THE world’s first managerless football club is looking to sign south Essex’s best footballers.

United London have moved from Hackney Marshes to Romford as they look to climb up the football pyramid.

And the club are looking to sign up to 40 new players.

Club chairman Mark North said: “We wanted to take a club from the home of grassroots football, Hackney Marshes, up through the pyramid to semi-professional football and eventually into the Football League.

“We’ll play at the Frances Bardsley Academy in Gidea Park.

“We will use an FA approved 3G pitch, which will suit our free-flowing style of play.

“We want technical players at the club and have semi-professional players wanting to join so we needed to find a better pitch.

“We are moving to two teams next season so we need around 40 players.

“At the beginning of the season we held trials at Hackney Marshes and Barnet’s Hive, where we saw over 200 players from across London.

“We’re looking for the best players in Essex to come and get involved in a very unique football meets social media project that will be a lot of fun, but with the aim of winning things too.”

United London currently have 3,000 fans from across the world who vote on the starting XI each week, rather than the club installing a manager.

The new app, which will go live before the start of the 2017/18 campaign, will allow supporters to vote on substitutions and penalty takers from anywhere at anytime.

United London will prepare for their first match of the season on September 2 with pre-season friendlies against Arsenal Fan TV, Palmers FC, a Sky Sports XI and West Ham Fan TV.

North is confident of seeing United London climb the football pyramid after their move to Essex.

“We’re looking to take the club as far as we can up the football pyramid but with a focus on building an online fanbase, rather than a localised one,” added North.

“We already have fans from as far afield as the United States, Australia, Russia, South America and all across Europe as well.

“I would expect to build a fanbase of tens of thousands by the end of the season, with them all wanting to get involved and willing the club to go on and win things.”

>United London trials will be held at Frances Bardsley School, Gidea Park, from 12noon on Sunday May 14.

For more information, email recruitment@unitedlondonfc.com.