Full name | Senrab Football Club |
---|---|
Founded | 1961 |
Ground |
Wanstead Flats, Forest Gate, London |
Chairman | Dave Hyland |
League | Sunday League |
Senrab F.C. is a Sunday League football team, based at Wanstead Flats in the Forest Gate district of London, England.
The club was founded in 1961 by Jimmy Tindall (later a youth development officer for West Ham United), playing eight-a-side at first before progressing to 11-a-side within two years. The club had three 11-a-side teams to begin with, all playing in the Regent's Park League. Tindall's recruitment policy was to pick up only the best young players, stipulating that to play for Senrab, a player must have previously played for his district or county. In the early 1970s, so many Senrab players signed for Chelsea that former player Ray Lewington nicknamed Senrab "Chelsea Juniors".
In 2014 Senrab have been shortlisted for the Daily Mirror Pride of Sport Awards in the Local Team of the Year Category.
Senrab operates 15 teams for age groups ranging from 5 to 17 years old. The club has produced a great number of players who have gone on to have successful professional careers, including John Terry, Sol Campbell, Jermain Defoe and Ledley King. A number of professional coaches have also started out at Senrab, most notably Dario Gradi, who, until June 2007, was the longest-serving football manager in the Football League. In April 2011, former Senrab player John Terry donated an undisclosed sum to the club to keep it running.
The club takes its name from Senrab Street in Stepney; the club's players trained at Marion Richardson School on Senrab Street. Senrab Street is close to Barnes Street, and is also Barnes spelt backwards.
The following players and coaches have all gone on to play for or coach a professional football club after leaving Senrab FC.