On Sunday, Hoddesdon Town Youth Football Club celebrated a wonderful season and handed out their end of season awards, in front of a packed-out Spotlight Theatre in Hoddesdon.

The auditorium looked incredible with all the awards on show, alongside brilliant decorations from our friends at JJ Balloons, and their generous donation really did finish off the venue.

Twenty teams, over 250 players, managers, coaches as well as hundreds of parents were all in attendance for the showpiece event on Father’s Day and it was a brilliant way to end a busy season.

Child Welfare Officer Paul Sullivan, Secretary Peter Alligan and Chairperson Victoria Capone, aka our very own Luke Skywalker, Hans Solo and Princess Leia, were on hand to host the event.

They introduced everybody to the teams, which included the u7s, u8 Whites, u9 Whites, u10 Sharks, u10 Lions, u10 Blacks, u10 Whites, u11 Huntsmen, u11 Lions, u11 Hawks, u11 Eagles, u12 Blacks, u12 Whites, u13 Blacks, u13 Whites, u15 Whites, u16 Reds, u17 Blacks, u17 Reds and the u18 Blacks.

Before the awards were handed out, there were special thankyou’s made to all the parents who turn up and support the players throughout the season, as well as appreciation for the managers and coaches, the Youth committee and Senior committee.

Vice Chairman Roger Merton MBE, in attendance with his wife and Senior Committee member Jenny, made a short speech to the audience thanking everybody for their efforts throughout the season and congratulating the players on their achievements. He also highlighted a bright future for the town’s football club and reiterated the desire for a close relationship with the youth section, as well as the local community.

Two special awards were made to both Clive Rawlings and Neil Harrison, who depart the youth club committee after many, many year’s service, and we are all indebted to them for their commitment and dedication to youth football. Both made reference to a new era within the youth and senior clubs and commented that football in Hoddesdon is in good shape moving forward.

Awards were then made to each team as they were paraded on stage and handed their trophies. Individual awards of Most Improved, Manager’s Player and Player’s Player were also handed out to each team, recognising those who had made outstanding contributions to their respective teams.

Social and Digital Media Chairman Jon Dean was on hand to spin the tunes and Club Photographer Danny Smith captured the entire event brilliantly on his multitude of cameras. You can view Danny’s gallery of the day by clicking HERE.

There were also awards for Paul Hunt, who deservedly scooped the prestigious Clubman of the Year Award and Blaine Heard who was voted Manager of the Year for his role as Under 16 gaffer.

Flowers were also presented to Samantha Myers for her outstanding contribution to the club and again, we thank her for her hard work and dedication.

Closing the afternoon, there were emotional scenes as the Under 18s came to the end of their time with Hoddesdon Town Youth Football Club and manager Simon Mason fought back tears as he thanked his players, parents and his family members for their unwavering support over the years. It is hoped that many of these players will forge a path to senior football at Lowfield for the new season.

Alongside the awards, there was a superb raffle with multiple prizes on offer and the full list of winners is as follows:

Dulux Dog: Justine Solazzo
£25 Mango's Restaurant: Amy Bonus
£25 Mango's Restaurant: Michelle Stone
£50 Tesco Voucher: Richard Muschamp
Morrisons Hamper: Paul Hunt
£200 Coachworks servicing voucher: Erin Powell
Face Fabulous Voucher: Joe Birmingham
2 x Spurs Tickets: Cindy Goodman
4 weeks Mayhem Street Dance: Susan Marango
1 Month Energie Fitness: Paul Hunt
Two's Two Burger Shack: Archie Myers
Maxim Barbers Adult & Child Cut: Peter Evans
£100 Nike/Kitlocker Goodies: Nicola Florido
2 Bounce Classes: Andrew Fitzsimmons
Ross Fishing Tackle Voucher: Amy Bonus
4 People Skratch18: Danielle Markham
2 Ryeassic Soft play: Emma Bonus
3 Beer Presentation Packs: Sandra Bonus
2 Board Games: Any Noad
Year Sign-on HTYFC: George Joannou
2 Bottles Champers: Richard Szkutnik
£20 Little City Voucher: Nicola Khodadux
£50 JD Sports Voucher: Arron Vandepeer
2 Balls & Shinpads: Dereck Newman
Dino's Haircut: Kevin Zdanevicus
Family of Four Wormley Footgolf: Lisa Bergh
30 Sports Massage: Natalie Hannon
Darling Buds Bouquet: Debbie Viney
2 Jump City Pass: Adam Grimes
3 day Pass Paul's Football Camp: Simon Bickerstaff
Home Fragrance Set: Frankie Bellini
Salad Hamper: Amy Bonus
Case of Wine: Andrew Tweddle
1 Bottle Champers: Disa Randell
1 Bottle Drink: Joe Birmingham
2 x Necklaces: Lee Tamlin
£30 Shedzen Beauty: Richard Shepherd
Footie Mums Mug: Andrew Tweddle
Cliff Jones Signed Set: Simon Bickerstaff
1 Month Bootcamp with personal trainer: Sonia Biles

There was also some stunning auction lots on offer, including signed shirts and memorabilia, and winners of those items will be contacted separately.

With that, Paul Sullivan brought the afternoon to a close and a truly wonderful day was had by all.

At the senior club, we would like to congratulate everybody at Hoddesdon Town Youth Football Club, not just for the brilliant event they put on, but for all of their hard work to ensure youngsters in and around Hoddesdon have a safe, fun and stable environment to play their football.

If you are interested in youth football for your child next season, please email Peter Alligan on htyfcsecretary@hotmail.co.uk or by clicking HERE.

Come On You Lilywhites!!