The honour's all ours

Rushall Olympic's Vice Chairman Nick Allen has called winning January's Jungledrum Fair Play Award a 'tremendous accolade'.

The Pics official hailed their latest award after the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League's best behaved Premier Division side in the opening month of 2013 was honoured on a five star Saturday at Dales Lane.

Jungledrum's David Lunn and Evo-Stik NPL Representative John Beaumont are pictured handing over the honour to Allen and Pics manager Neil Kitching. Kitching then collected his own personal accolade as January's Evo-Stik NPL Premier Division Manager of the Month before a day of celebrations ended with a 5-2 triumph over Blyth Spartans to keep up their charge for a play-off spot.

Allen was delighted with events and said: "We see this as a tremendous accolade for Rushall Olympic Football Club. It reflects our reputation as a club and I think it also shows that we instil good habits on the park as well. You have to have good discipline and we are delighted to continue the good name of the club and also maintaining the high standards of the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League."

Like Burscough and Brigg Town, who won January's Jungledrum First Division North and South accolades respectively, Rushall received an inscribed Jungledrum commemorative certificate and a 1.5 litre bottle of Famous Grouse Whiskey courtesy of the sponsors.

Each month the league's best behaved sides are chosen after a totting up of red and yellow cards divided by the number of Evo-Stik NPL fixtures they'd played. Where clubs are tied on points, marks awarded by referees over the month for Technical Area behaviour are taken into account.

The Evo-Stik Northern Premier League Respect Manager Phil Bradley said Rushall Olympic were right to feel proud of their accolade when January's winners were announced.

He said: "It is great from my perspective as the League's Respect Manager to see Rushall Olympic pick up January's Jungledrum Fair Play for the club will be the first to acknowledge that they have not always been amongst the best discipline wise.

"However, the club officials and particularly Secretary Pete Athersmith, have committed a great deal of time and effort in to making improvements and by their sheer persistence have made a big difference to their record on cards. I am delighted they have something to show for their efforts."

Competition for the Jungledrum Fair Play Awards isn't limited to monthly honours. Come the end of the season all three overall divisional winners will receive a cheque for £1000 courtesy of the sponsors Jungledrum with the runners-up receiving £500 and the third place clubs £250.

As part of the Evo-Stik NPL's Respect Programme, £4000 in prize money is also available to clubs whose players back the Football Association’s ongoing campaign by cutting out cautions for dissent. In the last three years the Evo-Stik NPL has won the FA's overall award twice and last year were runner's up after driving down cautions for dissent by double digit percentage points season on season.

Marketing and advertising specialists Jungledrum harness their online expertise to open new income streams for the league's clubs while securing fans money saving deals. The Jungledrum Fair Play Tables are available throughout the season via a hyperlinked logo on the league's official site.

Jungledrum's Lloyd Bantleman said: "Jungledrum is delighted to be associated with the Jungledrum Fair Play award as integrity and fair plays lies at the heart of our business ethos. We are working with clubs across the league to help them develop a measurable income stream that gives their business supporters a fair return on investment with the club."

For more information on Jungledrum and the work they are doing to open new and no risk income streams for Evo-Stik NPL clubs visit: jungledrumdeals.co.uk