Ridgeway Rovers have added another award to their haul after securing the Essex FA Charter Standard Development Club of the Year award 2016.

The accolade demonstrates the club’s progression from eight years ago when they moved away from working as individual teams to a community-based club.

The Chingford club’s chairman Ian Marshall, who won Essex FA Volunteer of the Year 2015, said honing the likes of David Beckham and Harry Kane is now one of their many achievements they have produced as they also collected Charter Standard Club of the Year in 2015.

He said: “For the first time in a long time it seems the club has everyone in the same direction as for a while it was all about individual teams being for themselves.

“Football has always been like that and back in the day when we were producing players it was like that.

“We have tried to move away from that and run the club with a community feel.

“I would say we are one of the best clubs locally, if not even the best, and it is nice to be recognised as the best club by the Essex FA.”

The award means the club have demonstrated commitment to raising standards throughout grassroots football, ensuring everything is well organised and managed as well as proving a positive experience for players, volunteers and managers.

But this is not the only achievement for the club has produced this season as their two of their teams, the Under-12s and the Under-14s, won their leagues.

The Under-12s went a season unbeaten while the Under-14s won in their final match against Millwall Albion to secure their title, but Marshall said they the club’s motto is not all about winning.

“There are a few clubs out there who are all about winning and we have lost players to a couple of local teams,” he said.

“But We have a 16s team, who are a good football teams, but they are not all about winning, they just come and enjoy football.

“I have been at games myself when I have seen a player come off the pitch crying as he was told off for not doing what he should and that is not an enjoyable experience.

“We are all about making sure it is enjoyable and that is want we aim to be like.”

He also said Ridgeway are looking to continue to strive for more as they want to enter for the Essex FA’s Team of the Year award as well as Community Club of the Year.

Marshall believes at present word of mouth is the only way of getting more players and volunteers involved unless the clubs do something about it themselves or post on social media.

“If we had the volunteers we would have the biggest club in the world,” he said.

“I think the more recognition we get the more people will want to volunteer; unfortunately there is not a lot of support so we have to get ourselves out there.

“There are clubs who have one manager who runs five teams all by themselves but we want to have one person to run one team.

“We had a chance a few years ago to have four Under-8 teams but we did not have enough volunteers to do so, it was a shame as I want all kids to play.”

Next season Ridgeway will be looking to add a connection with a senior club to ensure their players can continue to further their development.

“There is a club we could link up with as we found out one of their players coaches with us so that is something we can look at putting something together,” he said.

“We need to make it happen ourselves and this is what I will do to ensure this is our next step forward.”