Now that the final whistle has been blown on the season, and the last celebratory awards have been handed out, it’s time to take a look back at the End of Season Dinner & Awards and thank those who will be moving on from DUAFC towards exciting new adventures.
The season was celebrated in style, with an awards ceremony held at the Ramside Hall Hotel. Outstanding on-pitch and off-pitch contributions were recognised, as all of the Men’s and Women’s teams gathered together for a special night.
Clubman of the year was won by Joe Baker (pictured top-left picture, right), who joined DUAFC having done an undergraduate degree in the USA. He chose to take up a mentor role, rather than a playing, and dedicated lots of time to be the assistant coach and goalkeeping coach for the 3s.
For the 1s, Ellis Challinor, Jonah Blake (pictured bottom-left picture, left), and Ben Jones were recognised for their on-field contributions by the coaches, players, and captain respectively.
For the 2s, Harry Archer won 2 awards as Zane Liles scooped the third, while Harry Loosemore, Caine McCartney & Alex Dinan were winners of the awards for the 3s.
Finally, Jonah Blake and Fin Gwillim (pictured bottom-right photo, left) were awarded for their on-field contributions in the Wearside league, by the coaches and players respectively.
As well as a celebration, the night was the perfect opportunity to thank those who are leaving the club this year, with a couple of extra special expressions of gratitude.
The biggest thank you of the night went to Alex Zimaras, who has been ever-present at the club, since he arrived in 2019, and fulfilled multiple roles in that time. During his third year in the club, he was club-captain as the 1s retained their premiership status for the 7th year in a row, and the 3s recorded their highest ever finish of 3rd in division Northern 3B.
After graduating, Alex remained at Durham in a graduate role as Team Durham President, overseeing the whole of Team Durham sport, with the football club remaining the centre of his focus. In the first of his two year tenure, ‘Zim’ was integral to a major milestone in DUAFC history, as the club entered the non-league football pyramid, in partnership with Durham United FC. In his role as ‘Wearside Secretary, he made this move possible due to his non-stop work behind the scenes.
It is testament to Zim’s humility that most, even within the club, do not know quite the extent of his service to the club over his 5 years at Durham outside of his world-record (or so I imagine) WhatsApp response times. Zim you will leave a massive hole in the club, but with it a great legacy - thanks for everything you’ve done.
After a second stint in his role at Team Durham, Zimaras (finally!) departs Durham, and everyone at DUAFC wishes him all the best for whatever his future endeavours may entail!
Alex (pictured below, with cap) has been recognised for his outstanding contribution to the club, by being the first inductee to the 1886 Club, a new club which recognises those with extraordinary contributions to advancing DUAFC.
After four years at the club, Reuben Bull (pictured above, right) is also leaving Durham this summer, having graduated with a Masters degree in History. In his third year at the club, Reuben took over from Alex and became club captain, overseeing the most successful BUCS season in DUAFC recent history, as well as an entry into the Wearside League. Reuben, you have been central to all things DUAFC post-Covid - a massive thank you on behalf of the whole club.
And Joe Bryant (pictured above, left) who also graduated this year. Joe served as Social Media Secretary in his second year, winning Clubman of the Year for his outstanding contributions, before taking up the role of Club Captain in his final year. A massive thank you on behalf of DUAFC for your ever-selfless service to the football club and all those within it.
This summer also sees the departure of a number of the 1st team players who were integral in winning the BUCS Championship title (pictured above): Maxen Garagíc; Jack Camarda; George Arnold; Ned Ventham; and Jack Gibbons.
We would especially like to thank Gibbons who captained the 1st XI in his second and third years, becoming just the second captain in DUAFC’s history to lift the Universities National Championship Trophy.
We wish you all the very best for the future.
Finally, we’d like the thank the members of 2022/23 ‘2’s squad (pictured above), who won all 10 of their BUCS League fixtures in the most successful season in the team’s history: Captain, Harry Lampier; Vice-Captain, Harry Glassey; Hector Platt; John Stead; Finn Moore; Dan Raubitschek; Jack Hall; and Joe Bryant.
Thank you to all of the people mentioned for their incredible dedication to the club, both on and off the field. As a student-run football club, it is only with the time and effort volunteered by our members that we are able to run as we do.
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