JUNIOR FOOTBALL

WOODFORD Youth kick off their biggest football season ever next month when games get underway in the Echo League.

This year a total of 19 Woodford teams are being fielded with three home grounds now needed to accommodate them.

That’s a massive growth in just over five years with the Foxes now providing competitive football for close on 200 youngsters, playing for the mini and junior 11-a-side teams.

Woodford Youth’s fixtures start on Sunday, September 7, with four U12s matches.

The U12A are away to Buckhurst Hill, the U12B squad is at home to Senrab B while Woodford’s C squad is away to Byron Red Star. The Foxes U12D team are at home to to LOASS.

On the same Sunday Woodford’s U13s are away to Grays.

Woodford still look on the William Torbitt Primary School, Aldborough Road North, Newbury Park, as their prime home groundwith pitches at Parmiters Sports Ground, Chingford, and Low Hall Farm Sports Ground, Walthamstow, taking the overspill of matches.

Among the players looking forward to the coming season will be the tiny tot Woodford footballers, youngsters of five and six years old who will be having their first taste of organised football.

The club start the season after a successful summer of tournaments and competition with the Pontins Pakefield, Suffolk, football festival particularly successful with every Woodford team entered reaching their age group championship final.

They came away with trophies in the U7s, U8s, U11s and U12s and runner up awards in the U9s and U10s.

The U11 A touring team squad is pictured after they had been presented with the Pakefield U11s championship trophy by the former Arsenal and Middlesbrough player Paul Merson.