As part of the Watford FC Community Sports & Education Trust’s 30-year anniversary celebrations, a series of accounts from staff, volunteers, partners and participants have been compiled in the ‘30 Stories for 30 Years’ publication, that also includes the annual Impact Report for 2022.
All of the stories, and the Impact Report, can be viewed online HERE. Should you wish to request a hard copy, please email kristian.hitchins@watfordfc.com.
Next up is the story of John Aluma...
We begin with a 16-year-old boy joining a scheme at a local college, unsure of where his career would take him, and coached by a man who would later become his peer.
John’s time at the Trust’s football and education scheme, Westfield Football Academy, began with the dream of making it as a professional footballer, but one day, as he watched Watford Football Club’s Under-18s play at Vicarage Road, he realised he needed a back-up plan.
John said: “Truthfully, I was sitting in row three in the Sir Elton John stand as a 16-year-old, watching the quality and intensity of these players of a similar age and thought for the first time ‘I’m probably not going to make it, maybe I should really consider going into coaching’.”
A pragmatic approach that would serve him well. As his course with Westfield continued and his dream of becoming a professional footballer faded, John attacked the next stage of his career purposefully. Gaining his level-one football coaching qualification, working with year eight pupils at the school and coaching his peers while injured at a tournament are all now listed by John as meaningful experiences that have shaped his future.
He continued to learn and develop, under the stewardship of his coach Dave Byrne, and quickly gained his level-two qualification and joined the Trust as a paid member of casual staff, supporting their Player Development Centres (PDCs).
Present day and John is now employed full-time by the Trust, leading the Westfield Football Academy alongside Dave, and supporting Watford’s Under-10s in the Academy. His transition from player to coach helps him in his role, explaining: “Because I know how they’re thinking and feeling, whether that’s on the pitch or off, I’ve been there.”
John’s progression inspires others, but he is grounded enough to know where his gratitude lies: “The Trust has been a big part of my life for eight years, so I’m definitely thankful. The Trust has given me a pathway and supported me on what I want to pursue as a career.”
The sky’s the limit for John as he sets his sights on coaching at the highest level, but for now he has some simple advice for his players: “Enjoy the moment, enjoy the training and the matches, and see where it takes you.”
