Although this is a little out-of-date (this interview appeared in the November 1999 edition of Grassroots), this interview given by our secretary Mark Sharman is still as relevent today as it was then.

Promotion is Citadel’s new war cry

Birmingham AFA Division Nine minnows Birmingham Citadel are quite literally blowing their own trumpet. That’s because six of the high-flying Brummie Club’s regulars are hitting the right note with the Salvation Army band. The musical line-up is headed by secretary/centre half Mark Sharman who plays Trombone, and also includes Darren Selby (utility player & tuba), Matthew Mynott (left-back & tuba), Marc Richardson (defender & tenor horn), Paul Dickinson (defender & cornet) and Gavin Harding (right-back & baritone).

Citadel have struck the right chord in this, their third season in the AFA, and are hoping to be humming a promotion tune next Spring. But they will almost certainly be playing catch-up in the new Millennium. For Sharman & Co.’s festive band commitments mean Citadel will hardly get a kick during December. Instead of fulfilling fixtures, they will be found playing carols in Birmingham City Centre on Saturday afternoons leading up to Christmas. Make no mistake the band comes first. But their non-musical teammates understand and, thankfully, AFA officials are more than willing to accommodate them.

Sharman, 26, said "First and foremost, we’re a church side, and the majority of the squad are connected to the Birmingham Salvation Army . During December, we don’t meet up with the rest of the band until Saturday afternoon, so we try and play our fixtures in the morning – if the opposition agree. If that’s not possible, we have to tell the AFA that we can’t play. We won’t let the band suffer because of our football. But if you look at the band members’ positions, you can see why we have to cancel the games, because we wouldn’t have a defence!"

Yet, as if by divine intervention – some may even call it the ‘hand of God’ – Citadel’s plight has been made significantly easier this Christmas. "This year is slightly different because the league’s new fixtures secretary, Stuart McGeorgh, has been involved with the army himself," beamed Sharman. "He understands what’s involved and decided it would make things easier for us if we didn’t have any fixtures at all during December. However, we’re in the middle of a good run and we didn’t want to go a whole month without playing. It would just have been like pre-season all over again. So we’re hoping to play a couple of games at earlier kick-off times."

Sharman has nothing but praise for the AFA’s show of lenience. "The league have been brilliant about everything," he said. "I was amazed when Stuart originally phoned me to say we’d got the month off. It’s a very busy time for us and it gives the guys a bit of extra time with their partners or whatever."

Citadel’s musical maestros are anticipating Christmas morning more than most. That is because it will signal the end of an exhausting concert schedule. The band is pencilled in to play at Cliff Richard’s annual tournament at the NIA, on Saturday December 11^th. They will also perform in two Salvation Army carol concerts at the Symphony Hall the following day, before playing at Leicester on Saturday December 18.

So does the festive season usually leave them feeling brassed off? "It’s a hectic time and it does take its toll on occasions, but we still look forward to it," added Sharman. "We’re in the band because we love music. It’s quite important for us because the true meaning of Christmas can be lost in all the commercialism. It gives us a chance to say that it’s first and foremost about Christ coming to earth. But we do look forward to a couple of weeks off."

Sharman is quick to point out that Birmingham Citadel is NOT an exclusive club for Christians. "That’s underlined by our manager, Alan Velvett, who is not an Army man and doesn’t go to church," he said. "If someone comes along and wants to commit themselves to the club, it’s not an issue whether they’re with the Army or not. We have rules just like any other club, and if players don’t stick to them they’ll be shown the door. But that hasn’t happened yet"