Stuart Pearce helps Grays celebrate the power of community

Stuart Pearce gave an Essex football club a night to remember as he pulled on his boots for the first time in 20 years to celebrate the impact of a community initiative.

The England legend, 64, took part in Grays Athletic’s Fitness and Football session, one of more than 200 projects across the country which have been supported by a grant from Pitching In’s Trident Community Foundation since its formation in 2020.

Participants in the session enjoyed a Q&A, which saw Pearce reflect on his glittering playing career, before the former Nottingham Forest, West Ham and Newcastle star took part in the hour-long football session, offering coaching tips to the group along the way.

“The togetherness of the group was brilliant, the session that was put on was really good,” Pearce said. You can see why people turn up here, everyone got something out of it and the camaraderie was clear to see. It was a really good night. 

We had 20 people here contributing and it has been going five years. I have talked to people about the importance of the funding and it cannot be underestimated how powerful it is to put on sessions like this for people in the community who need a bit of a lift and some help at times.

People don’t necessarily know each other when they first turn up but they form friendships, which is fantastic to see. It brings people out, improves mental and physical health, there are so many good things to come out of this.

The biggest thing is the friendliness of the group. People have made friends for life and that is what football is all about. That is what it has given me over the years.”

Grays’ Fitness and Football sessions were set up to tackle an obesity crisis in Thurrock and have helped improve the mental and physical health of dozens of local men.

Darren Bond, from Tilbury, said: “For a long time, it was the only exercise I had, so it has helped me lose weight, gain confidence and make a lot of new friends. Recently, I lost my job and this was the only thing that was getting me out the house. It is really good for my mental health and the friendship side of it is great. It keeps you fit and gets you out in the fresh air.”

Chay Appleyard, who also plays in the twice-weekly sessions, added: “Thurrock doesn’t have enough of this sort of thing, so the fact that Grays Athletic and us have been able to get a great bunch of lads together and make friendships is fantastic.

“We have a really good thing going here and it has been an absolute delight having Stuart Pearce joining in. It has been really wonderful to have an ex-England international here to show us the ropes.”

Grays have since successfully applied for another Trident Community Foundation grant, which will be focused on marketing their various youth, women’s and fitness-related community projects as they bid to keep a visible presence in the town. Their first team, who play in the Pitching In Isthmian League Division One North, groundshare with nearby Tilbury and are crowdfunding as they seek a return home.

Grays chairman Lee Vehit said: “The grant has allowed us to heavily subsidise the pitch hire and paid for all-new equipment, which has been fabulous. We are not a rich club by any stretch of the imagination so the funding has been invaluable in helping keep this programme alive and providing vital and valuable resources for people who may not otherwise get the opportunity to play football. There is fantastic camaraderie among the group and the grant has been really important for us.

“We were honoured to have Stuart with us. It was a lovely opportunity for people who have watched him play to have him around us and they will remember this for a long time.”

The Trident Community Foundation, established by Entain's award-winning Pitching In programme, has awarded over £700,000 in grants to support projects at Trident League clubs across the country. Find out more at https://www.entaingroup.com/sustainability-esg/social-impact/pitching-in/