Sport is a great way to make friends, build discipline, raise standards and develop a competitive streak which will help achieve results not just in sport but life in general!
Having played football since the early 90s, I know exactly how being part of a team has created the adult I am and I’m a huge advocate of the various benefits of competing in sport. Up until I found football (or maybe it found me), I was a timid boy with a very small circle of friends and I was most definitely not in the cool gang! That’s not to say that I was unhappy nor that it’s bad to not be in the cool gang (many would quite rightly argue it’s better to stay away from ‘those’ kids) – I can only give you my perspective based on my own experience.
Whilst I didn’t have a clue at the time, the day that I was forced to make up the numbers at play time because a regular wasn’t there turned out to be one of the most important days of my life to date! I turned out to not be bad at kicking the ball around and, from that day on, football has been a massive part of my life. Within a very small period of time, I transformed from a meek boy into the social butterfly I’ve been ever since. Playing football has given me confidence, taught me about leadership, enhanced my communication skills, enabled me to cope with losing, tempered my ego and embedded a lifelong competitive streak and drive to achieve.
So, it’s not surprising that I’m very passionate about supporting grass roots sports (not just football) and doing what I can to help. I don’t have the space and free time at this stage of my life to get involved in coaching youth football – lots of my friends do and I’m full of admiration for the sacrifices they make to their own lives so as to provide an opportunity to local children. One of my friends in particular seems to do nothing else but run and coach various youth teams and that friend is the hero behind this blog.
Andonis Zacharia (Donnie) has been a very close friend of mine since we were teenagers. He’s been married for almost a decade, has 3 beautiful children (2 boys, 15 & 11 and a 19yr old daughter) and works full time for the Ambulance service. For plenty of people, that’s more than enough to contend with in life but not Donnie! He also runs and coaches 3 youth teams which is mind bloggling to try and understand how he finds the time to balance it all. One of the teams he’s involved with is our local school district Y7 side, Canterbury & St Augustines. Growing up, I played for the same district side and I remember feeling so proud when someone from the admin team would disturb a class to hand me a fax sheet which I, and everyone else in that room, knew was notification of me being selected for the next game….major kudos for me 😁
Both of Donnie’s sons are good little players and both play for the district which was always going to lead to Donnie being involved at some point and that started this season. By all accounts, the team was in danger of folding due to a lack of funding and volunteers so Super Don was drafted in and, naturally, he asked his network who could help in anyway which dear reader, and I thank you for your patience in reading this so far, brings us to the point of this blog….
I’ve felt the shame and embarrassment of playing in an old and ill-fitting kit (my whole school football career was spent playing in a rugby kit!) so know how important it is to a positive mindset to be playing in a decent kit which is why Dremur bought the team a new one! As you’ll see from the picture, the majority of the boys look really happy – it’s only one of my sons and the keeper who don’t seem too pleased 🤣🤣 Without being billy big balls about it, the cost is insignificant when put into context of how a new kit helps in building a successful team of young athletes who, whilst they don’t know it, are developing skills and mindsets that, if honed and used in the right ways, can play a significant part in each achieving their version of success in life.
Dremur supporting dreamers to achieve their dreams.
