Dartford FC are delighted to announce the long awaited news that Ryan Hayes has been awarded a testimonial and will stage a game at Princes Park as part of the testimonial year.
Hayes, who is now 30, joined Dartford towards the end of the 2004/05 season from Kent League side Slade Green FC. He quickly established himself as a fan favourite, scoring twice on his debut against Tilbury.
A series of testimonial events will take place over the course of the 2016/17 Season, which will be organised by a Testimonial Committee, all of which Ryan has chosen himself.
The committee is made up of the following people:
- Leia Hayes – Chairwoman
- Steven Groombridge – Legal Secretary
- Gary Clarke – Testimonial Secretary
- Micky Austin – Social Secretary
- Sarah Money – Treasurer
- Phil Hannah – Committee Member
Ryan Hayes said of his upcoming testimonial year “I’m delighted and think it’s a great honour to be granted the testimonial year with Dartford FC. I’m looking forward to all the events that my committee are going to organise, but especially the match. The players I’m inviting will make the day a good one I’m sure – and I hope the fans turn out in their numbers to help me celebrate my playing career and time at the club so far. ”
Chairman of Dartford FC Steve Irving said “It is 11 years now since an 18 year old Ryan Hayes announced his arrival at Dartford with 2 goals on his debut v Tilbury. In the seasons since then, Ryan his thrilled and frustrated fans in equal measure. His 89 goals place him 8th in the history of the club. The vast majority of which were scored in his trademark fashion, many of which have made us gasp at the sheer magic of the finish. His 474 appearances, made up of 339 starts and 135 from the bench, put him 5th in the history of the club. In that time winning the Ryman League, Division One and Premier Division titles, a Conference South play off winners’ medal and a Kent Senior Cup winner’s medal. To honour his amazing achievements, the club is delighted to honour Ryan with a testimonial year, starting with the match in pre-season. Well done Ryan.”
Chairwoman of the Testimonial Committee, Leia Hayes added “I am so excited to be organising Ryan’s Testimonial. We’ve got a great committee who have all played a big part in Ryan’s career at Dartford FC. The club is like our second home and our children have grown up going to all the home games. We are thrilled to be organising a series of events to celebrate his time at the club.”
The testimonial game will take place at Princes Park on Sunday 17th July 2016 – with the Ryan Hayes XI and opponents to be announced in due course.
Tickets cost £10 for Adults and £5 for Concessions (Under 18s) – while a Family Ticket (consisting of x2 Adults and x2 Children) costs £25.
Tickets will be available to purchase from Friday 25th March 2016 when Dartford FC play Bishops Stortford at home. You can buy these from the Club Shop and Main Reception. Alternatively you can reserve your tickets over the phone during the week. Payment will be required when collecting.
VIP Tickets will also be available to purchase. These include a reserved seat, access to the VIP Suite pre match and an Official ‘Meet & Greet’ after the match with all the players of the testimonial match. The price for a VIP ticket is £20 per person.
Over the next few weeks we will be announcing the teams for the day as well as various ways you can get involved with supporting what we know will be a great testimonial year.
Follow us on Twitter: @RH7Testimonial for all the exclusive updates over the coming weeks – #RH7
