Roy Hodgson and Ray Lewington help level the playing field
Yesterday, just across the road from Paddington station, at Bondi Green restaurant, a near-capacity crowd attended Behind Every Kick's World Cup Breakfast with former England manager Roy Hodgson and assistant manager Ray Lewington. As well as raising funds to help us deliver our life-changing programme to more young people than ever before this season, the event also saw the premiere of Behind Every Kick's short film.
School21 student Abu — featured in the film — was on hand to explain to those in attendance how Behind Every Kick has helped him take his next steps in life. Abu has applied to Queen Mary University to study politics and sociology next year. In his heartfelt speech he joked that BEK's programme has "enabled me to stand up in front of this many people and talk to all of you here today".
The delicious breakfast that was dished up following the film and speeches went down all the better, given that those in attendance had set off double early, braving a tube strike to support Behind Every Kick. Roy and Ray then took to the stage, where they were interviewed by sports lawyer and author Daniel Geey. The duo were asked how they'd gotten their start in football management and how they'd created opportunities to progress in the game. They were tasked with giving the audience an insight into how man-management has changed over the five decades they've been coaching. They were also quizzed on the unique pressure of managing the England team at major tournaments. Following the interview, Roy and Ray opened up the discussion to the audience, answering lively questions about all aspects of modern football. The last question of the morning, however, was Abu’s. It was a cracker. "What's the best team talk you've ever given, and what made it so good?"
Following the interview and Q&A, Roy and Ray then chatted individually with the enthusiastic audience members, which was particularly kind of them on what was a busy morning for Roy. His next appointment was at the studios of Sky Sports News to discuss the imminent announcement of England's 2022 World Cup squad.
Behind Every Kick would like to thank Roy Hodgson and Ray Lewington for generously volunteering their time and event sponsor OakNorth Bank.