Fabulous news! We’ve smashed our target of £10,000 from our Covid-19 fundraiser and we honestly couldn’t have done it without your generosity and love. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Of course, we’re pushing on to generate as much as we can as the costs of running the club are stacking up without income coming into the club. We can’t wait to get back to playing football and being a hub for our community to get together and enjoy themselves once again.

What's taken us by surprise is the wonderful comments that have been left by many of you who've donated. It's truly humbling to read so many well-wishes from across the globe. This is what it means to be part of such a wonderful and historic football club. Below, we've collated the comments that you've left for us on the official Crowdfunding campaign. There's still time to donate and leave a comment as it ends on the 29th June. We'll update this news piece with any new comments after this date.

We'd also like to personally thank those who've left us donations offline - Barry Kitchener, Micky & Sheila Stewart, Judy Shedden and David Harrison who've all given so generously. Also to Sport England for their grant that was made available to all sports clubs in these uncertain times. Lastly, to Freddie and Clyde Goddard who's sponsored walk raised over £1,000 towards helping us out. Thank you... Obrigado... from all of us.

Brother's In Football filmmaker Chris Watney also received a wonderful message of support from Harriet O'Grady - who's great uncle, Cecil Holden-White was the Corinthians first ever official captain!  Cecil played throughout the 1880s for us and his two caps for England came in Englands first ever Home Championship victory of 1888, with a 5-0 win over Wales and a 5-1 win over Scotland - Englands first ever competitive victory over the Scots. Harriet writes;

"I am very proud that a member of my family is associated with such an illustrious and mythical club. I love the unconventional aspect of the club, that it has remained amateur, that it upheld and still upholds wonderful ideals of fair play and sportsmanship and that those ideas have been taken abroad to inspire other clubs. The Brazilian experience is a case in point. And what an experience! I wanted to find the right words to convey how much I enjoyed [the film]. But more than that I feel it is a true work of art and is a masterpiece. I feel sure that you will win all sorts of prizes for your amazing piece of work and you certainly deserve to.

"I cried when I watched it. Those ideals of amateur sportsmanship despite no money have been kept alive at Corinthian-Casuals. Every person involved in the club is a true gentleman in that old wonderful sense of the word and deserves to be celebrated as such. I so admire everyone's dedication and hard work in keeping the spirit of Corinthians alive." 

For all those who’ve requested a ‘reward’ for your donation, then we’ll be in contact again once we’re able to fulfil these requests. We’ve had loads of names for the Wall of Fame and hopefully it won’t be long before you can visit and see your name displayed in the clubhouse. For those who’ve asked for matchball sponsorship, matchday mascots, etc, we’ll be in touch once we know how the fixtures pan out for the 20-21 season.  As soon as we’re able to, we’ll also get the personalised signed team photos done and made available.

If you know anyone who'd like to donate and leave us a kind comment (as well as a host of rewards), visit our Crowdfunder here.

Once again, thank you and Vai Corinthians.

The Comments

Adam Munro
History cannot be lost!

Adrian John Thorburn
Go on you casuals.

Alex Moss
Best of luck! Can’t wait to be back Alex

Alison Morgan
After seeing Brothers in Football I had to support you.

Andrew Date
How in a ideal world the whole ethics of football should be. In a time where love of football has dwindled over the last few years refreshing to see. Wish I lived closer to see them more

Ann & Robin Hutchinson
Happy to help a great club with a fabulous community spirit x

Anselmo Alexandre Rocha
Força Corinthian Casuals!!! CORINTHIAN SPIRIT!!! VAI CORINTHIANS!!!

Anuk Teasdale
Good luck to you through these difficult times. Keep well and happy. Best wishes. Anuk and Moorad.

Ashfield Corinthians Football Club
For the love of the game......... From everyone at Ashfield Corinthians F.C

Ben Astley
Northern Casuals will be backing the club. We will be back soon!

Ben Hearn
Up the Casuals

Bernard Coe
Good luck in the future

Billy L Wyatt
A great, if not the greatest, club in all of English football. A pleasure to support

Billy Stringer
Natty Pinney, Natty Pinney, he scores with his left foot, he scores with his right foot.

Bradley Wilson
Current 1st team player. Want to help in a small way to help this amazing club continue to function.

