FOR ALL the things Everton F.C. don’t get quite right*, there are an awful lot of things we do.
With a nod to The Bear who raised this topic on WSAG, I’m talking about our impressive investment in football in the community.
It’s not the sexiest of Royal Blue talking points, but it is certainly one of the most pertinent with regards to the club’s future.
Our work with school tie-ins, coaching and grass roots footy is second to none in the Prem and miles ahead of the less rarified side of the Park.
It not only gives the club access to potentially thousands of promising recruits to the academy, it also moulds a generation of young Evertonians.
Kids, being the fickle things they often are, can sway allegiances in mixed families.
If a coach from the blues is coming down to your sports field and maintaining an active presence each month, you're more likely to follow the club which seems to care about you (rather than one which cares more about its fan card holders).
But the thing which I find most satisfying about our development is the adoption of Everton Tigers from Toxteth.
The Tigers, who compete at the elite level of British Basketball, are the first step on a road which will hopefully lead to us becoming a proper Sporting club.
By which I mean the likes of Barcelona - a massive football club with a wide range of other teams (in Barca’s case; basketball, handball, futsal, rink hockey respectively, rugby union, women's football and wheelchair basketball, athletics, baseball, cycling, field hockey, figure skating, and volleyball.
So, figure skating aside, that’s a pretty impressive list which emphasises Barca the institution, as opposed to just the football club.
I see no reason why the Blues shouldn’t be out there looking for a suitable cricket or rugby club they could coax under the Everton umbrella. I’m pretty sure Sefton R.U.F.C wouldn’t say no for starters.
As wanky as it sounds Everton is about more than just football; it’s about the Corinthian spirit of Labone and Ball, sporting excellence, tradition and fair play. There’s no reason we can’t follow the Barca model and potential ‘strengthen the brand’.
*Back on the negative side for a moment. The new kit launch went pretty poorly thanks to JJB. Where do we start?
1) It was late. June? The team should have been wearing it for the last game of the season and it should have been on sale from June 1 to catch the holiday season properly. No excuses.
2) The Umbro designers seem to have put zero thought or inspiration into it, apart from a gimmicky motto on the sleeve. In fact, have they not just cut the yellow bits off the neck from last season’s shirt?
3) Once again we are coming up short in city centre retail by comparison to the Reds. Liverpool One anyone?
Generally though things are ticking over OK in this summer lull. Anyone else playing armchair scout during the Euros? That Engelaar for Holland would do a job for us.....
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Mark wrote...
Surely the 'all inclusive sporting club' came and went with John Hall's Newcastle(s), or is this part of the Blog a nicely disguised dig at our Marketing, reinventing a failed mid 1990's idea?
Posted by: Mark | June 11, 2008 11:20 PM