Club that bred football stars in cash crisis

The youth football club where a host of the Premier League's top players began their careers is facing a funding crisis.

John Terry, Bobby Zamora, Sol Campbell and Jermain Defoe are among nine England stars who have emerged from the Senrab club in east London during the last 50 years.

But a cut in its local council grant from £2,500 to £800 and a trebling in the cost of hiring pitches has led to some of its teams having to be axed.

"We can't sustain the present situation much longer," said secretary Tony Carroll, who has been involved in the club for 20 years and whose wife Sharon is treasurer. "Senrab just about keeps its head above water but only because we put our own money in."

Ray Wilkins, who also began his career at Senrab, said it would be a disaster if a club that he called "the most prolific source of football talent in the London area" closed. "There are so many of us who owe a debt of gratitude to Senrab," he added.

Many players have now promised to help. "If all the players pulled together to help save the club where it all started for us, we could give the youth of today the opportunities we all had," said John Terry, the England and Chelsea captain.