Local youth football club Wyrley Juniors will tomorrow be recognised for their work in junior football, when they are presented with a national Grass Roots award at the Community Shield tomorrow, before the match kicks off at Wembley Stadium between Manchester United and Manchester City.

Wyrley Juniors, who linked with Walsall FC back 2005, are being recognised for their excellent work in youth football, and will tomorrow receive the award for FA Charter Standard Community Club of the Year.  They operate almost 50 teams within their setup and have becoem Walsall FC’s main feeder club in the local area.  Their club chairman Keith Hardy, explained on the official FA website just why the club had won the award.

“The 45 teams are made up of three adult mens’ teams plus a veterans team, a ladies team and eleven girls teams, and then 29 boys teams.” So what’s the key to this incredible increase in participation over the past decade?

“It’s mainly down to having two really strong soccer academies for both the boys and the girls,” explains Hardy. “We’re now the official feeder club to Walsall after they approached us about six years ago. We probably send to them about 20 players each year, about five or six of whom are taken on.”

Our congratulations go to all involved at Wyrley Juniors, and we hope that they enjoy their day tomorrow.  Hopefully they will be celebrating a double success after watching Walsall FC win at home today!