National League Chair Nic Coward visits Southend United museum

Nic Coward visited the newly opened Southend United Museum at Roots Hall last week.

The National League's Chair was touring the site ahead of the Shrimpers' home fixture with Yeovil Town and met with volunteers behind the project.

Coward, who took up the role in July, was shown around by the team who built the museum, which opened last month and charts 120 years of Southend United history, from the club's earliest days through to the present.

During his visit, Coward was given a copy of The Southend United Pioneers, a recently published book telling the life stories of 20 men who helped establish and shape the club in its earliest years.

"I was told about the Southend United Museum and was really pleased to visit, the Museum is excellent," he said.

"The Pioneers book looks fascinating and I'm really looking forward to reading it."

The museum was created by volunteers working alongside Southend United, the Shrimpers Trust and the Southend United Ex-Players Association (SUEPA), preserving the club's history for future generations.

The Southend United Pioneers grew from the same drive to safeguard that history. Its 20 stories range well beyond football, taking in work, family, war and tragedy, and the lives of the people behind the club's founding in 1906.