Sir Bobby’s legacy will live on in football base
CLUB NAMES NEW LOUNGE AFTER LEGENDARY MANAGER
A COMMUNITY football club is hoping to hand Sir Bobby Robson’s legacy on to a new generation by naming its new base after the legendary manager.
Inspirational quotations and a painting of the late Newcastle United manager adorn the walls of Newcastle Blue Star’s new clubhouse, in Scotswood, which it is hoped will become a safe haven and welcoming hub for youngsters from the area.
And this week, Sir Bobby’s widow, Lady Elsie Robson, officially opened the venue, which had been named the Sir Bobby Robson lounge.
Club chairman Steve Best, who has helped save the club from closure due to funding cuts, said the clubhouse would form a vital part of the community.
He told The Chronicle: “This area is where I was born. I have been to 11 funerals for kids I went to school with. I want this club to give kids an opportunity to take a different path. I think we are just as important as school. If the kids aren’t academic they need this.
“We don’t always know what’s going on at home, but this is a safe place where they can come. When they come here on a Saturday they become like your own child.”
A mural of Sir Bobby’s face looks over the bar area of the clubhouse, and the ‘11 commandments’ he famously used to motivate players are written at various points around the room.
Steve said he wanted to instil Sir Bobby’s values of dignity and respect, in the young players, and make sure those too young to remember understand his
legacy.
“Sir Bobby stood for everything I believe in,” he said. “Some of the kids might not have heard of him, but we make sure they understand what he stood for. To have Lady Elsie here has been quite emotional.”
Another guest at the clubhouse opening was Sir Bobby’s close friend, and former Newcastle United player, Charlie Woods- who was youth team coach at Ipswich Town while Sir Bobby was manager.
And he said his pal would have been delighted with the work Blue Star was doing to encourage young players.
“He would have been absolutely delighted to see what you have got here,” he told the audience. “He loved young players. It is special this is. We all started at this age, Bobby would have loved the idea of this. He loved Newcastle United and he loved the area, they were his first loves.”
Steve became tearful as he addressed the audience saying how important the club was to Scotswood’s youngsters.
“Creating something like this is vitally important,” he said. “Being born in this area and understanding right roads and wrong roads, to create a hub for the kids is first and foremost for me. The area is what it is. The kids are shortchanged enough in life being from this area. Given them something good was always going to happen.
“I think we are teaching them right. Bobby’s 11 commandments is massive for them to understand. Teaching them respect and honesty is relevant whether you are a sportsman or not.”
The opening came after a difficult few months for Newcastle Blue Star, which was left £30,000 out of pocket following after a fire destroyed goals, nets and equipment, in September.