And on Saturday, Wolves Foundation cohesion coach Matt Elcock was at the end of a surprise presentation by Wolves head coach Bruno Lage as he was named the club’s ‘community captain’.
To mark the 30e Premier League anniversary, each club has been tasked with selecting their community captain, honoring someone who has made an outstanding contribution to their club and local community.
And the accolade at Molineux went to Elcock, who went from first attending a session organized by Wolves’ official charity some 16 years ago to many years of supporting youngsters through several projects including Premier League Kicks.
At the time, Elcock, from Ashmore Park, had been bullied at school and lacked confidence, but after competing in the Dusk Twilight Midnight League he gradually developed his feelings of purpose and purpose. self esteem.
“I was very quiet when I was young and didn’t have a lot of self-confidence, so I would accompany the sessions and just sit in a corner,” he recalls. “I was not only quiet, but also struggling because I had been bullied at school and it lowered my confidence even further.
“I was accompanying the teen session and the coaches must have seen some potential in me as they then invited me to observe the younger session to see how it was going.
“The coaches encouraged me to officiate a match in one of those sessions, they encouraged me, I tried and really enjoyed it, I ended up finishing my level one qualification and everything went well. took off from there.
“Going to those sessions and the support from the coaches encouraged me to move into coaching and youth work and the work I do now – without them I really don’t think this would have happened.”
Starting with what was then Wolves Community Trust as a casual part-time coach delivering community projects including Kicks, Elcock supplemented his weekly portfolio working in youth services in Wolverhampton and then Walsall.
He completed his Tier 2 and 3 qualifications in youth work and spent a year studying at Newman University in Birmingham, adding invaluable experience which increased his skills beyond just football coaching and helped him required to provide additional support on inclusion projects.
Continuing to work at the Foundation on a part-time basis, it was last year that he landed a full-time position, and Elcock is now at the forefront of the work of the Inclusion and Cohesion team in the community. .
“Matt has done invaluable work for the Foundation for over 15 years and is the perfect choice to be named Captain of the Wolf Community,” said Lee Smith, Senior Director (Operations) of the Foundation.
“Having initially arrived as a quiet, low-key participant, his talent and potential was spotted by coaches and his decision to become a staff member, now helping so many others who were in a similar position growing up, was a fantastic success story.
“Matt’s work as part of a very strong Foundation team effort has helped change the lives of so many young people in our city, and he is a worthy recipient of this honor as a shining light of power and impact of the Premier League Communities Program.
So it was that on Saturday, ahead of Wolves’ first home game of the season against Fulham, Elcock was called into Lage’s office on match day under false pretences, to be officially named community captain.
“I was told I had to help the head coach’s sponsors, but when I walked into the office it was just Bruno congratulating me and handing me some gifts,” Elcock said.
“It was a very nice surprise from Bruno and the Premier League and, looking back a few days later, quite surreal and I really can’t believe it!
“I’m part of a great team of people who work at the Foundation and we don’t do the work for recognition, but simply to try to help young people progress in their lives.
“They let us into their lives to support them and build trust and that’s a real privilege that we never take for granted.
“It’s good for all of us to be able to make a difference and, from my perspective, it’s an absolute pleasure to take on this full-time role for the charity that I love.
“And I want to thank everyone I’ve worked with over the years, both the coaches and the entertainers, because I’ve always been very supported in what is real teamwork.”
It wasn’t just Lage who passed on his congratulations from the Wolves management fraternity.
Many years ago, Elcock was asked to set up a coaching session at the Foundation to be filmed by ITV Central news, in front of Wolves boss McCarthy.
“I had all these anxieties in my head, dragging these kids in front of Central News and Mick McCarthy,” he recalls.
“But I did it and got through it, and again it was a great experience to help me learn and grow.”
And McCarthy himself has now passed on his well wishes.
“Congratulations to Matt on this well-deserved honor to become the captain of the wolf community.
“That coaching session you gave seems a very long time ago now, but I’m sure I’ve picked up some tips!
“Well done buddy, and keep up the great work.”
