David Green was chosen for The Football Association’s latest recruiting campaign called Football Needs You. It features people from ordinary walks of life who give their time to football in many ways. The campaign is hoping to inspire mechanics, teachers, accountants, DJs and everyone who loves football to take their first steps to becoming a grassroots coach or referee
David said, “The filming was great. We had fun all day. Stuart Pearce was down to earth and very approachable, as was Chris Foy. The other grassroots referees were Tracy Burnett from Exeter , a Prison officer, and Dave MacNamara, a Submariner from Preston.
It was eight years ago when David first blew his whistle. After 45 minutes of officiating his first local league match he knew he had found his niche, “At the end of my playing career I couldn’t just go home to the children and say I was an unused substitute. Refereeing gives me 90 full minutes every week, keeps me fit and ensures that I stay in football.”
In a bid to get people to stay in the game David teamed up with England Coach Stuart Pearce and 2010 FA Cup Final referee Chris Foy by taking cameo roles in The FA’s new ‘Football Needs’ cinema adverts. The ads take a light-hearted look at the unassuming characters at the forefront of the grassroots coaching and refereeing scene in a ‘Never Mind the Buzzocks’ style spoof. As well as being online at TheFA.com/FootballNeedsMe the adverts will also be aired in 220 cinemas for four weeks across the country reaching an estimated audience of one million viewers
Dawn Aberdeen, County Administration Manager/Acting County Secretary at Cornwall FA said, “We are delighted for Dave. He is just one of more than 250 referees in the county who officiate at games at all levels. Referees are a fundamental part of the game and we would encourage people to come forward to become match officials and also encourage clubs and players to recognise the contribution referees make to football in Cornwall every week.”
The ambitious target for the inspirational new Football Needs’ campaign is to encourage 50,000 new Level I coaches by 2011 and 8,000 new referees by 2012. As part of the campaign, former England defender Martin Keown has had a go at refereeing a match. His experiences can be seen on FA TV .
Stuart Pearce said: “The really rewarding thing about being a coach is watching that improvement in players, coaching them during the week and seeing them put the skills they have learnt into practise during a game on any given Saturday. I would encourage anyone with a passion for football to discover how rewarding coaching can be.”
Chris Foy, who visited Cornwall in 2009, is excited by the unveiling of The FA’s first ever advertising creative focused on encouraging those who enjoy the game to get into refereeing. He said: “Having joined the police force at 21 refereeing provided me with a great opportunity to stay in the game that I love while at the same time pursuing my professional career. It doesn’t matter if you’re refereeing at Old Trafford, Anfield or Stamford Bridge the same fundamentals and enjoyment of refereeing apply whatever the level.”
Sports Minister Hugh Robertson said: “Millions of us spend hours of our lives watching football, talking about football and analysing matches. ‘Football Needs’ is a chance to put that knowledge and passion into practice and give something back.
Becoming a coach or referee is a rewarding experience. We need more good coaches to inspire and develop young players, giving them the skills and confidence to play football regularly and striving to be the best they can be. I wish The FA the best of luck with this excellent campaign.”
The FA’s ‘Football Needs’ campaign forms part of the National Game strategy, a £200m pound investment in grassroots football. The Get Into Coaching objectives are supported by McDonalds and the Get Into Refereeing campaign runs in association with Carlsberg.
David also featured in a penalty shooting competition at Wembley. But did he score? Please see the film through the link on the right for the answer.