Enjoyment is name of game for Wrockwardine Wood

Tina Williams, who set up the club in 2009 with just one team, has watched on as the number of players, teams and successes have increased dramatically.

There are now 16 teams from under-sevens upwards, including three men's sides – two in the Mercian Regional League and one in the Telford Sunday League – and a ladies' team too.

Tina, who is club secretary, says the rise of Wrockwardine Wood Juniors has been 'rapid' over the last several years.

"In 2009 we started with one team and we are a big club already now in Telford but we want to get bigger," she said.

"It is rapid and the reason why I think it is getting bigger all of the time is because we have got a good reputation for looking after the kids."

The primary goal for all at the club is not to win trophies, but to create an environment which youngsters enjoy being a part of.

"We actually call it a Wrockwardine Wood family. For us, it's about family," said Tina.

"We don't try to turn anyone away, we don't do trials and things like that.

"Everybody supports, mums do the tea, washing kits and everything so that's what we are all about, community support and most importantly being a family.

"The aim for the club is just to keep growing, we have got four new teams this year including a new girls team, under-21s, under-sevens and a new under-10s.

"Each year so far, for the last five years we have had at least four new teams every year, so we just want to keep growing all of the time.

"We want to grow our ladies and our girls a little bit more and just do what we can for the community.

"It's all about having fun, it's not about winning, we want them all to have fun."

As well as being club secretary, Williams has fulfilled many roles within the club including managing a team herself up to the under-18 age group.

She is also assistant secretary for Telford Junior League and a committee member of the Mercian Regional League and her efforts have not gone unnoticed.

At the recent Shropshire FA Community Awards, she received the Outstanding Contribution to Community Football award.

Her son, Kareem Zaman, manager of the club's under-14s side, won Volunteer of the Year.

He is actively involved in the committee, holds goalkeeper coaching sessions every Saturday and is an FA qualified referee.

"I'm managing the under-14s now, I'm doing the goalkeeping coaching and I'm playing for the Wrockwardine Wood men's team as well," said 19-year-old Kareem. "I have also done a lot of refereeing in the county.

"My team is going into under-14s this season and last season we came second in the B League of the Telford Junior League and got promoted.

"It was my first season as a manager and we also got to a cup final at New Bucks Head so I couldn't have asked for much more. To be fair, at the start of last season we had about 14 signed but we have got 16 so we are growing this year and its obviously going to be a better standard in the A League.

"I'm loving it. When I started playing I didn't think I would enjoy coaching as much as I do. You get a real reward out of it."

Perhaps the award Tina and Kareem will be most pleased with though, over their individual honours, is Wrockwardine Wood Juniors being given FA Charter Standard Club of the Year.

They beat Worthen Juniors and NC United to the prestigious award and, reflecting on it, Tina added: "Obviously it is a fantastic achievement to get FA Charter Standard Club of the Year. It is great for us as a club. I definitely wasn't expecting it. To get the individual awards as well, very proud to get my own and Kareem's as well so I'm really pleased.

"At Wrockwardine Wood we try to put back into our youth, if they have played for us they can come back into coaching, so it's amazing."