You may have noticed last Saturday that while England were taking on Slovenia at Wembley, club names were flashing up around the pitch in green and white to promote a new FA campaign.
As part of The FA’s player recruitment campaign this summer for men’s 11-a-side football, The FA are featuring 16 team names on the perimeter boards during the England internationals including this Wednesdays crunch game with Croatia.
The teams are all part of FA Charter Standard Clubs, have just kicked-off their season and are on the lookout for new players. One of those teams wass Hertfordshire's own Oxhey Jets, whose rise through the rankings illustrates all that is good about grassroots footbal in this country.
Oxhey Jets Football Club is very much regarded as an important part of the South Oxhey community. General Manager John Elliott and Club Secretary and Treasurer Dave Fuller have led the Club since its formation in 1972. Founded originally as an U12 team, the club has always retained a focus on providing opportunities for local youngsters.
After several successful years at youth level in the 1970's, the club moved to Senior level in 1978-79 and rose through the leagues until it joined the Herts Senior County League in 1983. The 1980’s and 1990’s were then a period of consolidation, but the last 10 years has seen the Jets move up through the leagues again, move to a custom built ground and add seating and floodlighting facilities to enable them to play at the higher levels.
By 2005-06, the team had been promoted to the South Midlands Spartan Premier league, which also enabled it to enter both The FA Cup and FA Vase each year. The club have consolidated their position in the league and enjoyed some great moments in the Cups, the highlight of which must be the visit to AFC Wimbledon in the Second Round Qualifying, having beaten Concord Rangers, Aveley and Ruislip Manor to get there. Although beaten 3-0 in front of a large crowd by a very strong AFC Wimbledon team, the fixture seemed to represent how far Jets had come in a short space of time. Jets have also enjoyed success in the Herts Senior Cup in recent years with wins over Barnet, St Albans (twice) and Hemel Hempstead.
Throughout their history, Jets have relied on the ongoing enthusiasm of a committed group of volunteers and loyal players. As well as Elliott and Fuller, who have been with the club from the start, many of the staff and players from the early years are still involved with the club. In fact, some of the current players at the club are sons, and even grandsons, of people who have been involved with the club since the 1970’s. The current first team manager Bennie Higham has the highest number of senior team appearances for the Jets (755 games), and the reserve team manager Bob Wyatt has also been involved since the early 1970’s.
The Club has also had tremendous support from the local Councils (Three Rivers Council and Watford Parish Council) who see Jets as being “more than just a football club”. Jets have worked with the Councils in youth support schemes, and the Council has supported Jets in pitch development, and in the creation of the Jets Academy programme.
Oxhey Jets are looking to continue to grow in the coming years, but it is also important to everyone involved that they retain the community spirit that is so integral to the way the club is run.
If you would like to join your local 11-a-side team, then click here.