East Thurrock Community FC Raiders U16

07/09/2026

🖤💛 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗬’𝗥𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗬𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗘… 💛🖤

You’ve already met our new Main Sponsor, Contrast brand agency … but now it’s time to welcome back some very familiar names.

As the Raiders begin a new chapter, with a new club and a new challenge in the Essex County Girls U16 A Division, we’re incredibly proud that our loyal sponsors have chosen to continue the journey with us.

🤝 Benems Carpets Flooring & Fireplace centre
🤝 London Stone
🤝 Get Wired Electrical Solutions
🤝 Bombers Cafe
🤝 DK Specialist Cleaning Services

And we’re delighted to welcome back…

She Kicks Because She Can

…who will be doing something a little special this year by sponsoring our Player of the Match awards throughout the season.

These aren’t just names on a shirt.

They’ve supported our girls, followed their journey and celebrated their successes. Most importantly, they believe in what we believe in.

Grassroots football simply couldn’t do what it does without the support of businesses and organisations like these. Their continued backing helps us give the girls the opportunities, equipment and experiences that make being part of this team so special.

As we prepare to step into the A Division, we want to say a massive 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨 to every one of our returning sponsors for signing on for another season.

Back-to-back champions 🏆🏆
A new challenge ahead.
And some fantastic supporters continuing the journey alongside us.

Same Raiders. Same belief. Same incredible support.

Here’s to another season together. 🤝

06/09/2026

⏳🖤💛 7 𝗗𝗔𝗬𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗚𝗢… 💛🖤⏳

The countdown is officially ON…..

ONE WEEK TODAY and the Raiders will step onto the pitch for our first league game of the 2026/27 season — and our first as an Essex County Girls U16 A Division team.

Last season ended with the Raiders lifting the B Division title 🏆 and earning promotion.

Now a new challenge awaits.

A new club.
A new division.
New challenges.

Pre-season has given us a taste of the level ahead, the hard work continues at training and now the girls are ready, excited and counting down the days until the competitive football begins.

Our place in the A Division was earned.

Now it’s time to see what we can do there.

BRING ON THE NEW SEASON 🖤💛⚽️

Sponsored by
Contrast
Benems Carpets Flooring & Fireplace centre
London Stone
Get Wired Electrical Solutions

04/09/2026

Exciting times at East Thurrock CFC Youth

Well done to all involved 👏 👏

🖤💛🖤💛

We are delighted to have been awarded a grant from the Football Foundation through the Lionesses HERE to Play Fund.

Thanks to everyone who made this possible. This will go a long way to growing our girls section even further 👏

01/09/2026

💛 𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗢 𝗦𝗘𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗘𝗥, 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗘𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗢𝗧𝗕𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞💛

The 1st of September can only mean one thing…

THE NEW SEASON IS ALMOST HERE.

After being crowned B Division Champions last season 🏆 and earning promotion, the Raiders are incredibly excited to begin their next challenge in the Essex County Girls U16 A Division.

And September gives us three competitive fixtures to get things started, First up, AFC Leyton… and if you were time, Let’s see if we can get the full game in this time🤐

⚽️ 13/09 | AFC Leyton – AWAY | LEAGUE

🏆 20/09 | FC Redwing – HOME | CUP

⚽️ 27/09 | Ongar Juniors – AWAY | LEAGUE

Three teams we’ve faced before and three teams we’re looking forward to getting back on the pitch against.

Pre-season has given us a taste of what’s to come, particularly against established A Division opposition. We’ve tested ourselves, learned plenty and got those all-important minutes back in the legs.

Now it’s nearly time for the games that count.

Last season we fought our way to the B Division title and earned our place at the next level.

New division. New challenge. Same Raiders. 🖤💛

The girls can’t wait to get back into competitive action…

SEPTEMBER, WE’RE READY.

Proudly sponsored by
Contrast
London Stone
Benems Carpets Flooring & Fireplace centre
Get Wired Electrical Solutions

Playing in the
Essex County Girls Football League

29/08/2026

🚀 ROCKETTES NEED YOU! ⚽️🖤💛

Did you know we have two U16 Girls teams and our Rockettes are looking for now players 👇👇

East Thurrock Community FC u16 Rockettes

We’re looking to add some new players to our U16 Rockettes squad for the upcoming season!

If you know any girls in School Years 10–11 who love football, want to have fun, make new friends and be part of a fantastic team, please share this post and help us spread the word! 🙌

No matter their experience, if they’re interested in playing football, we’d love to hear from them. 💛

Please share, share, share! 📲
Let’s get the Rockettes family growing! 🚀💛🖤

28/08/2026

⭐️🖤💛 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛 | 𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗬 𝗠 💛🖤⭐️

And no… it’s not because she ended up in hospital!

Our Player of the Match against Ongar Juniors was Emily M, and it was thoroughly deserved for the football she played before her evening took an unexpected turn.

Emily played in three different positions during the game and approached every single one with the same bravery, creativity and determination. Wherever she was asked to play, she adapted, worked hard and made an impact for the team.

Unfortunately, late in the game Emily was involved in a genuine 50/50 challenge with the Ongar goalkeeper. Emily was going for goal, the keeper was going for the save and both were completely committed to getting to the ball.

