Steve Churcher, former Tonbridge Angels chairman and president, who died at the start of September, will be honoured at our FA Cup clash with Ramsgate.
Perhaps the only real contender as an appropriate song for Steve is ‘My Way’ by Frank Sinatra. Because Steve always did do it ‘his way’ which was somehow always the ‘right way’ and certainly what was always best for Tonbridge Angels, the club he loved since boyhood.
So it will be the famous Sinatra number which will resound around The Yeomans Community Stadium, Longmead on Saturday before the two teams emerge from the tunnel.
While it plays, Steve’s children, Rob and Laura will walk on to the pitch and lay Steve’s trademark cap and jacket on the centre circle where they will remain during a minute’s applause to remember the great man.
After the match, in the Meadow Tree Marquee, a toast will be raised to Steve with members of his family and his many friends present.
Steve Churcher was Tonbridge Angels chairman from 2009 to 2018 and president from 2018 until his recent death at the age of 68. He was chairman and the real driving force when the club moved from private single ownership to a community club.
Steve was a local boy, born in Tonbridge on 1 May 1958, only moving out of the area for a short period of time when he was first married. He saw his first game at the old Angel Ground was when he was 10 in 1968. He used to watch the club as a child with a neighbour of his, whose son was the former Angels reserve player, David Payne. He went to The Slade primary school in Tonbridge and then on to Tunbridge Wells Technical School now Tunbridge Wells Grammar School.
His sporting interests were of course football and later on he greatly enjoyed golf and often went on golfing holidays to Florida, Portugal and Ireland. See Steve back row, second from left below.
In his youth he played local football on both Saturdays and Sundays and he often mentioned his exploits as a goalkeeper (see Steve below, back row, fourth from left). This was when he was representing the YMCA during a semi-final against Hawkenbury Reserves:
Steve recalled: “Luckily we went on to win that game, but lost the final after a replay and a penalty shoot out at the old Angel Ground, despite me saving two penalties. I met my wife, Kate, after the game!”
After leaving school, Steve found a job in the City and gradually worked his way up to a senior position in the insurance world where he honed his ability to be a master of reason and compromise which were invaluable skills when running a football club dealing with the numerous problems and inevitable internal politics that were thrown at him. He dealt with them with good humour and equanimity and a cordial, affable personality which won him many friends.
Steve married Kate in 1980 (wedding picture below) and they had two children Laura and Rob.
It was Kate who got Steve more involved in the club and he did so in a very practical way. Kate ran the club shop and Steve became chairman of the supporters’ association organising fundraising events including fondly-remembered quiz nights which he ran with his great friend Mick Spencely. No one who attended will forget the round which involved attempting to name national anthems played by an American marching band.
He also led the volunteer workforce affectionately known as the Clampetts. The team carried out maintenance and repair work around the ground and when the team, thanks to Pete Elves, became mechanised with a diesel-engined utility vehicle, Steve was in his element ably assisted by his ‘co-pilot’ Chris Dunk. From cutting the pitch to fencing repairs and concreting, Steve organised it all.
Steve joined the full board in 2007 and, following the stepping down of Nick Sullivan and Gary Pass who were joint owners at the time, the board had to find the wherewithal to keep the club going. The club survived thanks to generous sponsors and personal loans and donations. Part of the requirement was to also elect a chairman and the story goes that whilst Steve was out of the room the rest of the board elected him unanimously, one of their very wisest decisions. In an interview in 2016 he recalled:
“The others went to the kitchen and I didn’t. They came back and told me I’d been made chairman!”
The club never looked back and achieved success in 2010/11 gaining promotion to the Conference South (now National League South) via the play-off final beating Lowestoft in a memorable final played on the Longmead dust bowl. The club stayed in the Conference South for three years.
In 2014 Steve led the club into community ownership following failed attempts to get an owner interested in buying the club.
As the club climbed the promotion ladder into the national League South the new league’s requirements were greater and Steve assiduously prepared and produced the required documentation to meet the regulatory standards needed.
In 2016/17 the club was gifted a marquee by Rob Steele and whilst the framework was erected for the club Steve had to organise its setting up and running. This was the forerunner of the marquee that the club now has.
Steve stood down in 2018 due to ill health but then turned his very capable hand to bookkeeping for the club, a role which he continued with his usual vigour and efficiency until his passing.
From 2018 he continued to support the club giving sound practical advice whenever asked and was a never-ending font of information and stories about The Angels, a club he loved.
And we loved him too.
The club has lost a true friend, a legend and tireless supporter. Our condolences go to his family and friends at this very sad time.
RIP Steve Churcher. 1 May 1958 to 1 September 2026.
