Havering Council has officially congratulated Hornchurch Football Club on their promotion to the National League, celebrating the team's significant achievement.

The motion, brought forward by the Labour Group, was unanimously approved by councillors, acknowledging the club's dedication, community backing, and on-pitch excellence.

Councillor Khuram Amin, Champion for Young People, moved the motion, stating, We need to acknowledge the dedication and commitment that goes into making all semi-professional and grassroots sports clubs in Havering successful. And when these clubs achieve success, we should promote and celebrate their achievements.

He added that the club's success is an honour for the borough to be associated with said achievements. The motion highlighted the economic advantages of active sports clubs, including reduced public healthcare expenditure, local business revenue generation, and the significant contribution of volunteers. Specifically, the motion pointed out that clubs operate heavily on unpaid coaching and administrative labour, providing millions of pounds worth of community services at zero cost to the council. Furthermore, clubs generate local employment in facility maintenance, coaching, and hospitality, while optimising the use of public parks and leisure centres, thereby increasing council rental revenue.

Councillor Keith Prince, Leader of the Council, expressed his full support, stating, I think it is worthy that we recognise the success of the urchins. I think it's a fantastic result, not just for them, but for the whole borough. He also confirmed he had reached out to the club to arrange a meeting to discuss their different needs now that they are in an elevated position in the National League. I think there's a number of issues that we need to discuss because now that they're in their new elevated position, they're going to have different needs to what they had previously. And wherever I can, wherever we can, we want to help and assist them. So that's our commitment, he added.

Councillor Matthew Stanton, a West Ham fan, also congratulated the team, noting that the demands that the FA places on clubs as they advance up the football pyramid do increase. He expressed hope that Havering Council could continue to support the club in its progression, highlighting that clubs at this level are not about multi-millionaires and prima donnas but about players giving it their all and the vast unsung crowd of family members, friends and supporters, you know, turning up ahead of match time to make sure that everything goes off according to plan.

The council's motion also requested that the Mayor writes to Hornchurch FC to convey the council's congratulations and to reaffirm the council's ongoing support for grassroots and semi-professional football across Havering. The full details of the council meeting can be found in the Public reports pack.