Brett Knell
Up The Casuals

Cameron Smith
Been supporting since 2015, home and away. CCFC: the reason why I love football so much. What a club ❤️

Catherine Thomson
Proud to support the best club in the world!

Chris Burbidge
From a Worthing FC supporter, who cares about The Corinthians!

Christopher Billingsley
Good luck guys!

Christopher Swain
Donated with thanks for many enjoyable years playing for the Club

Colin Garrod
I am supporting the Casuals because my nephew enjoys playing for you & I believe you need all the help you can get to improve on last season. Onwards & upwards, come on you Casuals.

Daniel Darby
Please donate if you can. It’s very important to keep this fantastic club and original piece of the footballing fabric of this country going during these hard times.

Dave Sheppard
Great club. Happy to support in this way.

David Bowell
A lifetime of support for an amazing club

David Bradshaw
I wish the club all the very best over this difficult period.

David James
Good luck CC.

David Waters
Proud to support such a great Club.

Erika Bazler
After watching a documentary about you all I have followed all news since. A fabulous history and you deserve to stay around. I hope my small deposit will help some.

Fábio Dias Costa
I would like to thank the Corinthians-Casuals from the bottom of my heart for participating directly in the closure of the Sport club Corinthians Paulista, which is responsible for many of the greatest joys of my life! love you Corinthian-Casuals! you will always be in our hearts!

Fabio Iwata Marinelli
Vai Corinthians!!

Fiona Gane
I look forward to seeing everyone as soon as we are able. Missing the football.

Gary Brown
Corinthian casuals, I watched the programme about your history when I was last at home and what a story, truly amazing. Gaz

Geoff the Ref
Up the Casuals!

Georgia Neesham
Fabulous club at the heart of the community! 👏👏👏

Gerry Young
Vai Corinthians..

Grant Harris
Great idea and worthy cause. Behind you all the way

Ian Clark
Best of luck getting through this tough period.

Jack Smith
I know the mascot package is for kids but I wanna be the mascot! haha.

Jarek Zaba
Vai Corinthians!

John Lee
Good luck with the campaign....a brilliant idea and a fantastic football club...Corinthian in every way! Hope my small contribution helps and I look forward to being back there soon....

Jon Mayhew
Come on you casuals!

Jonathan Pennington
Good luck Casuals, a very difficult time. And I bet the pitch looks better than ever!

Josh Richards
Anything for the club I support. Vai Corinthians!

Julian Shea
In memory of my dad Pat Shea who played for Corinthian Casuals and always spoke highly of them. I'm happy to help his old club, my local club and such an amazing, historic club. Vai Corinthians!

Keith Rusby
Although I've been a season ticket holder at Arsenal for over 40 years, I love coming down to watch the Casuals. Always looked out for their results, and a club with such a history needs to be supported. I'll be shouting for Casuals next season!

Keith webb
All the best lads ,keep fighting. Welcome to Martyn. Looking forward to seeing you soon. All the best, Keith Webb.

Kerry Warr
My son loves playing for Corinthian-Casuals. I really hope you reach your target.

Larry Ryan
Brilliant idea - we MUST keep is great old club going. Look forward to being able to come down and see a match very soon and I'm really looking forward to my stint in the boardroom - I knew I'd get there one day! ;-)

Lars Hellqvist
A Small gift for a club that spread football.

Laura Jones
Vai Casuals!!!

Liz Ashfield
Good luck to the Casuals from Liz Ashfield & Andy Faulkner

Lucas Dalaneze Cayres
Go Casuals, Vai Corinthians. I can't wait to watch you again, with Caipirinhas.

Luke Braiden
Watched the BT Sport documentary the other day and couldn’t not donate.

Mandy Thorpe
Good luck Casuals.

Maria Buckley
Best of luck in keeping this historic club afloat during uncharted times. I hope more people donate & consider the absolute necessity for football fans to keep this club going.

Mark Read
Via Corinthians!

Matt Westwood
Good luck!

Matthew Kidson
I loved my short time playing for the Casuals. I don’t have kids but I’d like to give a couple of kids the chance to be a mascot. I’d love for these two opportunities to go to any kids that have had a tough time recently. All the best to everyone at the club. Matt

Maximilian Haggas
So pleased to be able to support the club with the help of friends and family.

Michael Burles
Good luck to your famous club... my dad played for Casuals in the two years before the war ... he had been at Aldenham school ... all the best.

