The founder and driving force behind Oxhey Jets FC has described being recognised in the Queen’s birthday honours list “as the biggest excitement I’ve ever had”.

John Elliott, of Brampton Road, South Oxhey, has been awarded the British Empire Medal “for services to young people and the community in South Oxhey, Hertfordshire”.

The 58-year-old, who was born in South Oxhey and has lived there his whole life, formed Oxhey Jets in 1972 from an existing Boys Brigade team so a group of Under-12s had the opportunity to play competitive football.

Since those South West Herts Youth League days, Jets have continued to grow and now operate a number of sides from their Altham Way home, Boundary Stadium, ranging from the first team, which achieved a highest-ever placing of third in the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division last season, down to their academy and youth sides.

Thousands of local people have been involved with the club or benefited from the support and services that Mr Elliott and Jets have provided over the past 41 years to the extent that many South Oxhey families have generations of Jets running through them.

Throughout this time, his philosophy has always been that Jets should be ‘more than a football club’ in South Oxhey and play a key role in the the community, providing help and support whenever possible.

A delighted Mr Elliott said: “I was really surprised and excited to hear the news that I had been awarded the British Empire Medal in the Birthday honours list. It is a real honour for me but I also want to thank everyone who, over the years, has been involved with Oxhey Jets and made their contribution to what we have achieved here in South Oxhey."

In addition, he told the Watford Observer: “I can honestly say it [learning of the honour] was the biggest excitement I’ve ever had, I can honestly say that on an individual basis. Everything that’s always meant a lot to me is Jets stuff, obviously everyone knows that, I love winning the stuff with Jets. But anything like that has never felt that personal but this one does. I must admit it’s been brilliant.”

A former photo training specialist with Kodak and Fellow of the British Institute of Professional Photography who once led a 3-D photo shoot in the Netherlands with the late pop star Michael Jackson, Mr Elliott has known about receiving the British Empire Medal for the past eight weeks and admitted keeping it a secret has been very difficult.

He laughed: “It’s been awful, it’s been absolutely awful. I’ve even kept it from my own family because I didn’t trust them.

“We were going on the River Thames for a [Jets] presentation last Friday and I just didn’t trust them to be going past the Houses of Parliament with that knowledge after a few bottles of wine. I thought I’d better not tell them until after the boat trip.”

The story of how Jets came into being is one he also recalls with humour and affection.

“I was only going to do it for one year, the plan was one season,” Mr Elliott said of the club he founded. “I’d been in the Boys Brigade myself but I got in a bit of trouble, that’s how Jets started because there were so many kids up at the church and it was in the days when you couldn’t have Sunday football and a couple of our lads, who are still involved with the club, met the vicar down at the local shops. He said ‘hello, you weren’t at church this week’ and instead of just saying ‘I wasn’t well’ or something, one said ‘it wasn’t my turn on John’s rota’.

“I got hauled into the office about having a rota that they only had to go to church one week in four and I said ‘okay, I’ll just pack up and go and start a football team’. I went round to the local pub, The Jet, they bought us the first kit and that was it...one season it was meant to be.”Watford Observer:

From those somewhat unconventional beginnings was born a club which also clinched a cup double last season after following up a successful defence of the Herts FA Charity Shield by winning the Spartan Floodlit Cup. It capped a memorable 40th anniversary year for the club in which the Reserves also won the South Midlands Reserve Division One title.

Jets’ development has also seen them eligible to enter the FA Cup since 2004/05, their most successful years coming in 2006/07 and 20011/12 when they progressed through three rounds before losing to AFC Wimbledon and Hendon respectively.

As well as being the club's owner and general manager, Mr Elliott's variety of roles also include being matchday photographer and first-aider and his long-standing contribution to the sport has been recognised by the wider football community; in 2009 he received the Herts FA’s Administrator of the Year Award and last year the county association presented him with a special long service award in recognition of his 40-year involvement with the game.

But arguably his biggest achievement is that all this has been possible without any major funding or support to achieve his goals.

Together with some invaluable volunteer backing, Mr Elliott has received the ongoing assistance of Three Rivers District and Watford Rural Parish Council and the goodwill of individuals and business people to help as and when they can.

Even with these contributions though, Jets would not be what they are today without Mr Elliott’s determination and willpower. But while he is proud of what he has built up, he intends to ensure the club continues to progress.

“I think that’s been the best kick of the lot, seeing it move on,” Mr Elliott reflected. “I don’t think there’s any point in sitting still. I don’t think there’s any point in just playing to be there. If you don’t want to better it, it’s really not worth doing it.

"So even now we’re still working, trying to get bits done to look to be able to move on and that stops it being boring. Otherwise, it’s 'here we go again', another season.”

Mr Elliott will receive his British Empire Medal at a local ceremony on a date to be decided.