East Village FC

Open trials

Come and earn your place

We are building our first squad from scratch, and the door is open. Turn up, play, and show us what you have got. All positions, all welcome.

When

[Trial date and time to be confirmed]

Where

[Playing field in the Stratford area, to be confirmed]

Who

Open-age players, 16 and over, every position. Young players and families, get in touch about our youth pathway.

Bring

Boots, shin pads and water. Just bring yourself and your best.

Your travel is on us. We cover your travel to every game and back home again.
Post-match meals. The club puts food on after games. You turn up, we look after you.
Proper coaching. FA-qualified coaches and a real pathway to get better.

Honest from the start.
We are an amateur club for now, so we don't pay wages yet. Our ambition is to climb the football pyramid, and as the club grows, so will what we can offer our players. In the meantime, play for East Village and you will never be out of pocket.

Register your interest

Leave your details and we will send you the trial date, time and venue as soon as they are set.

Prefer email? Write to info@eastvillagefc.com with your name, age and position.

Why play for us

What you get at East Village

We don't pay wages at this stage, so we earn your commitment in other ways. Here is what every East Village player can expect from the club.

Rare at this level

Match footage and stats

Every game filmed on a dedicated match camera, with your stats and clips so you can build a highlight reel to show scouts and higher-level clubs.

Rare at this level

Opportunities off the pitch

Job references, introductions through our professional network, and support to take your coaching badges. We want to help you get on in life, not just on a Saturday.

Rare at this level

Part of something bigger

Our community programme supports elderly and housebound neighbours across Newham. Playing here means your football makes a real difference to people's lives.

1
Expenses covered
Travel to games and back home again is paid for by the club. You will never be out of pocket for playing.
2
Injury protection
Personal accident insurance through our county FA's insurer, including cover for loss of earnings, plus access to a physio partner if you get hurt.
3
Proper coaching
A qualified coach and a proper standard of training, with sessions planned around getting you better.
4
Honest about playing time
Straight, open conversations about selection and minutes. No mind games, no surprises.
5
Good facilities
A decent pitch for matches and proper facilities for training.
6
Full kit and a club jacket
Match kit, training gear and a club jacket, provided by the club.
7
A well-run club
Fixtures, venues and messages sent out on time, so you always know where you need to be.
8
Your profile on our channels
Player features and highlights across the club's social media, so people get to know who you are.
9
A clear ambition
A club with a plan to grow, and the chance to be there from the very start of it.
10
Great team culture
A dressing room built on respect, togetherness and plenty of banter.
11
Flexibility for real life
We understand work shifts and family come first, and we will work with you around them.
12
Food after the game
Post-match meals and a proper get-together after games, win or lose.
13
Fitness and conditioning
Support with fitness, conditioning and recovery to keep you sharp and help you stay injury-free.

Who we are

More than ninety minutes on a Saturday

East Village FC is a new community football club based in Stratford, in the London Borough of Newham. Our first season starts in September 2027 in the Essex Alliance League, the FA-sanctioned Saturday league that serves clubs across East London.

We are building this club from nothing, in one of the most diverse and most deprived parts of the country, and we want it to matter far beyond the pitch.

Meet the team

The people building the club

East Village FC is run by volunteers from the community. We are now recruiting the committee officers every club needs to register with the FA and join the Essex Alliance League.

Founder, CEO and COO

Jesse Ayertey

Jesse founded East Village FC to build a club that gives back to Stratford. A senior NHS operations leader who has run hospital services across London, he leads the club's strategy, partnerships and day-to-day running.

RecruitingCommittee officer

Chair

Leads the committee, chairs meetings and the AGM, and makes sure the club is run fairly and in line with its constitution.

Interested? Get in touch →

RecruitingCommittee officer

Club Secretary

The club's main contact with the FA and the league. Handles registrations, fixtures, paperwork and correspondence.

Interested? Get in touch →

RecruitingCommittee officer

Treasurer

Looks after the club's money: the bank account, subscriptions, grant spending and the annual accounts.

Interested? Get in touch →

RecruitingCommittee officer

Welfare Officer

The club's safeguarding lead. Makes sure players, volunteers and the older residents we visit are kept safe, and is the first point of contact for any concern.

Interested? Get in touch →

The kits

Our colours

Royal blue is home. White is for the road. And our third kit keeps the green and gold.

Home

Royal blue

Our colours, worn at our own ground.

Away

Clean white

For the road, with blue trim.

Third

Green & gold

Something different for the big days.

Front-of-shirt partner · JA Media House

Our club

Built to do something different

Plenty of places have a football team. We are building a club with a purpose written into it from day one.

A club player delivering shopping to an older resident at her front door

A club with a social contract

Playing for us means giving back. Every player commits to community hours, collecting prescriptions and doing the weekly shop for elderly and housebound neighbours. The same people who play on Saturday are the ones knocking on doors in the week.

Young players training together in club bibs

Nobody priced out

Football quietly shuts out kids through subs, boots and kit they cannot afford. Not here. We run a free youth pathway and fund boots and kit for those who need them, so talent and attitude decide who plays, not what a family can afford.

An older supporter and a young fan watching a match together from the rail

Bringing generations together

The older neighbours our players support become guests of the club on match days, with transport laid on. The people we help also belong to us. It tackles isolation, and it teaches our young players something money cannot.

“

We are built on belonging and development. People come to East Village to be part of something and to get better. That is the culture that will carry this club up the leagues.

In the community

Looking after our own

The club is as much about the week as the weekend. This is the work that makes East Village worth belonging to.

A club volunteer helping an older man from his wheelchair

A volunteer walking with an older resident using a walking frame in the park

A young player walking an older resident home with her shopping

A volunteer walking arm in arm with an older man after the weekly shop

An older supporter and a young fan watching football from the rail

Prescriptions and shopping
Our players collect prescriptions and do the weekly food shop for elderly and housebound residents across Newham.
Match days for everyone
The residents we support become guests of the club on match days, with transport laid on, so nobody is left on their own.
A free way in for young people
A free youth pathway with funded boots and kit, so every young person in the area gets a proper chance to play.

Run the right way

Safe, proper and for the community

Because our players work with both children and vulnerable adults, safeguarding is at the centre of how we run, not an afterthought.

Enhanced DBS checks

Every coach and volunteer, including the children's and adults' barred lists where needed.

Welfare officer

A designated safeguarding lead, with written policies for children and vulnerable adults.

FA affiliated

Affiliated to the London FA and playing in the FA-sanctioned Essex Alliance League.

A community club

Registering as a Community Amateur Sports Club, a not-for-profit run for the area, not for private gain.

East VillageFootball Club

Come and earn your place

Register your interest

What you get at East Village

Match footage and stats

Opportunities off the pitch

Part of something bigger

Expenses covered

Injury protection

Proper coaching

Honest about playing time

Good facilities

Full kit and a club jacket

A well-run club

Your profile on our channels

A clear ambition

Great team culture

Flexibility for real life

Food after the game

Fitness and conditioning

More than ninety minutes on a Saturday

The people building the club

Jesse Ayertey

Chair

Club Secretary

Treasurer

Welfare Officer

Our colours

Royal blue

Clean white

Green & gold

Built to do something different

A club with a social contract

Nobody priced out

Bringing generations together

Looking after our own

Prescriptions and shopping

Match days for everyone

A free way in for young people

Safe, proper and for the community

Enhanced DBS checks

Welfare officer

FA affiliated

A community club

Be part of it from day one

East Village
Football Club