The collision resulted in Emily being taken to hospital to have her knee checked over. Thankfully, the X-rays showed no break 🙌, although she’ll now be heading to the fracture clinic for further checks.

Not quite how we expected our POTM to finish her evening 🤦‍♀️

Most importantly, we’re pleased there was no break and everyone at the Raiders is wishing Emily all the very best with the next checks and a speedy recovery.

Football can wait — get yourself back fit and we’ll see you when you’re ready.

Well deserved, Emily ⭐️👏

Contrast
London Stone
Get Wired Electrical Solutions
Benems Carpets Flooring & Fireplace centre

27/08/2026

🖤💛 𝗣𝗥𝗘-𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗢𝗡 | 𝗔𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗧𝗘 💛🖤

Our second pre-season game saw the Raiders take on another established A Division side in Ongar Juniors.

The opening ten minutes were about finding our feet, but once the girls settled into the game we started to see some brilliant football, determination and pace.

We knew this would be another step up. Ongar reached the County Cup Final last season and showed exactly why. They were direct, physical and had plenty of pace going forward — but the Raiders more than held their own, matching them for pace, strength and determination.

From a few “ghetto” first impressions to battling the fading light and rain, it certainly wasn’t your average Thursday night friendly.

Back to the football, and two avoidable goals ultimately gave Ongar the advantage, but that’s exactly what pre-season is for. We learn from the mistakes, work on them and take those lessons forward.

The Raiders kept fighting right until the end and a late penalty gave us the opportunity to get one back. Madie D stepped up and calmly slotted it home.

FULL TIME | Raiders 1–2 Ongar Juniors

Another 80 minutes in the legs and another valuable test against the level of opposition we’ll be facing this season. The result might not have gone our way, but there were plenty of positives to take from the performance.

Finally, a huge shoutout to Emily M, who took a nasty knock to her knee after a collision with the Ongar keeper. We’re all thinking of you and hoping everything is okay. 💛

Pre-season is about learning, testing ourselves and getting ready.

Another game. Another lesson. Another step closer.

Proudly sponsored by
Contrast
London Stone
Benems Carpets Flooring & Fireplace centre
Get Wired Electrical Solutions

East Thurrock CFC Youth

26/08/2026

🖤💛 𝗡𝗘𝗫𝗧 𝗨𝗣 | 𝗣𝗥𝗘-𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗢𝗡 𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗟𝗬 💛🖤

No time to slow down… we go again tomorrow.

After a great test at the weekend, the Raiders continue their pre-season preparations with another challenge against A Division opposition — this time we take on Ongar Juniors.

🆚 Ongar Juniors
📅 Thursday 27th August
⏰ Kick-off: 7:00pm
📍 Wyldecrest Social Club

Another opportunity to get minutes in the legs, work on positioning, try new things and continue preparing ourselves for what’s going to be an exciting first season in the U16 A Division.

Pre-season is all about learning, developing and getting stronger with every game — and another tough test is exactly what we want.

The work continues. Let’s go Raiders 🖤💛

Proudly sponsored by

Contrast
Benems Carpets Flooring & Fireplace centre
London Stone
Get Wired Electrical Solutions

East Thurrock CFC Youth

23/08/2026

⭐️🖤💛 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛 | 𝗝𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗖𝗔 𝗠 💛🖤⭐️

If only we could track the distance she covered and the speed she hit today… we think the numbers would be pretty impressive. 🏃‍♀️💨

Jessica was once again rock solid in defence, using her pace, strength and determination to chase down players, make those important tackles and shut down attacks.

But today we also got to see something a little different, with Jessica having a stint up the right wing and showing that her pace can cause problems at both ends of the pitch.

A brilliant performance and a very well-deserved award.

Well done, Jess

Proudly sponsored by
contrast
Benems Carpets Flooring & Fireplace centre
London Stone
Get Wired Electrical Solutions

23/08/2026

🖤💛 𝗣𝗥𝗘-𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗢𝗡 | 𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞 𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗜𝗧𝗖𝗛 💛🖤

After a few months without a game, today was all about getting back out there, stretching the legs and taking on a challenge.

And a challenge is exactly what we got against Buckhurst Hill — a side who have spent the last three seasons competing in the A Division and gave us a great first taste of what lies ahead this season.

Both teams played some brilliant football, and the determination and effort from every player on the pitch certainly didn’t go unnoticed.

Moving up from the B Division was always going to bring a new level of competition, and that’s exactly why these pre-season friendlies are so important. They give us the opportunity to move players into different positions, try new things, build fitness and, most importantly, learn together as a team.

⚽️ ⚽️The Raiders found the net twice today.

First up was Emily M, who spotted her opportunity and produced a brilliant lob over the keeper.

Our second came from the penalty spot, with Madie D stepping up and perfectly executing the finish.

Buckhurst Hill found the net four times themselves, but today wasn’t about the result. It was about testing ourselves against strong opposition and seeing where we are ahead of the new season.

Full Time: Raiders 2–4 Buckhurst Hill

Plenty of positives, plenty to work on and a valuable look at the level of competition waiting for us in the A Division.

We earned the step up. Now it’s time to put the work in. 💪🖤💛

Proudly sponsored by
Contrast
Benems Carpets Flooring & Fireplace centre
London Stone
Get Wired Electrical Solutions