The inaugural chairman of a new Maldon & Tiptree FC supporters' group has praised the club's players and fans for their "overwhelming" response to a festive food bank appeal.

Tony Williams has helped to establish The Jammers Fans Association, which will formally launch in the new year, and organised food collections at recent home games against Romford and Chelmsford City.

And after receiving a volume of donations which "wildly exceeded" expectations, Tony hopes the fledgling group can continue to be a force for good in the local community in 2022 and beyond.

"The reaction to it and the amount that's been donated have been overwhelming, both from within our club and supporters and from the visiting teams as well," he said.

"The players have donated and got their families involved as well, so it has been a whole club effort.

"We have since donated the food to the local church in Maldon and it was very well received.

"The generosity of people has been fabulous, so I'm really pleased."

The Jammers is one of more than 200 clubs supported by Pitching In, a multi-million-pound grassroots sport investment programme established by Ladbrokes with the support of its owner Entain.

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In addition to financial support, the initiative places a focus on the importance of community and volunteering in non-league football and Tony hopes plenty more supporters will begin descending on Park Drive as Maldon & Tiptree look to build on recent success.

The Jammers reached the first round proper of the FA Cup for the first time in 2019/20, memorably knocking out Leyton Orient, making the same stage the following season and are currently mounting a play-off push in the Pitching In Isthmian League North Division.

"The main reason we set up The Jammers Fans Association is to try and get more fans in," Tony said.

"After our success in the FA Cup and how well we've done in the league, we've seen an increase in fans but now we want to capitalise on that and get even more through the gate.

"Maldon is quite a big area and we believe there are more fans we can attract, as well as working to offer a more pleasurable experience for our existing fans.

"It's still very early days but we'll be looking into other charity events and seeing how we can help the local community."

Ladbrokes, with the support of its owner Entain, has launched a multi-million pound investment programme, Pitching In, designed to support and promote grassroots sports. For more details see: https://entaingroup.com/sustainability/pitching-in/.