Michael Fanthorpe
Thank you to all those who have given and continue to give their time to keep the spirit of the club going through good and bad times.

Michael Jeffrey
Love real football and the idea of keeping truly historical clubs going.

Michael McDonald
Come on Casuals!

Mike Carter
Come on you Casuals !! .....Proud of you all - Stay safe , fit and can’t wait for the first game and a pint ! The Schoolboy ...

Mike Trigg
The history and heritage of Corinthian-Casuals should be part of the National Curriculum - the ethics of fair play and sportsmanship sadly lacking in the modern world

Neil Parker
Good Luck!

Nicholas Bowen
Well done everyone. Just a great effort for a special team.

Nicholas Bowen
Any chance to help this most historic, great football club. See you next season.

Nick Brough
Worth every penny for national football heritage.

Paul Mulholland
Keep it going guys great history and story.

Paul Smith
Up the Casuals.

Peter Scherschel
Play up Corinth.

Peter Wigg
Great club with a great history. A pleasure to be involved with CCFC.

Phil Tibbitts
I used to go to the Oval Cricket ground from 1958 and can remember speaking/collecting autographs of the players as they walked round to the Vauxhall end of the ground .

Philip Smith
The grass is green, the sky is blue........

Philippa Willes
Looking forward to seeing everyone soon xxx

Rachel Reid
From Casey Reid and family (Under 8's Red Player).

Richard J Green
Looking forward returning to our unique football club in the very near future. Vai Corinthians.

Rob & Alex McGee
This club brought football to the world. Time for the world to help Corinthian Casuals!

Robert van Bueren
Good luck to youth teams for the new season.

Robin Hall
Was inspired by the documentary. Hopefully get down to catch a game soon. Robin - Aberdeen.

Rodrigo De Almeida
Corinthian-Casuals has so much history, so many incredible moments for the sport. We can't let this end.

Rubens Ghigonetto
Live forever!

Shirley Ryan
Good luck with the fund raising

Simon Manning
Birthday present for my 4 year old daughter. Can the 33 year old Dad have the kick about? 😂

Felicity Manning
Can’t wait to watch football again down at KGF!

Stephen Quilty
Miss you Casuals.Hopefully see you soon!

Stephen Walter
Play up Corinth!

Steve Hercock
Up the Casuals!

Stuart Heasman
all the best for the coming season

Stuart Murphy
Good luck with the fundraising and hope this helps this wonderful club through uncertain times.

Stuart Tree
Helping a wonderful club - wishing you all the best.

Taree Stringer
We need to keep this historic club. I am so proud to be a supporter and hope the next generations of fans love it as much as my family do. Pink and Blue Army x

Tony and Sarah Davies
Proud to support our local team. Pink and brown army.

Turfs Up Surrey
All the best Turfs Up Surrey.

Wendy Upham
Loved your story and history and will come to a game once all is back to normal.

whammer
good luck to CC - always enjoyed taking my boys team down there and great bunch of lads cheers w4hammer.

William Badrock
I had several enjoyable years playing for the Vets/ School's side, in the mid 70's. One memorable game was playing against the England public schools side, with Micky Stewart playing behind me and Alex Stewart in front of me. Always support the Christmas draw and actually won this year ! I'm 72 now, so stopped playing some time ago. I'm delighted to support the club in this small way.

Young Corinthian-Casuals fan Freddie Goddard completed his sponsored walk from his home in Crawley to Reigate Priory School on Sunday in aid of his favourite club, Corinthian-Casuals.

Along with his father, Clyde, 10 year-old Freddie embarked on the 12 mile journey taking them around 5 hours to complete. His efforts were in aid of the Casuals who have been looking to bring vital income into the club throughout these uncertain times.

Wanting to reach the target of £250, to earn himself the ‘Matchday Sponsor’ reward on the official Crowdfunder campaign, Freddie smashed his goal with £868 raised so far.
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To greet him at the finish line was Manager James Bracken and club Captain Danny Bracken along with the club Chairman, Committee members and supporters who gave the youngster a welcome applause. Both Brackens presented Freddie with a signed copy of The Community Brain’s brilliant Broadway to Brazil book.

Freddie’s contribution, along with everyone that’s donated to the club in this past month is gratefully received and the lengths that fans will go to help fund us is truly humbling.
You can add to Freddie’s donation page here – or via our official Crowdfunder.  

