity Max Conway will bring, Anderson said the campaign ahead “should be an exciting one”.
A team with something to prove in the new campaign are Scrabble, whose manager Ollie Sugarman said: “We are now the second generation of Scrabble and with the club technically being the second-oldest in the league behind Temple Fortune, there’s a lot of history behind the name.
“After an underwhelming season last year, it would be great for us to bring some excitement to the league this time around and hopefully create a proper underdog story.
“We know we have a lot to prove, but we have a young and hungry squad and that makes the season ahead even more exciting for us.”
Not making any bold predictions, he said: “I will always back the boys and believe in what this group is capable of, but rather than making big statements about winning the title or gaining promotion, our focus is on playing good-quality football and showing what we can do as a team. If we perform consistently and play the way I know we can, hopefully the results will follow.”
Success for Temple Fortune must come off the pitch as well as on it. Chairman Nigel Kyte said: “On field and financial stability is what we’re looking for in our record 51st consecutive season in the MGBSFL.
“We’re even returning to green and white stripes as a clash kit, being a poignant nod to the colours we wore when first playing the League in September 1976!”
Kyte continued: “We have a new manager in Oli Weiner, who managed a Bristol University team to success a couple of years ago.
“He’s bringing in some good new players to intermix with a set of experience. So we like to think we will be staying in the top-six and contest the smaller Division One in the New Year.”
Hampstead Ducks’ manager Jacob Summerfield is also quietly confident this year. He said: “I think we’ve assembled a team capable of beating anyone in the Championship on our day.
“We want to take it game by game, but I see no reason we can’t be in the mix at the top of the table. I cannot tell you how much we would love to win some silverware!” Noting how his team’s preparations have been ‘uncharacteristically excellent’, he added: “We sorted a squad out early in the summer and have had a number of promising pre-season results that have allowed us to gel as a group.
“The Ducks mentality is simple; to be mensches and play decent football. There is now an 18-year-age gap between our youngest and oldest player, so we’re excited to be raising the next generation of Ducklings!”
Keeping his cards close to his chest as to what he hopes his side can achieve this campaign, Beitar Bushey’s Daniel Gold said: “We’ll take each week as it comes, focus on the challenge in front of us, and go from there.”
A pre-season featuring lots of intense training, complemented with new signings means all involved at the club are looking forward to the big kick-off. Bolstering their midfield, a return for Dean Benzaken, along with Alon Bedell and Jason Morris, will hopefully boost those hopes. Success as far as Gold is concerned will be the ability to “bring a controlled, measured approach to our matches, looking for solidity in every part of the field...and our lovely new kits.”
Bochur Juniors boss Joel Ucko won’t be taking anything for granted this year. He said: “You can have all the philosophy, identity and fancy words you like, but we just need to ensure that we win games of football.
“I was incredibly proud of our County Cup run last season, and our second half of the season showed what this group is capable of.
“But we also dropped points in games we shouldn’t have. So this season is about cutting out those stupid results, doing the basics properly, winning our individual battles, putting bodies on the line and ultimately winning football matches.”
Mill Hill Minyan, Redbridge Jewish Care and Wolverhampstead Wanderers complete the line-up.
To get more from community, click here to sign up for our free community newsletter.