England manager visits Brockley

The England football manager Roy Hodgson visited Brockley football club, HF Sports Paulista, to present them with an FA Charter Standard Community Award, which is the highest-standard of community club award in England.

Despite the fact that Brockley Nick used to work at The FA, doing PR for precisely this sort of thing, we didn't get an invite, but the News Shopper made it along and has a load of nice shots. They say:

Mr Hodgson, who was joined by FA chairman Greg Dyke along with players-turned-pundits Mark Bright and John Salako, stayed around to speak to the young players and their coaches. Football development officer Darren Smith said he had kept the visit as a surprise for the players. 

With 375 youngsters and 30 coaches, HF Sports Paulista, based at the King's College ground in Brockley Rise, was created earlier this year by merging three clubs together. It has recently launched two girls' teams. To find out more email Info@paulista.co.uk or call 020 8690 5586.

Very few grassroots club earn community club status, so this is a great tribute to the team who run the club, who need to demonstrate quality coaching, a development pathway for young players and a commitment to fair play.