“Because of the colour of your skin, you’ll have to work harder than anybody else to achieve what you want to in life”.
These words have stuck with me ever since they left my mother’s mouth, sometime during my childhood, and have certainly shaped my approach to education, work and sport.
It started with football…
Growing up I was obsessed with football and like many other kids, was desperate to be a professional footballer when I grew up. As that dream started to fade the older I got, I started to question what else I would do. I knew I wanted to work in sport having enjoyed a range of activities alongside football growing up. At first it was coaching, specifically football! I started coaching aged 20, beginning with the mini kickers session of Canterbury Eagles FC whilst I was studying sport and leisure management at Canterbury Christ Church University. I gained my FA Level 1 coaching qualification that same year. I was also volunteering in various roles for the University football club, including coaching and administration, which gave me an insight into running a club. This is where my desire to work in sport development really began. For some reason I really enjoyed the background organising process! In my final year of studying, an opportunity arose to be part of Kent FA’s first Youth Council, an opportunity I knew would help give me the insight and contacts I would need to push forward my ambition of a career in sport development.
My desire became a reality…
After graduating I landed a role at the University working in sport development leading on a Sport England funded project. I continued building my volunteering experiences, joining the Social Recreational Sport Board for BUCS, the national governing body for higher education sport. A few years later I started a masters in Sport Management at the University of East London which gave me some fantastic opportunities, including undertaking a consultancy project for Gillingham Football Club focused on fan and community engagement.
I eventually returned to Kent FA and was elected on to the full council and was co-opted on to the Kent FA Equality Advisory Group, a group which serves as a critical friend to the County FA advising, where necessary, on issues related to equality, diversity and inclusion in Kent football. This was whilst coaching Canterbury City U18s, undertaking my FA Level 2 coaching qualification and operating as team secretary for Canterbury City’s reserves – so a very busy few years whilst still working full time as Sport Development Manager at the University.
Back to the game I love…
Fast forward to today and I currently work as Facility & Investment Lead at Kent FA but have additional off the pitch responsibilities, this time in the form of my son who was born a little over a year ago. Becoming a parent is an amazing experience but a commitment that I initially thought would signal the end of my playing days, however a few weeks after the initial sleepless nights, I decided to set up New Dads United, a social football club which provides new dads with 11v11 matches on a monthly basis as an alternative to the traditional weekly fixtures of traditional football clubs, which is often more difficult for parents with young children to commit to.
The advice that I would give to others setting out on their journey in any area of sport is to take every opportunity that presents itself to you, as you never know what set of doors it will open. The advice my mum gave me about working harder than everyone else really has stuck, hence returning to University a third time and graduating 18 months ago with a second masters, this time in business administration for senior leaders.
“The learning never stops, whether in formal education environments or not and your ambition should continue to develop as you progress too.”
Thank you Aidan for sharing your story with us.