DIER: HOW GRASSROOTS TEACHES LIFE LESSONS

TOTTENHAM and England star Eric Dier believes he has learned many of his most valuable life lessons through sport, which is one of the reasons he has recently lent his support to grassroots projects. Last month Dier, 26, was announced as an ambassador for Sported, an organisation that aims to lend support, advice and expertise to community groups across the country. Dier told Sportsmail: ‘Sport has so much to give and I have benefited from that. Some of the things I have learned from football that actually relate to life and not just sport I would never have got anywhere else. ‘So I want kids to feel that. I had been trying for a while to think who I wanted to work with and how to go about it. It’s very important to me. I spent a lot of time trying to find the right fit and I think Sported is perfect. ‘They are providing help for the people who are helping young people all over the country. They can get overlooked and to support those people and to give them the platform to be sustainable by themselves is important.’ Dier’s mum Louise is also involved with Sported and the central defender (below) said: ‘She has been involved for a while and I trust my mum’s opinion! For me, it was really important to do something with sport and kids. I can go to groups all over London and hopefully across England and spend time with them. I don’t want to be doing something that was name-only. I want to spend a lot of time as that’s the most important thing I can give. I want to go there and enjoy the kids’ company and hopefully they can enjoy mine.’