West Ham United great Sir Trevor Brooking has unveiled a new sports pavilion named in honour of legendary manager John Lyall.
The former England midfielder greeted a crowd of more than 500 people at the opening of Lawford Football Club's John Lyall Pavilion.
The £513,000 facility in the north Essex village will be used by leading local clubs Lawford Lads and Lawford Juniors.
Sir Trevor said it was important for the community to continue to support the clubs.
He said: "A facility like this will be great for the surrounding communities and they can offer fundraising events and functions here.
"It is good to see a club that wants to expand, but obviously with that there is a cost.
"In the long-run it will rely on support and volunteers and it is great to see so many faces turn out today."
"On a sunny day, it might not seem obvious, but the players will be thankful for it in January in the cold and rain."
The pavilion has changing rooms with showers, a changing room for officials, improved disabled facilities, a bar and function room, kitchen and kit storage lockers.
A memorial section has the names of sponsors, patrons and community figures etched into the brickwork.
Prior to opening the pavilion, Sir Trevor gave a speech in which he recalled his playing career and that of Lyall - the 1980 FA Cup-winning manager who also took charge at nearby Ipswich Town later in his career.
He then drew the curtain to reveal a plaque dedicated to his former boss, who died in 2006.
John Duchars, chairman at Lawford Juniors, and Andy Rudd, chairman of Lawford Lads, also gave speeches in which they thanked the sponsors and volunteers who have brought the project to fruition.
The project has been a result of work from Lawford Parish Council, Tendring Council, the Essex Football Association, the Football Foundation and volunteers.