For the second time in three years, Ross Juniors Football Club have been awarded the Herefordshire Football Association’s Chartered Standard Club of the Year.

At a recent awards ceremony at Edgar Street, the Club’s Chairman, Jim Loftus, was presented the award by the County Football Association.

Ross were selected from a final shortlist of three by the Football Association panel. The nomination cited the club’s excellent work in growing the game in the local community, mentioning the club having men’s, women’s, veterans’, boy’s and girl’s sides, providing football for all age groups.

The nomination also mentioned the excellent work done by the club, alongside the cricket club, in renovating and rejuvenating the sports centre and its fields into one of the best venues for sport in the county.

The award completes a quadruple for the club, and sits alongside the recently awarded Queens Award, Herefordshire and Worcestershire Sports Club of the Year and Herefordshire Sport Club of the Year.

Jim Loftus was delighted. He told the Ross Gazette:?“It is always nice to receive recognition for everyone in the club’s hard work and enthusiasm. We now have close to 450 playing members, an army of volunteers, coaches and supportive parents, and this award recognises all their efforts in making the club what it is.

“Personally, it was nice to hear from local football figures like Andrew Morris of Westfields and Ken Kinnersley of Hereford FC on how much progress they can see the club is making as it grows and Ross-on-Wye is re-establishing itself in Herefordshire Football.”

The club received the award as part of a joint McDonalds and Football Association initiative which aims to recognise the unsung heroes of the grass roots game.

Like all of the other sports clubs in the town, the football club relies on membership fees, sponsorship and grants to stay afloat and help maintain the facilities for the club members and general members of the public to use.

Jim went on to acknowledge how important such awards are. He said:?“It gives everyone in the club a feel good factor and makes them feel their efforts are noticed. Recently, we have, along with the Sports Centre, had to face some severe challenges in meeting costs and to maintain what we offer our members.

“With these awards and support from local businesses, like Dawleys among others, alongside Town Councillors Lerego and Lister becoming advocates for the Sports Centre, the future looks great for us as a club and sport in the town.”

This award caps another remarkable year for the club, who have added a very enthusiastic ladies section, and have seen the girls section becoming a Gold Sister Club of Birmingham City Ladies.

Much effort is now going into creating a second men’s club alongside the existing men’s side and the boys section is blossoming with some age groups having up to three teams in the county leagues.

For the third year in a row, the club, under Neil Vanstone, are fielding a side in the West Midlands Premier League Under 16 section, the highest standard of junior football outside the academy system, and walking football is blossoming to under the guidance of Ron Goulding.

The club will be celebrating this award at a McDonalds Community Football morning on Saturday, September 3rd. The event will see a football fete, which will include zorb football, freestylers, coaching for toddlers, inflatable and a competition for the hardest football kick in Ross.

There will also be games and open training sessions running alongside the sports centre, which will be open for refreshments and BBQ.

The event is a community event not just for club members but for anyone who fancies coming along to try out some games or see what it’s all about.