United giving back to the game

By Patrick Hart

As a former Manchester United FC reserve goalkeeper and lifelong supporter of the club, David Ryan has seen many things in his time at Old Trafford - including relegation in the 1970s. Those dark days, however, are light years away from United's present status as arguably the best supported, if not the richest club in the world.

Crucial work
Which is why Ryan's work as United's Football in the Community officer is crucial to maintaining the club's grass roots in the Manchester area. From his base at the Cliff training ground in Salford, Ryan oversees a project that employs 20 full-time staff and which aims to "give something back" to the local people.

Strength to strength
The Cliff setting offers a clue to the success of a scheme which began the year Sir Alex Ferguson arrived at Old Trafford as manager. Just as United have subsequently snowballed into a sporting superpower, so the Football in the Community project has gone from strength to strength. So when Ferguson recently moved his squad to a new training centre at Carrington, the old complex was given over entirely to Ryan and his team.

Every club
"The project was started by the Professional Footballers' Association in 1986 after the Heysel disaster, when football was at a low ebb," Ryan explained. "The ruling bodies felt it was time the clubs put something back into the local communities, so they selected six clubs and we were one. It has moved on from there and 17 years on, every professional club in the country has a football in the community scheme.

School visits
"It was targeted at getting more people involved with their local football club. They wanted to get to the communities around the stadiums." United's community comprises the local boroughs of Salford, Trafford and Manchester - "a lot of youngsters in this local area won't get to see United play so it is nice to keep a connection with them" - and school visits form the "mainstay" of the work.

Anti-drugs and anti-racism
Ryan's coaches, all of whom have at least a UEFA B licence, go into 40 schools a week, coaching, tutoring teachers, giving classroom sessions and delivering anti-drugs and anti-racism messages. They also offer training courses to teachers.

Enjoying football
Nor are these the only benefits for schoolchildren. There are primary school tournaments for boys, girls and mixed groups, with finals held at Old Trafford. Holiday soccer schools take place across the north-west of England for children aged six to 16, with the emphasis on "enjoying football games, skills tests and mini-competitions".

Homework club
Meanwhile, a homework club operates at Old Trafford, involving a qualified teacher and education officer. This is a joint government/Premiership initiative, and selects children aged eleven to 16 with learning or truancy problems. Another activity is Goalball, a sport for young blind footballers designed at the Cliff in co-operation with associations for the blind. The Cliff is also home to United's 120 female players incorporating Under-10, U12, U14, U16, reserve and first-team squads.

Development centres
Perhaps of greatest interest to Ferguson are the development centres in towns around the north-west for boys at U8 and U9 levels. These act as a feeder to the club's academy for players aged between nine and 16. Academies have been going for six years and registered academy players with professional clubs cannot play for school teams without special dispensation under English Football Association rules.

Enjoyment and participation
So what is the benefit for United? "From the number of youngsters we deal with, we are able to attract the odd exceptionally talented player - but that isn't the remit of the scheme," said Ryan. "It is more about enjoyment and participation. And like most major companies, it is good publicity to show you have an interest. People say United don't need to attract fans, but they're missing the point. What we're doing is putting something back."