2022/23 CUAFC Men’s Captains
New season - new captains. We are more than happy to introduce Matthew Hawthorn and Joe Helm for the 2022/23 season! Take a deep dive into who they are, their expectations for the season captains explain their connection to football as well as their aims and expectations for the coming year.
Moritz: Hi boys, pleasure to have the opportunity to ask you some questions about yourself and the upcoming year. Let us get right into it! Tell me a little bit about your footballing histories and your motivation to apply for captain this season?
Matthew Hawthorn (Men’s Blues Captain): Sure thing! My name is Matt and I’m a final year land economist, playing my third year with CUAFC. I have been playing football for the last 14 years, starting in Uganda, and as a centre back for the last 6 years, prior to playing as a winger (believe it or not). Having played a year with the Falcs, and a year with the Blues, losing varsity narrowly twice, my main motivation that drove me to become Blues captain this year, was to lead the Blues team to a varsity winning year. Having built a strong relationship with Blatchy (Blues coach), playing under him for the last two years, and with few Blues lads leaving from the year before, the relationships I’ve built over the last two years should place us in a good position to have a strong season.
Joe Helm (Falcons Captain): I study Politics and International Relations, going into my final year at Churchill. This will only be my second year playing for CUAFC, due to a knee ligament injury in 2020, but I feel incredibly close to the club already. I played football to a high standard all the way through school, and throughout my early childhood growing up in Dublin - this meant 2020-21 was incredibly tough as it was the only (conscious) season of my life that I can remember not playing an organised football match. Combined with the global lack of football for pandemic reasons, the withdrawals I experienced felt very real. As such, joining CUAFC pre-season the year after, at the strong recommendations of my mates Matt and Sonny, felt both a huge relief and a massive boost to my Cambridge life, and I haven’t looked back.
Having spent the vast majority of my CUAFC time in the Falcons (bar a pre-season match with the Blues and a mid-season friendly with the Kestrels), I feel incredibly attached to the squad, with so many players staying on this year. With several highly-talented players arriving through trials and pre-season, I can’t wait to show how good we can be in our first BUCS game this Wednesday.
Moritz: These are some very good reasons and great to hear that football means a lot to you too. Seems like football has a special role for the members of the committee this year (although I guess that’s naturally the case).
What about goals for the year - anything specific? Varsity?
Matt: Absolutely - my main goal for the coming year is to win varsity. Having played in two varsity matches, once as a Falc, and once as a Blue, and losing very narrowly on both occasions, my main aim as captain is to lead a side that can beat O*ford on Varsity day (and twice in the regular season). In the League, we obviously want to stay up in the challenging Midlands 1A, but with some strong new boys, and with the entire varsity eleven from last year staying on, challenging for a high finish/division win is definitely an ambition.
Joe: Naturally, to win everything. A tough league season last year ended in relegation to Division 4, which to my mind is well below the level a Cambridge team should be at, and I know the rest of the squad feels the same. This sense of righteous indignation and the opportunity to restore pride to the Falcs is stronger than any team-talk I could muster up, and I hope will drive us to the top of the 4A table, and with our hands on silverware.
The flip side of last season, and what we’ll remember it for (because that’s how Cambridge sport works), was the high of winning Varsity at Their Place, as the only men’s football squad to do so. While an amazing day for the team, on a personal level, I’m happy to admit that I was gutted to be an unused substitute that evening, an experience that has only fired me up even more to lead out the Falcs myself at the end of this season. No holds will be barred.
Moritz: I can certainly appreciate the fire inside you two, to make this year special in all regards. In your role as captains, do you have anything you look forward to specifically?
Matt: I am most looking forward to driving the culture and spirit across the Blues, and across the wider club, improving unison between and within teams. I am also looking forward to working closely with Blatchy (Tom Blatch, Blues Coach), who I have been lucky enough to build a strong relationship with over the last three years. Most of all, I am looking forward to the opportunity to lead the Blues to a varsity win at the end of the season.
Joe: In the first place, I cannot wait to get stuck into football. So far, while enjoyable, the role has been one of admin and organising - having to order an entire new match kit was a fun holiday task! But when Wednesday rolls round I think it will feel like it’s really begun, and I am really excited for that.
Also, working with Mo Ghamari, our highly-experienced new coach, is a real honour; I have not seen a Linkedin as stacked as his since I last checked Matt Hawthorn’s. He has got a very direct and passionate style, which is really refreshing, and his knowledge and understanding of the game is formidable. I think the players will benefit hugely from training under him, and that collective progression is something I am looking forward to watching.
Moritz: Coaching seems to be something you both are really looking forward to as well as the spirit and energy across the teams and club. However, there are naturally a lot of challenges for the captains arising from this dynamic as well. What would you consider the biggest challenges for 2022/23?
Matt: The biggest challenge for this year is going to be the small room that we will have for error against the standard of teams we are playing this year. Whilst last year, we had our fair share of comebacks after slow starts away from home, that is something we cannot afford to do in Midlands 1A against the calibre of teams that we will face. However, with a longer preseason, and with three games under our belt before we play our first BUCS game on the 19th October, I am confident we’ll be able to start at the intensity we want to play at all season.
Joe: On a personal level, I think I can answer this already - selection. With 56 players coming to pre-season, and 110 turning up at 8:30am on a misty Saturday morning for trials, the appetite for University football is unparalleled. A ringing endorsement for the club, this does however leave my hands full, and has meant I have almost certainly made mistakes so far, like sending players home at trials that deserved another chance, or leaving Falcs players to train with the Kestrels. I recognise the importance of maintaining a balanced and normal-sized squad for making sure the club runs smoothly, but I still do not enjoy telling a player who is working hard and attending sessions that they will not be making the squad for a Wednesday. Perhaps it is something I will get better at!
As a large squad, with so many players to choose from, maintaining a settled environment in which people both feel pride that they belong to the Falcons, and also to CUAFC, will be a challenge too, but one I feel well-suited to handle. I feel I get on very well with just about everyone at the club (happy to be corrected!), and love a long and pointless debate in Hawks - this relationship with so many of the lads is something I really treasure and which hopefully can foster a productive and inclusive Falcs environment.
Moritz: Boys, this has been fantastic. Greatly appreciate it! I hope you will do amazing this season - looking forward to a Varsity Triple this year! All the best!
