The Mayor of Watford visited a football club to mark the start of building work on a new clubhouse.

Dorothy Thornhill was joined by Deputy Mayor Cllr Peter Taylor at the Everett Rovers FC ground, in Leggatts Field, North Watford.

She said: “It is so good to see this great Watford club getting the facilities they deserve.

“It’s all through their own efforts which reflects the positive, determined attitude of the key members and the support of loyal parents.

“I am really looking forward to seeing it finished.” The club has seven pitches of various sizes at Leggatts Field, but since the closure of the Bill Everett Leisure centre in 2008, there were no facilities for the players and their parents.

Two years ago in January 2016, staff at the club were told they had been granted funding to build a new club house that would have two changing rooms, along with a kitchen, bar, and toilets.

Eighteen months later they have now signed and completed the lease, which allows them to access the money to build the club house build funds.Work started at the beginning of January and will take around seven months to complete – which will allow the clubhouse to start being used from the beginning of the 2018/2019 season.

Everett Rovers chairman Glenn Peach added that the club had been waiting nearly ten years for the new building.

He said: “We thought we had got this over the line eighteen months ago when we secured the funding but were delayed by the lease.

“However, now we have the green light to start everyone associated with the club is incredibly excited.

“This is one of the biggest things to happen to the club in our 20 year history. The club has grown quickly over the last few years and the club house will allow us to take the club to the next level."

This article was originally written by Rachel Russell and was published in the Watford Observer on the 15th February 2018.