Resurrection of Community: The rebirth of football in East Thurrock
- Mason Hutchinson
- Apr 30
- 5 min read
Written by Mason Hutchinson
When East Thurrock United folded in September 2023, it left more than just an empty pitch. It left a community without its heartbeat. But from the ashes rose a fan-led phoenix club looking to bring life back to Corringham.
What would you do if the club you had supported all your life no longer existed? The team you had devoted all your time to, gone, in an instant. Well, this hypothetical situation became a reality for fans of East Thurrock United when owner Alfie Best and director Gary Brownlie decided to pull the plug on the club due to historic debts.
As recently as 2019, The Rocks were enjoying life in the National League South, where they had competed for three seasons before suffering relegation back to the Isthmian League Premier Division.
Then things went from bad to worse. Financial struggles loomed, and the death of benefactor Ben Bennett made recovery impossible. The club would never emulate the successes of years prior.
Despite a glimmer of hope when multi-millionaire Alfie Best bought the club, pledges to develop a new stadium and bring East Thurrock United back to their former selves proved false promises. And just like that, a 54-year bond between club and community was broken.
After a year without football, the fans of the old club came together to prove that the beautiful game was built on passion and togetherness, opening a new chapter to create East Thurrock Community Football Club, which entered the English Footballing Pyramid this season in the 11th tier (Step 7 of Non-League).
“It affected the community in a big way,” stated East Thurrock Community FC Vice-Chairman Jono Edwards.
“There’d always be a lot of traffic down there on a Saturday, people would go in there and have a drink.
“The people that have come back here now, it affected them because everyone talks about how we had a whole year with nowhere to go on a Saturday or Tuesday night, so it rocked it. But we’re trying to put it back together, a week at a time.”
With hindsight of how the old club folded, East Thurrock Community wanted to ensure that history did not repeat itself. That’s why it has implemented a fan-ownership structure to create a financially sustainable club that puts the most important people at the heart of it. The fans.
Vice-Chairman Jono Edwards explained that fans can become owners through a multi-tiered membership system, where supporters’ contributions directly fund the club’s ambitions.
“That money goes straight back into the club, and everything we are spending every week is coming from that money that comes in.
“If we don’t carry on getting owners, picking them up and keeping them here, it will all grow into itself. The way we’ve built it, it will carry on, but we can’t grow if we don’t get more owners. The owners are fundamental to all of it.”
Chris, previously a fan of the old club, is one of those who is now a fan-owner of the Phoenix, East Thurrock Community Football Club.
“It was disappointing when it went away. The players know the fans by name, everyone loves the football and being close to the club, players, managers and fans. So to see this back is fantastic."
The Rocks’ enthusiasm to keep the fans involved perfectly encapsulates the foundations on which football was built. In contrast to the modern financial developments of Premier League Football, grassroots football was created by the fans, for the fans, and Chris describes how East Thurrock Community allows supporters to become stakeholders.
“Owners get to vote on things, like player and goal of the month votes. We also get a say on the decisions that affect what the club does going forward.
“You always get a say, and your voice matters. It makes you feel a part of it, and you don’t get that at your Premier League sides.”
Non-League football often gets overlooked by fans of professional teams, but it can be the most powerful tool in bringing people together, as proven by East Thurrock Community, which Edwards revealed has adopted fans and owners from around the globe.
“There are people all over the world who are involved. We’ve got people in Asia, America and Australia watching this. They get involved and vote on their emails for player of the month and other awards, so this is all helped by them. The more we get, the higher we will go.”
Of course, a club with so much history has its iconic figures, and East Thurrock United was no different. John Coventry began life with The Rocks as assistant manager under Lee Patterson, before taking the reins at the end of the 2007/08 season.
‘Covo’ would then go on to lead the Corringham outfit for an unforgettable 13-year ride, reaching the FA Cup First Round Proper twice. This earned the club a televised match at Rookery Hill against Football League Macclesfield in 2011 and a trip to another professional side when they were paired up with Hartlepool in 2014.
The Rocks would also mimic this success in the league, as in the following season, they defeated Tonbridge Angels and Dulwich Hamlet in the play-offs to gain promotion to the National League South.
“It’s been astonishing,” stated John Coventry, talking to Thurrock Nub News in 2020 as he reflected on his time at East Thurrock United.
“We’ve had so many highs and so few lows. I totalled it up, and we managed to win more than £159,000 in prize money in 12 seasons. That’s amazing for a club of this size.”
So when searching for the right manager to lead this rebuild, East Thurrock Community looked no further than the Coventry family tree, and John Coventry Jr was appointed alongside his right-hand man, Kevin Scott.
John Coventry’s name still echoes around the East of the borough, and now his son is steering the club into their new era.
“I’ve been around a few different clubs, but this one always feels a bit more personal, so when the people who started up the club got in contact, it was a bit of a no-brainer, really,” admitted Coventry Jr.
“I must admit it was tough at the beginning (to compete for players), and it still is tough now, but it’s becoming easier. The name East Thurrock carries a bit of weight, and as the ball gets rolling and people begin to learn about the club, the facilities and what the club are trying to do, people have started contacting us to get involved.
“This season, we can’t get promoted and we’re out of the cup, so there’s nothing to play for as such, but it’s still being drummed into them, especially being such a young side, to go out and try to win games and get a feel for it.
“That feeling of winning games and being competitive in every game is so important.”
After finishing their first-ever season and having a clear structure in place, Jono Edwards is excited about the future ahead.
“We just want to keep this growing. We kept the show on the road, we’ve got a football club to watch, and people can keep enjoying it.
“We’re going to some new places, we’ll see new people and new faces and let’s see how far we can get and how quickly we can do it, but thankfully, now the East Thurrock name should live on forever, long after I’m gone hopefully.”
East Thurrock Community Football Club may be playing in the 11th tier, but their story is a reminder that football’s soul doesn’t live in multi-million pound signings. It lives in the people who refuse to let their club die.
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