GRASSROOTS football will always hold a special place in Robbie Savage’s heart.
It was the place where friendships were founded, where he got the chance to live out his childhood dream of playing on Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground, where he was spotted as a 13-year-old by Manchester United.
And where a powerful bond was forged with his father that only grew in significance after he died at a young age.
Robbie was playing for his first grassroots side Llay United when his North Wales village of Bradley decided to start an under-14 boys’ team, and asked Colin Savage to run it.
“I used to get up of a cold Saturday morning with him and do all the mucky jobs like putting the goalposts up. Our home ground was the nearby pitch we had kickabouts on, and we’d walk there.
“I saw him be the manager, the referee, get abused by parents, even get punched in the face,” said the former Welsh international turned columnist and broadcaster.
“It would have been even worse if I hadn’t happened to be the best player in the team as he’d have got all sorts of stick for picking me. But he took it all in his stride because he loved it.
“That grassroots experience led to us having such a strong relationship and he followed my progress all the way up to the professional game.”
Because Colin was struck down with Pick’s Disease, a form of Alzheimer’s at 58, and died aged 63, Robbie treasures those memories of his precious time with his dad and mentor.
It also made him determined to replicate the father/son footballing relationship with his own boys.
His eldest son Charlie has just signed professional forms with Manchester United, but when his youngest, Freddie, needed a game Robbie stepped up to the plate and now manages an under-15s side in Macclesfield.
“I’ve turned into my dad, basically. I’m out there putting the Respect barriers up, refereeing games and taking the abuse but, like him, I absolutely love it,” said the 46-year-old who captained four Premier League clubs in a 15-year playing career.
“It means so much to the kids mentally and physically and also for the volunteers. I can see how much it means when the games are called off because the pitches were too hard or waterlogged. Everyone’s gutted.
“Like me, when I was young, today’s kids just want to play football. Seeing that raw passion for the game has made me realise how lucky I was to make a career out of it.
“Every professional player should never forget that no matter how successful they’ve become we all started at the same grassroots level whether it’s in the park, the street or the school team.”
Savage enjoyed a highly successful professional career playing 623 games, and scoring 41 goals, for Crewe Alexander, Leicester City, Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers, Derby County and Brighton & Hove Albion.
He also represented Wales 39 times, scoring twice.
But the match he will never forget is the one he played in for his dad’s side that resulted in him being offered the chance to join Manchester United.
“We were playing in a semi-final near Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground and the winning side would get to play there, so it was a massive game. We won 1-0 and I scored a 30-yarder,” he said.
It’s at this point in the story that readers won’t be surprised to learn Robbie’s mum, Val, played an entertaining part.
“Our back garden would always have kits hanging off the line because my mum volunteered to wash them all.
“After the game, as she was coming out of the building with the kitbag, Manchester United’s scout Huw Roberts asked her if she’d go and hand his card to the team manager as he liked the look of one of the players.
“Mum said ‘oh I haven’t got time for this, I’ve got to put the kit away. Look at the state of it.’ As we were driving home in my dad’s brown Cortina she suddenly said: “oh this old fella came up to me after the game and gave me this card.
“Well, when we saw whose name was on it you can imagine the scenes in the car. My dad was going “Valerie, why didn’t you tell me then, so I could have spoken to him.” And I was crying in the back going ‘mum, why didn’t you tell us?’”
Anyone who has watched kids football over the decades will notice an escalation in aggression from parents on the touchline. It’s something Savage has seen and regrets.
“My mum and dad weren’t bothered whether I became a professional footballer or not, they just wanted me to have fun with no pressure. Whereas now, as a grassroots manager, I can see how it’s changed. The irate parents have always been there but today there’s more of a desperate need for their son to be a footballer.”
But he believes the mental health benefits for youngsters far outweigh the pressure from pushy parents. When grassroots football resumed last December he compared the boost to mental welfare of getting among friends again and having competitive exercise to releasing the valve on a whistling kettle.
“Grassroots football is such a great platform to make kids get fit and believe in themselves. I’ve created an under-15s team in which everyone has something to prove as they’ve all been released from the academy system at a young age. I drive them on by telling them it’s never too late to achieve your goal and point out players like Jamie Vardy,” he says.
More than 11 million people play football in England. Of those 3.35million are children, aged 5-15. Boys make up 2.49 million of those and girls a further 860,000. Of children aged 5 to 10, roughly 31 per cent play football at least on a monthly basis, which is only surpassed by swimming.
“You can’t beat the feeling of pulling on your matchday kit as a kid in the changing room with your mates, looking forward to the game. It’s a phenomenal memory. I can remember all my early kits,” said Robbie.
“At school it was an all-blue adidas one, at Llay United it was a yellow Bukta top with blue shorts and blue socks and when I played for my dad it was a purple and grey Umbro one. I loved them, even though every shirt was about four sizes too big.”
But he admits not all families can afford to contribute towards paying for team kits, especially at today’s prices, so anything that helps such as this scheme is a massive help.
“Supporting grassroots football is a great cause. You’re bringing communities together, creating unforgettable memories and developing personal skills that kids will take into their adult lives.”
And forging precious bonds, like the one between Robbie and his dad, that lasts a lifetime and gets passed down to future generations.
Get FREE kits for your local grassroots football team. Here's how to register!
My youth team plays in one of the Manchester leagues and I’ve seen the passion there first-hand. It’s a hotbed of football. So many players are produced in that region. My dream was to play for United. It didn’t happen but the next best thing was going back there as a professional and winning. You can see all the pitches in the Manchester region with kids dreaming of playing at Old Trafford or the Etihad the way I did at Wrexham.
This is your chance to get your hands on a brand new set of Umbro football strips for your youth or school team as we launch the Manchester Evening News Kit for Kids in association with Utilita.
We have 50 sets of team kits to give away. All you need to do is register your team, following details in Saturday’s paper.
Registration opens on Saturday, May 8 until Friday, May 21, 2021.
Once registration closes we will pick 50 teams at random and we will email you to let you know if you’ve been successful.
If you are one of the lucky teams you will be sent an email with information to help you get your free kits.
You will need to collect 600 tokens for a set of 10 strips or 900 tokens for a set of 16 strips. You’ll find tokens every day in the Manchester Evening News for four weeks starting on June 5, 2021.
It’s really easy. The more people you get involved, the easier it is to reach your token target. So make sure you tell your friends and family to collect the tokens on your behalf too!
TERMS & CONDITIONS
All clubs registering for the promotion must comply with the terms and conditions set by the Manchester Evening News.
Only youth football teams and school teams in the UK are eligible to participate. Football team members must be between seven and 21 years old.
Participation will be limited to 50 teams. Team must register for the promotion on Manchestereveningnews.co.uk. Teams will be informed on successful registration by email.
You can register one team per club.
The teams chosen to take part in the promotion will be selected at random from all the applications.
For full terms and conditions, see Saturday’s M.E.N.