By David Harrison

Norman “Flash” Kerruish, sportsman, mathematician and university lecturer has died aged 92. He was one of Corinthian-Casuals’ most distinguished players in the 1950’s. In the F.A. Amateur Cup Final against Bishop Auckland in 1956 in front of 80,000 spectators at Wembley he was credited with getting the last touch for the Casuals’ goal in the 1 – 1 draw, heading in a corner from cricketer Doug Insole. In the semi-final against Dulwich at Stamford Bridge he’d scored a hat trick.

He was born on 15 Jan 1928 in Hindley, just outside Wigan, His father William was the manager of the local Co-op insurance. His mother Mabel was a seamstress. Norman won a scholarship to the local grammar school where he was outstanding at sport and maths. At 17 he won another scholarship, this one to St Johns College, Cambridge, a young student among veterans returning from the war. He won blues for football against Oxford in 1945 and 1947. In the second game, won 2 – 0 by Cambridge, he scored the second goal. He went on to play nine games for the newly formed Oxford and Cambridge side, Pegasus, in their first two seasons in 1948/9 and 1949/50.

Graduating with a First in Maths he was invited to join the engineering firm British Thompson Houston, in Rugby, as an engineering mathematician and spent much of his time teaching maths to engineering graduates at the local technical college.

In April 1950, aged 22, he played his first game for Corinthian-Casuals against Sutton United. Over the next eight seasons, soon nicknamed “Flash” because of his speed, he averaged over 30 games a season making a total of 257 appearances and scoring 104 goals. Micky Stewart, now club President and another of Casuals’ cricketers – he was captain of Surrey and manager of England - remembers playing inside left with “Flash” on the left wing in the 1955/56 team. “Norman was right footed. He would often cut inside to get the ball on his stronger foot. That’s how he scored a lot of his goals”. At the Oval in December ‘55 he scored four goals in the 7 - 2 defeat of Barking. He also played and representative football for the Isthmian League and the London F.A. and later some games with his local club Rugby Town F.C.

In 1950 Norman had also married his childhood sweet Marion and they had two children. He took the train every Saturday from their home in Rugby to play for Casuals despite suffering from travel sickness on virtually every trip. During this period he attracted interest from two Football League clubs, Spurs and Aston Villa, but didn’t take them up. The maximum wage, of course, was only £20 a week. As the Rugby Advertiser reported, “That wasn’t a viable option for Norman with a young family.”

At the age of 30 he decided to retire from senior football, inspiring a nostalgic note in the Corinthian-Casuals’ Newsletter: “Norman is still a fine player and we very much hope he may change his mind about wrapping up. We base our hopes on several factors. Marion (his wife) is bound to get fed up with having him home all day. Flash himself may miss the abuse from behind the goal. We don’t know, but we can hope”.

Career

But Norman had a serious career away from football. In 1965 he left his job with British Thomson Houston when he was appointed Reader in Engineering Mathematics at what became Aston University in Birmingham. Commuting daily from Rugby he taught Maths over a 20 year period to both undergraduates and postgraduates and supervised PhD students. He was elected Fellow of the Institute of Electrical Engineers and also Fellow of the Institute of Maths.

Soon after the death of his wife Marion in 1980, Norman took early retirement, but was still very active, playing golf and squash to a high standard. Daughter Alison remembers him playing three times in the British over 55s section of the British Open Squash Championship. including winning a match against the great Hashim Khan, eight times British Open Champion. At golf, with a handicap of 4, he was club captain and a regular competition winner at Rugby Golf Club. He played for and captained the mid Warwickshire League team and won the Warwickshire foursomes in 1978.

Although not in the best of health in recent years, with doubtful knees after so much contact sport, “Flash” still got around at high speed on his wheeled zimmer. He had a special 90th birthday celebration with son David and daughter Alison, four grandchildren and three great grandchildren. He died peacefully on 15 May with son David at his side. Among the tributes grandson Jamie wrote: “His accomplishments sound like a work of fiction really.” Another on-line tribute read: “He was a charming and self-effacing chap, who hid his academic and sporting prowess to build open friendships with all around him”. At Corinthian-Casuals we remember him with great affection, a long time member of the club and a man whose prowess on the field and intellectually was certainly anything but flash.