Lee Westwood Saves Hometown Soccer Club

[iacas]

http://www.pga.com/news/golf-buzz/lee-westwood-saves-hometown-soccer-club

Quote:

A lot of us Americans are into the World Cup this summer. Or at least we were …

Most of us, however, are amateurs compared to true soccer aficionados like Lee Westwood. The former world No. 1 was so distressed to hear that Worksop Town FC, his hometown club back in England, was having money troubles this summer that he came to the rescue.

So, when the new season begins on July 15, the team will sport the Lee Westwood Golf School logo on the front of its jerseys.

"Worksop will always be my home, people will always associate me with my home town and I'm proud of my roots," Westwood told The Worksop Guardian. "Worksop Town are the world's fourth oldest club, and their history and position in the heart of the community should be safeguarded."

The future of the semi-pro team – which will play in the Premier Division of the Northern Counties East Football League this year – was uncertain after owner Jason Clark said that he was walking away earlier this summer. A group of fans, called the Team 500 Club, began a fundraising drive, and the newspaper contacted Westwood – who is by far Worksop's most famous son – about the possibility of sponsoring the jerseys.

[dennyjones]

I appreciate stories like this.   It a great gesture of goodwill.

Thanks for sharing.

[isukgolf]

Always good to hear stories like these ... Lee always make smile when he plays golf ... Always looks like he is simply walking to the pub ... And playing golf along the way ...

[mchepp]

Maybe he and team Sergio has bought into can play a training game against each other.

[cipher]

Great story.

[FarawayFairways]

Westwood's a Forest fan, which is slightly unusual given that Worksop is nearer to Sheffield than Nottingham, but Worksop is in the county of Robin Hood by quirk of boundary. It's good to see him putting this up. Seen him at Doncaster races a few times as he's not above the odd horse racing interest either

Other golfers who are I believe are very keen football fans are:

Colin Montgomerie - (Leeds, albeit I use the word football in its loosest sense here)

Ian Poulter - (Chelsea -  flash celebrity club for the London glitterazi)

Just on the subject of football triv, Notts County (1862 and Nottingham's second club) is the oldest professional club in the world) they actually gave some of their black and white jerseys away to some impoverished new start up youth team in Turin, Italy, once upon a time. Not sure what ever happened to Juventus? On another triv anagle, Juventus is actually the name of the Roman god of youth even though most people think its a football team today. With some supreme irony it  was County who got themselves in financial mire a few years ago, at this point the Italian giant (now owned by Fiat) stepped in and assisted County. Looks like giving them those shirts all those decades ago was worth it

[CarlSpackler]

Kudo's to Mr. Westwood. Things like this make the world a better place.

[chasm]

I think Westwood is a good guy. His lack of intensity makes him an attractive character, but it has probably cost him a major or two. Simce we're on the subject of football trivia (see Faraway Fairways post about the Notts County-Juventus links, above) Athletic Club Bilbao was founded by shipyard workers from Sunderland - my own home town club. However, the fact that they play in red and white, like Sunderland, is coincidental. They were on a visit to England a hundred or so years ago and their kit was lost in transit. Southampton FC, another red and white team, gave them some, and they've played in those colours ever since. Any time you Americans want to be bored to tears by soccer history, you know where to come. LOL.