The weekly Spireites Speakeasy sessions are back up and running again following a break.
The free Friday afternoon sessions are designed for people to learn more about the roles of different members of the first-team staff, whilst also having guests from the non-playing side of the football club, to learn more about the people behind the scenes at Chesterfield FC and the Community Trust.
Pete Whiteley is the host of the Spireites Speakeasy, which was running for several years until taking an enforced break due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Pete spoke about Speakeasy and told us what the sessions entail. He said: “Essentially these sessions are just informal gatherings where we chat, enjoy a hot drink and have a laugh together.
“It’s a chance for people to grab some lunch from the HUB and then enjoy a coffee and a chat afterwards and most of the time we have a guest that talks to us about their role at the club or their pathway to where they are now.
“We’ve had all kinds of guests at Speakeasy over the years – managers, players, non-playing staff and people from the Community Trust.
“We sit around and chat, it’s that simple. It’s a conversation rather than a question-and-answer session and we like it to be very personal.”
Pete revealed that he’s hopeful of having more guests attending from the first-team environment too. He said: “We’d love to get more of the first team and their staff involved when we can.
“In recent weeks we had Neill Hornby, the head of recruitment, who came down and spoke with the attendees about his role and what he gets up to on a day-to-day basis.
“We’re hoping to get some current players down soon so we can chat to them.
“It’s a fantastic session and even when we don’t manage to get someone from the first-team environment, we always manage to have fun and the guest we have always has an interesting story to tell.”
Pete was also keen to express that anyone can turn up to the sessions. “Anyone is welcome to come down, please don’t be afraid,” he said.
“There are so many familiar faces from the fan base that attend and you’ll notice that when you arrive.
“You don’t need to book or anything like that – just turn up. Everyone is very welcoming and we love having new people attend.
“Just turn up on a Friday afternoon at around 1pm at the HUB and ask for where this week’s Speakeasy session is. Someone will direct you to the room we are in.
“Why not head down and grab some lunch before we start and then enjoy yourself at the session afterwards. Just turn up and give it a go – you won’t regret it!”
Speakeasy takes place every Friday in the Hub, which is located in the Karen Child Community (East) Stand at the Technique Stadium, at around 1pm.
For more information, please email: fans@chesterfield-fc.co.uk
