Why I'm Embarking on a New Adventure with Biggleswade United

I have always said it: I am a very lucky man. In more than 20 years writing and broadcasting about the sport I love, I have seen—and met—the greatest players on the biggest of stages on the grandest of occasions.

I saw Liverpool come back from 3-0 down to take the Champions League title against AC Milan in Istanbul, Spain lift the World Cup for the first time in Johannesburg and, most importantly, two Copa del Rey triumphs for the best team in Barcelona, which of course we all know is Espanyol.

I have presented events with both Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi and broken bread (well actually it was Jabugo ham and great red wine) with the wonderful David Beckham, but I don’t think I’ve ever felt more excited about anything, in the footballing sense, as I do about this coming weekend.

This Saturday, at the home of AFC Dunstable , my great friend and Revista de la Liga colleague, Quique de Lucas, will make his debut in a Biggleswade United shirt in the Premier division of the Spartan South Midlands League in the ninth tier of English football.

Quique retired last season after a long and distinguished career that saw him play at Espanyol—where he won a Copa del Rey—Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and a host of Spanish clubs before temporarily hanging up his boots.

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His return for Biggleswade United typifies what we are trying to build at the club. He will play and help the club both on and off the pitch and will do so for love, not for lucre.

For me, this is the latest step in the realisation of a dream. Saturday will be a very emotional day for me. In the words of Ian Holloway, “I’m bursting with pride.”

It was back in October that club chairman Chris Lewis wrote to me asking if I would like to get involved with the club. I was immediately impressed with his enthusiasm, his willingness to listen, his keenness to move forward. I was hooked.

Our project isn’t about money; it’s about people—people like Tracey James, who has worked as club secretary for the past 25 years plus. And it’s about the building of something wonderful, something meritorious, and building it from the bottom up.

And we’ll do it with hard work, with attention to detail and with the creation of the right mentality that will see this club go from strength to strength up the football league pyramid and into the hearts and minds and consciousness of the people in the local area.

We’ll do it by increasing our profile, by creating an Academy, by concentrating on training and by looking at bringing in not just young, burgeoning, local talent, but also good, established, skilled coaches to help bring them on. And we’ll do it with the aim of building a team that the local community can be proud of and will want to support.

Our budget isn’t huge and we are going to have to raise money to fund the building of our dream. There are various projects in the pipeline, not least the raffling of a signed shirt donated by Leo Messi and a fund raising night at the George on May 7.

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We have already started to spread the word, and Spanish coach Fran Constancio has already arrived at the club to help coaches Mick Reardon and his assistant Mark Royal not just with first team coaching, but also with the development of the Academy.

Our first signing from Spain—Quique apart—is already at the club. Hector Perez, who played in the fifth tier of Spanish football with one of Valencia’s feeder sides, has already signed up.

We have started to spread the word and will be looking at holding trials in April for kids and teenagers. It’s all hands to the pump; everyone can help. This is football in its purest sense with everyone from top to bottom looking to get involved and everyone putting in a shift at the coal face.

I firmly believe that there is a revolution taking place at this level of football. There is a growing interest in this level of the game and our attendances are increasing. Just like Barcelona, what we want to create is "more than a club," a community project that works to build not just football skills, but those life skills that go hand in hand with the learning of football.

At the moment I’m in Barcelona. When I finish writing this I’m going to meet up with Quique’s father to pick up his son’s favourite boots and bring them over for his debut.

Then on Saturday, I’m going to Dunstable. I can’t wait. See you there. 

Anyone who feels they can offer anything on the coaching side of things should contact me on my web site at [e-mail] or [e-mail].

More information about trials can be found at www.biggleswadeunited.com soon.