Former Manchester United and England star Rio Ferdinand won six Premier League titles and a whole host of trophies during a glittering career that was only started due to a pair of his friend’s boots
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Rio Ferdinand
Ferdinand has donated a signed shirt to the campaign(Image: Green Football’s Great Save)
Rio Ferdinand almost saw his football career end before it had begun only for a pair of second-hand boots to come to the rescue. The former defender, who started his career within the youth ranks, of course went on to enjoy huge success.
Twice the world’s most expensive defender, he won six Premier League titles, the Champions League and a whole host of other trophies during his career. Ferdinand spent 12 years at Manchester United, while he also earned 81 caps for England - a CV that even the most optimistic of young stars can only dream about.
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But it almost never happened. With Ferdinand showing an interest in football as a youngster, his family could not afford to invest in a pair of brand-new boots. Instead, Ferdinand was luckily gifted an already used pair and has never looked back.
Speaking alongside research carried out by Green Football’s Great Save and the Rio Ferdinand Foundation, he said: “My first ever pair of football boots were second hand, or maybe even third hand.
“I remember they were two sizes too big, but I wouldn't have been able to play football for months if I’d waited for my mum to afford to buy me a new pair. The lack of affordable kit is still a big barrier to lots of young people today.”
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He added: “Like I said, the first pair of football boots that I had were a pair that I saw in a friend's cupboard, and without those boots, I wouldn't have been able to have played football for a number of weeks, maybe months, until my mum could afford to buy me a pair of football boots.
“And I don't even think she wanted to buy me boots at that point, because she wasn't sure if I wanted to continue playing football consistently. My mom was saying, “well, how long are you gonna play for? You gonna play football one week and then not play next week?
“So, I had to prove that I wanted to go and play and wake up on a Sunday, wake up on a Saturday and go to football, make my way to training on a Tuesday and a Thursday, as well.
Rio Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand has given his backing to Green Football's Great Save campaign
(Image: Green Football’s Great Save)
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“Once I proved that, then my mom was like, okay, we can save up to buy some now. So, there's all those barriers and obstacles in the way of a young person getting hold of any kit, but I think recycling is definitely one of the things that will be important, and gifting stuff that doesn't fit or you don't need any more is important too.”
It wasn’t just the price of boots that could have prevented Ferdinand from making his first steps into the game. He has also opened up on an incident early in his career when he arrived in the wrong kit - allowing him to sympathise with young footballers and parents who are facing similar challenges nowadays.
He said: “I understand issues with self-esteem if you don’t have the right kit. When I went to my first ever training session at West Ham, I was wearing a QPR kit. Everyone was looking at me like I was crazy, asking me what I was doing.
“It was a difficult first session. But I was lucky because by the next session, they gave me new kit to wear. Not having the resources to be able to afford kit can affect your confidence and your self-esteem. You walk into places feeling inadequate, and that's not a good starting point for anybody.”
Rio Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand has urged clubs to come together to make kit more accessible
(Image: Green Football’s Great Save)
Ferdinand is now at the heart of a campaign aiming to knock down the hurdles between young stars and affordable kits. He has urged clubs to come together to think of a solution, while has also appealed to fans to donate their used shirts and equipment.
He added: “We need to celebrate spaces being created for people to feel comfortable using second-hand kit - like kit donation schemes or swap shops - especially as a little bit of pride can get in the way otherwise. Football clubs and the stakeholders in the game have a big role to play in this. If we have a unified approach within football, people will feel more comfortable.”
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For more information on Green Football Great Save, go to www.greenfootball.org.
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