FARHAD
MOSHIRI once described the north west of England as the new Hollywood of
football.
But for all
the star names arriving at his own little part of it on the banks of the royal
blue Mersey, there are those that glimmer away from the limelight, but no less
brightly.
Which is
why today’s news about Seamus Coleman got me thinking about all the other
unsung heroes to help make clubs like Everton special.
Many
scoffed when David Moyes christened the Toffees the People’s Club. Lately
though, it really has seemed that way.
Whether it’s
the players sleeping rough at Goodison to help the homeless or the teachers and
coaches working wonders with the 120 special needs kids at the Everton Free
School, or any of the people who do such good work for club’s much-lauded
Community scheme, it’s been hard to escape recently.
Not so long
ago Crystal Palace revamped their Foundation, which aims to help disadvantaged
local kids away from crime or deprivation, and find a better path in life.
This is
what their chairman Steve Parish told the media who attended the relaunch,
which showcased some of the great work they’ve done to transform lives.
Parish said:
“It’s incredible how, when
you put a football club badge on someone or something it engages kids.
“Everton
have a school they have part-funded and since they have got involved the school
has had better engagement from the kids and remarkably better engagement from
the parents.
“Players
and clubs are such a focal point for communities. You only have to see the
Primary Stars videos.
“There
is one bit about a kid who loves football but has been a bit of a bad lad in
his time, so to engage him in education, every time he scores a goal in a game
he does not get credited with it until he has solved a maths question. It’s
clever stuff they are doing.”
We
hadn’t asked him about Everton. He brought the club up himself as an example for
Palace to follow.
He
didn’t stop there either. His dream is seeing a Palace team full of local boys
who have come through the Academy, maybe even been helped by his Foundation.
Guess who he used as an example to follow? Yep, Everton.
Ronald
Koeman certainly gave plenty of young players a chance last season, and Parish
said: “Any manager who has got half a brain will know nothing excites the fans
more than a local kid. Look at Everton with Tom Davies – what a player he
looks.”
Sam
Allardyce was sitting next to him at the time, and didn’t seem quite as sure. A
few weeks later he was gone.
Some
fear those youngsters may find opportunities harder to come by this season when
Farhad Moshiri’s spending spree finally comes to an end. Not David Unsworth
though. Speaking at the launch of the Checkatrade Trophy recently, he insisted
it would just force them to improve.
“It will raise the bar,” he said. “And that’s great. It’s a challenge for
the young players to be better than they already are. They know now they’ve got
to be even better.”
Even
Sir Geoff Hurst, who was doing a round of interviews this week to promote
grassroots heroes in football, spent time talking about Everton.
He
said: “I’m aware of the good things they do in the community. Not enough is
done to publicise what clubs like Everton do. I’ve heard about some of the work
they do, and it’s admirable.”
But
maybe Norman Whiteside, interviewed for a recent article by foreign media, put
it best. He said: “Everton are firmly involved with salt of the earth type of
people. They care and they don’t let anyone get too big for their boots.
They’ve started a free school and they help disadvantaged people, but I hear
stories which never get any publicity. Once a month, they take any former
Everton players who are in care homes to the beach and buy them fish and chips
and an ice cream."
So
well done to Seamus Coleman for getting 23 cyclists from Sligo to their £60,000
fundraising target for Everton in the Community's
homeless project, 'Home Is Where The Heart Is'.
And well done to all those people at Everton who go under
the radar but help to make the club what it is. Your contribution counts.
ends
