CAIRNS FC COACH: BECKS AND ME
TINY details make all the difference in world football as Cairns FC coach Danny Graystone knows all too well after finding the wrong side of former England captain David Beckham.
The new coach was once a club consultant for football manufacturer Mitre, a role that included regular contact with the freekick maestro through a sponsorship of the national team.
But in 2001, Graystone discovered just how important a humble football can be when Beckham shunned the company’s new product ahead of England’s final qualifier for the 2002 World Cup.
“I used to have David Beckham’s mobile number because he was captain of the England team at the time and this is how important balls are in international football,” Graystone told the Cairns Post.
“We actually did a brand new ball launch and some bright spark decided to launch it at one of England’s most important World Cup qualifiers in Greece when David Beckham scored that goal from the freekick.
“But Beckham (before the game) turned around and they refused to play with it that game, which cost the company 20 million quid because they got all their biggest clients to the game to see the launch of this brand new ball, but they turned around and said no because it didn’t feel quite like the old one.
“They ended up using the ball they normally trained with and of course David Beckham scored that wonderful goal from the freekick near the end that took England through to the World Cup. It just goes to show those little tiny details can make a lot of difference when you get to that top level.”