SCOUTING FOR BOYS-STEADY ON!

A short while ago I was at St George's Park (yes the home of the FA) attending a Talent ID conference, in short giving Football "scouts" a idea on how to do their job better i.e. identifying talent. We won't go into the abuse area, I am just concentrating on youngsters being good citizens, enjoying a healthy lifestyle and being introduced to the big outdoors, learning skills and the well you know all those you do like tying knots.

Bear Grylls is Chief Scout, no not a football man, he is very much part of the Scouting system that entertains thousands of boys and girls, beavers, wolf cubs, rovers, brownies, guides and rangers from 7 years old to 18. The Royal family gets involved of course, supporting a very worthwhile cause and Kate has been in town today helping celebrate the Wolf Cubs' birthday.

Where am I going with this? Well a hundred years ago on December 16th 1916, at Caxton hall, London, the Cubs were formed by Robert Baden-Powell. Anything to do with football yet? Nearly.

Baden-Powell was educated at Charterhouse as a 13 year old, from 1870 to 1876. He loved the outdoor life available to him at the school which was set on a sandstone ridge above Godalming in Surrey. He had acres of playing fields, shrubland and woods at his disposal, leading down to the River Wey, where he could indulge his wilderness interests.

He enjoyed sport, particularly football, which Charterhouse was good at and he became a goalkeeper, because he was not very good at the game. It was recorded that he used to entertain the spectators at matches by doing handstands and various gymnastics when the ball was down the other end of the pitch. He "took a very liberal view of the goalkeeper's function, his voice enabled him to direct the forwards at the other end of the ground and his agility enabled him to cheer the spectators with impromptu dances when he had nothing pressing to do".

You will be looking up Baden-Powell's life story by now and will have discovered that he earned a title as the "Defender of Mafekin" (1899-1900) which seems appropriate considering he was a goalkeeper. I am not going to go all historic on you but safe to say he was a war hero!

B-Powell is central in  this photo of the school cadet corps which of course he joined! He looks a bit like a "Brownlee" brother-cheeky smile.

He recognised in 1908, when he published "Scouting for Boys" an introduction to good citizenship, that "Football is a grand game for developing a lad physically and morally....." He also recognised the developing seedier side of the game as it grew in popularity and drew youngsters away from playing as they went to watch a few paid performers.........