The East End football club has produced a huge number of Premier League stars and continues to provide an invaluable grounding for the footballers of tomorrow, despite a constant battle to make ends meet.
Ashley Cole, John Terry, Ledley King, Sol Campbell, Bobby Zamora and Ugo Ehiogu are just some of the England internationals to come through the club’s youth ranks.
Alan Curbishley, Dario Gradi, Ray Wilkins and current England assistant boss Ray Lewington, meanwhile, have also used Senrab as a springboard to launch their coaching careers.
The list is incredible but equally remarkable is the fact that the club is still up and running after a funding crisis almost caused it to close its door for the last time this summer.
Tony Carroll has been involved with the club for the past 25 years and had to sink £5,500 of his own money into the club to keep it afloat last season. The value of the club to the local community, though, can’t be over-stated.
“We cater for kids of all ages and all abilities,” he said. “We don’t turn anyone away and we even pay for some of these kids to play if they can’t afford – it’s not their fault the situation that they find themselves in. Football provides these kids with a constant in their lives.”
And the Senrab production line is still very much alive, with the likes of West Ham, Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal, Dagenham and Redbridge and Leyton Orient all benefiting from the latest graduates of this incredible academy.
