What our members say

Football for Govan Amateurs

By John Smith

I was at Renfield Street School when I discovered my love for football and played for the Govan Amateurs when I was 20. Alex Ferguson of Man United used to play with me. He went to Govan High School. The Amateurs were looking for new players all the time so I trained with them in the Pierce Institute. We had good spells and bad spells, we did our best.

It was a great time, a great place to meet the boys go on day trips and have a couple of pints. I could still see well enough, but I was profoundly deaf. The ref would wave a hankie for me because I couldn’t hear the whistle. There was no prejudice and no pity on the pitch. We were a bunch of men focussed on the same ball, the same goal.

I enjoyed my time with the Govan Amateurs. I was accepted. We all like to have fun and I had fun. Football kept me out of trouble, taught me to get the chip off my shoulder and do something properly. I played until I was 22 and got married and had a kid. Then I worked in the bakery and was too tired to get up and do the training.

Although I don’t play football any more, I live to win and do my best without being too bickery.. When prejudice is out of it, I am happy.

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