A positive tale about modern footballers

Copy & pasted below are sections of a report in todays Daily Telegraph. It shows the positive side of the 21st centuty Premier League. I have posted it in Spurs chat as OUR club & players are very involved in the story. Who would have thought a fine for turning up late could be put to such good use ? Who, of us, would know this happens ? Worth a read as it puts a bit of realism onto today's players . . . . . . . .

There are estimated to be 145 million orphans in the world, all with sadness in their eyes, all craving attention, a reality confirmed by the way three-year-old Babu clung to Matthew Upson at a Rustenburg orphanage on Tuesday. On a field outside, Michael Dawson played head tennis with the orphan he sponsors. Aubrey, a nimble 12 year-old, just didn’t want the moment to end because that meant Dawson leaving.
Aubrey had just shown Dawson around the house he shares with seven others, a £60,000 building paid for by fines from the Tottenham Hotspur players.
Vying for space on the wall with pictures of Steven Pienaar was a list of rules, urging the orphans to seize their second chance by “not being aggressive, abusive or violent’’ and “by not bringing drugs, cigarettes or undesirable literature’’ into the orphanage. “It opens your eyes to the real world,’’ said Dawson.
Scarcely five miles from England’s five-star Royal Bafokeng retreat lies the SOS Children’s Village orphanage which also includes a house erected with Football Association money.
“They are orphans who would end up living on the streets, turning to drugs and crime and there wouldn’t be a lot of hope for them,’’ said Giancarlo Bellossini, a coach with SuperSport United, who run a youth academy with Spurs and help with the orphanage.
“Their parents have died mainly through HIV/Aids, tuberculosis, crime, and poor nutrition. Projects like this, with FA and Spurs doing houses, are vital.’’
The orphanage is run by a woman called Sarah, who oversees 10 houses with 15 “mothers’’ and 80 children such as Aubrey and Babu.
“Without this - and without football - I don’t know what would happen to these children,’’ reflected Sarah. “What they have had to live through is almost beyond comprehension. We never really talk about what happened to their parents. They know they have died. That is enough. It is too much to start talking about how.’’
Aubrey’s “mother’’ Maria knows how the sport of Dawson and Upson obsesses the orphans. “All Aubrey talks about is football, football, football,’’ said Maria
Dawson was impressed with Aubrey’s juggling skills. “He was very good at head tennis,’’ said the centre-half, “there are a lot of talented players out here. I can imagine they spend a lot of time on the pitch enjoying themselves and maybe one day one of them might make it. It’s scary when you hear what they’ve been through but we’ve come to try and put a smile on their faces.’’
Dawson and Upson certainly did that, being generous with their time and the boxes of England caps, bags and T-shirts they brought from Royal Bafokeng. As well as making the kids’ day, the visit also meant a lot to the players, bringing some perspective to the mad, moneyed world of top-level football. Two of the England squad’s more grounded pros, Upson and Dawson, appreciated that.
“Babu impacted on me,’’ said Upson. “I got an extra cuddle. We had a bit of banter in the house and he didn’t want to get down. Babu was fun. We conversed with body language. He was an entertaining little fella. I’ve got a two year-old, so this brings it home a bit. This orphanage puts everything into perspective.’’
It also provided a welcome escape from the gilded cage of England existence. “You can’t eat, sleep and breathe football 24-7 and never have another focus,’’ added Upson. “You need something to take you away from football for a while.’’
Upson is involved with assorted initiatives away from football while Dawson’s sudden summons to the squad when Rio Ferdinand fell lame carried added poignancy.
Dawson had been here before, visiting on a pre-season tour with Spurs, and came away determined to sponsor an orphan. Throughout an impressive club season, Dawson hoped to make Capello’s squad mainly because he was desperate to represent England but partly to find Aubrey.
For all the sadness for Ferdinand, a touch of serendipity has suffused events. “In the morning I was on the phone to the travel agent, trying to get somewhere booked, but then I got the call from Michelle [Farrar, team administrator] to say Rio had gone down and she asked ‘was I away?’,’’ recalled Dawson before Aubrey ushered him off for some head tennis.
“Then the news came through that Rio was going to be out for a few weeks. My wedding anniversary was two days later. My wife was over the moon! She’s chuffed to bits because it’s every footballer’s dream to go to a World Cup. I’m dreaming of my first full cap.’’
That will come. For now, Dawson has the satisfaction of making contact with Aubrey. Accompanied by Upson, Dawson marched up to the Spurs house, looking for Aubrey, who eventually appeared resplendent in a Manchester United shirt with 'Rooney; across the back which wasn’t quite in the script.
“I was hoping he was going to have a Dawson shirt!’’ laughed the Spurs centre-half. “But you just can’t sway some people, can you? It’s just great to meet him. I’d only seen a picture. The memories will stay with me.’’
So will touring the house funded through Spurs players’ fines for assorted offences like tardiness. “When you come here and see this, it’s fantastic that the lads were late,’’ smiled Dawson.
With that, he went off for his head tennis with Aubrey and then back on the coach. Babu stood on the dusty pavement, waving and waving, long after the England bus disappeared.

great story vis and fair play to daws and co for getting involved, the football club i am involved in sends alot of old football stuff out to a club in gambia like old boots, old kit,nets etc and its very much needed, my brother is a big player in this and goes out that way at least once a year, some of the stories he tells are very tearfull. its great that memeber of the england team are getting involved.