ONE MINUTE local footballer Colin Kazim-Richards is plying his trade for Championship side Sheffield United, and the next he is playing on the same pitch as Ronaldinho and Kaka in the red shirt of Turkey.
It is the stuff dreams are made of, and, according to Kazim-Richards, that dream was made possible during his time with Walthamstow-based youth club Interwood.
He now plays for Turkish side Fenerbahce, where he has earned cult hero status, as he is mobbed by adoring fans wherever he goes.
But that incredible journey to the summit of the game began 13 years ago, when ‘Kaz’ formed one part of a mightily successful Interwood team.
Despite being able to list free-kick extraordinaire Roberto Carlos as a team-mate and having played under one of the greatest players the game has ever seen in Zico, Kazim-Richards insists his best memories are during his time with Interwood.
“They (Interwood) and Trevor Bailey (the club’s head coach) are the reasons that I’ve developed into a good player,” he exclusively told the Guardian at Interwood’s end-of-season awards ceremony at Blake Hall sports centre, where he was presenting trophies to the kids.
“I used to go there and have so much fun. I had some of the best times of my whole footballing life there. Now the game is all business and politics.
“The team I was a part of back then never lost a game in two years. It was unbelievable to play for that team. They’re the memories that we have.
“It’s good for the kids that are here to see that someone’s done the same thing that they are trying to do.”
Indeed, he has taken steps to ensure that the youngsters at the club have the best chance possible to fulfil their potential, having bought kits for every team member at the club and paid for their pitch fees for the entire year.
“You can’t get money and forget the people you came up with and who helped you,” he said. “Interwood is a Walthamstow-based Sunday league team, it’s non-profitable. So for me to give back, and if I can help find one player in ten years, that will make me sleep well at night – to know that I had something to do with making another person have a great life.”
He hasn’t stopped there, either. He has set up a website - kazimrichards.com - that enables local children to email him with any concerns they might have, on or off the pitch, and he has pledged to respond to each one, applying the experience he has gained over the years.
Colin’s uncle and advisor Jason Richards explained how it would work. “Kids listen to people of status and role models they have. If Jimmy wants to know how to take a free-kick, Colin will ask Roberto Carlos. If Johnny is getting in trouble at school Colin can give him advice. He’s been there. He wants to be there for as many kids as possible.” Kazim-Richards is one of a number of youngsters to have graduated to the professional ranks after having his skills nurtured with Interwood.
Head coach Trevor Bailey described the club as a ‘high class football family’.
“We’re keeping a lot of kids off the street,” he said. “It’s like a family, although it’s a high grade of footballing family! To get in you have to be good.
“We’ve always got more players coming through. We have players from Cyprus and Senegal here. They come because they’ve heard what we can do for them.
“We want to mentor these boys and show them that they don’t have to be on the streets with guns and knives.”
He was also keen to pay tribute to the commitment Kazim-Richards has shown to the club over the years. “I don’t know many footballers who have done what he has for their club,” Bailey continued.
“He gets off the plane from Turkey, goes home to see his family and then he comes to Interwood and trains with the boys. He’s even taken some of them over there to watch him play. He’s a fantastic role model for the kids.”
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