Walton & Hersham FC are delighted to announce that club captain Joey Jones has signed a contract extension, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2026/27 season.

Joey first joined us ahead of the 2024/25 campaign and made an instant impact as he was named club captain. He led us to a third-place finish in the Southern League Premier South and our first Surrey Senior Cup title win in over 50 years.

He remained with us for this season, retaining the armband and continuing to be a crucial part of Billy Rowley’s setup. Since joining the club, he has made 63 appearances.

Along with being a key member of our first team, Joey also coaches in our academy, offering our youth sides his knowledge of the game, having played in the Football League and National League for much of his career.

On committing his future to the club, Joey said: “I am delighted to sign a contract and commit to the club. Since I joined last summer I have enjoyed every minute of being here and I am very grateful to Calog, Chris, Bill, Daz and all the fans for creating that environment.”

Acknowledging his role as captain and also his local links to the club, he continued: “Firstly it is a real honour to be captain. It really does feel like home now for me.

“As you mentioned, I am local and this helps me embrace the community in Walton. I have got to know some of the fans and their families well and they have played a big part in why it feels so special to me.

“I value community, relationships, honesty and integrity above all things. It’s really important for me that I can feel these things in where I work and lead and this club, feels to me, it values those things to.

“In terms of what I think I can offer; I try to use some experience to help create a winning environment, I will continue to work hard for the team on the pitch and god willing, we can achieve our goals come the end of the season.”

He also touched on his position within our academy setup and said: “One of the reasons I initially joined Walton was because of the platform it gave me to coach. After finishing my A Licence last summer, I had one eye on what I would like to do when I stop playing.

“I am really passionate about football, my ideas of how it should be played and also developing teams and environments to succeed. The Under-18s are enjoying good success this season in the FA Youth Cup and there are some really good talents across all our U-18s sides.

“I want to try to help the club develop these boys into strong, healthy young men and install in them good habits to push themselves to reach their highest potential in football. I am excited for the present and the future at Walton.”

Joey demonstrated how grateful he was to those who work at the club, saying: “Lastly, I just want to say a thank you to everyone that makes it possible to run a football club, from Calog and Chris to the volunteers and especially the fans.

“They are the heartbeat of any club and we as players value your continued support. It goes a long way on the pitch, when you are getting behind us and when you are showing up in numbers to both home and away games. See you all on Saturday.”

Co-owner Calogero Scannella said: “From the first meeting with Joey we spoke about football and the community it can create. People as invested as Joey are key for this club’s growth and the influence within the local area.

“Not only is this a huge achievement on the pitch for the first team but for the overall outlook of the club as we look to continue developing and building our academy setup.”

Everyone at the club is delighted to see Joey commit his future to the Swans and we look forward to seeing him continue representing us for the foreseeable future.