Bracknell Town FC – First Team Progress Report
Bracknell Town FC – Adam Hopkins’ First Team Progress Report
Since joining the club around 10 weeks ago, there have already been significant changes, particularly across the football and personnel departments.
The management structure has evolved considerably and we have assembled a new backroom team, with Darren, Jamie, Adam and Charlie all playing important roles within the structure we are building, alongside Hannah, who heads up our medical department.
A huge amount of work has taken place behind the scenes to make sure we have the right people, standards and environment in place to move Bracknell Town forward.
Playing Squad
The playing squad has also undergone a major rebuild.
Every player currently representing Bracknell Town has, at some stage in their career, played at Step 3 level or above, with a number having experience at National League level.
What I believe we now have is a very good blend of youth and experience. That was demonstrated on Saturday, when the experience of CJ Fern was partnered by young Josh McMenemy at the heart of the defence in our win over Havant & Waterlooville.
More importantly, we are beginning to see the group understand and buy into what we expect from them and what it means to represent Bracknell Town Football Club.
We are starting to establish what I would call “the Bracknell way.”
There is still work to be done. We know we remain a few players short in some key areas of the pitch and strengthening those positions remains a priority. We are working extremely hard behind the scenes to identify the right players and get those deals over the line.
Losing Jordan Stepney to Gosport Borough was a significant blow, while Ruben Bartlett-Antwi’s decision to move closer to home was unfortunate from our perspective. We thank them both for their contribution and wish them all the best moving forward.
Recruitment, however, cannot simply be about replacing numbers. Anyone we bring into this football club needs to have the quality, character and mentality required to fit what we are trying to build.
The recent arrivals of Ben Purcell, Josh Boorn, Marcus Daws and Rafa Ramos are examples of that approach. We believe each of them strengthens the group while also fitting the standards and identity we are looking to establish.
Our Identity
Our aim is to build a side capable of consistently delivering on the pitch.
We want Bracknell Town to become a team that is difficult to beat, organised, resilient and competitive, without ever moving away from the fundamentals that I believe successful teams are built upon:
Hard work. Dedication. Desire.
Talent is important, but those three things have to be non-negotiable every time a player pulls on a Bracknell Town shirt.
We want a team that competes for every ball, works for one another and represents the badge, our supporters and this football club properly.
Moving Forward
Once the rebuild is complete, our objective is clear: to start climbing the league table and put ourselves in the strongest possible position.
Our immediate priority is to ensure Bracknell Town retains its Step 3 status. At the same time, we have to look beyond the short term.
Everything we are doing now, from the management and backroom structure to recruitment and the standards being demanded from the players, is being done with the long term future of the football club in mind.
This is not simply about putting together a team for the next few games. It is about creating strong foundations, establishing an identity and building something sustainable.
There is still plenty of hard work ahead and nobody is underestimating the challenge. However, there is now a clear direction, standards are being established and we believe we are putting the right pieces in place to take Bracknell Town forward.
The rebuild remains a work in progress, but the objective is clear: protect our Step 3 status, establish our identity, climb the table and build a stronger, sustainable Bracknell Town Football Club for the future.
September 21st, 2026