14th July 2017. 72 people lost their lives in the Grenfell Tower fire which destroyed a community which to this day is still struggling to come to terms with the devastating impact it had...
Though a tragic story it is ultimately an uplifting one with a positive outcome, how human spirit can overcome anything. While the government and independent committees have been found wanting, as predicted, in delivering a verdict on this man-made disaster.
Many are still looking for answers, and often is the case, when the people in power, fail in their duty of care, it is up to the common man or woman to take up that mantle. Less than a month after the fire, Grenfell Athletic was formed.
A football club, to bring the survivors and wider community together. This is how football can bring unity and hope to people and was something I believe FC7 had a responsibility to cover.
This is the Story of Grenfell Athletic…
From a personal level, I remember staying up late that fateful night, watching the news in horror, as that terrible fire engulfed the Grenfell Tower in West London. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, and the days after when some of the fundamental failings of the building construction came to light, my disbelief rose.
During my own kidney journey which I have documented before, the numerous journeys to and from Hammersmith Hospital I had to undertake, I saw the broken shell of the now unused Grenfell building. It was a constant reminder to me of what had happened that day.
One day, the building may be torn down, another memorial may be built, but the creation of Grenfell Athletic, is a permanent tribute to the lives lost. A beacon of hope and an example of how people can come together and create something magical.
Less than a month after the tragedy, Rupert Taylor co-founded Grenfell Athletic. He had grown up around the building block, a role model, so rare it seems in the modern day, he took up community volunteering in 2005 before becoming local manager of the youth centre. He was on holiday in Gibraltar at the time and received a call late on the 14th July. His heart dropped and he began organisations to get back to West London immediately.
Hero! Rupert Taylor (left) holding the League Cup with a fellow Grenfell Athletic player
In the aftermath of the fire, he noticed a lot of lost souls, a painful reminder that suffering was still ripe. People were in a daze, some had lost all their families, survivors were coming to terms with the post traumatic disorder and the surrounding community were still trying to put their lives back together.
FC7 goes Green in support for Grenfell Athletic!
Rupert recalls meeting a young man who was shy and quiet, taking a few meetings, before opening up, about how his whole family had perished in the fire. When asked what was helping him get through it, the young man said it was football. Rupert put into motion the creation of Grenfell Athletic and started training session straight away.
The footballing community came forward to support their cause. Nike stepped forward to get all their footy kit and training gear printed and supplied. Ex-Serie B came forward to organise and pay for a trip to Italy and offered their training facilities to the team, which we cover a bit later. Local school Latimer Upper’s deputy head, made a training facility available for the newly formed club, Chelsea FC’s fitness coach, offered his services for free and things were coming together.
Some people signed up straight away. Joseph John (left), a survivor from the fire with his young family, had tried many things. He had thrown his time into work, cooking and other things in a vain effort to subdue those terrible memories.
He saw the flyers, but it took a little while before he decided to attend a training session. The rest is history as far as he is concerned. He found that “thing” he was looking for. This wasn’t about forgetting, suppressing the personal terrors of that night maybe, but this team was about remembering the victims. Using football as a healing tonic for people that truly needed it. Community coming to the aid of the survivors, when local authorities were falling short.
After their birth, the club quickly joined the Middlesex County Football League for the 2017/18 and did remarkably well. Anyone who plays footy, knows that it takes a while to gel and become competitive. They finished 5th out of the 12-team league which was a remarkable feat in their first season.
Rupert and the team followed on their successful debut season with an off-season trip to Italy for the summer of 2018. They toured parts of Italy and it culminated in playing a semi-professional team who play in Italy’s 5th division; Lanciano. Seeing some of the pics below, it hits home, how far this club had come, from the burning ruins to here, was a story in itself. But following on from their tour of Italy they were ready for the upcoming 2nd season in the club’s short life.
They blazed a trail. Losing only 1 game, they also won the League Cup to boot. League and Cup double in only their 2nd season. The club and story had taken off! All the while, the team perform a minutes silence before each game for those who lost their lives.
They are currently looking for a more permanent home, somewhere near to their community and Grenfell itself, with a home venue in place, they can engage with the community and help people even more.
A huge thank you to BBC and the Middlesex FA for highlighting the story. Also, I feel that it’s important to highlight David Lammy, MP for Tottenham who experienced his own personal loss at Grenfell, for campaigning tirelessly in justice for the victims, survivors and wider community. (Editor: Though I must mention he is a Spurs fan - boooooo!)
Their legacy will be more than putting survivors lives back together, more than being a memorial to the victims. A symbol that anything is possible. In a world where MPs can’t even deliver closure to the wounded people of Grenfell, it’s taken football to do it.
We are always eager to showcase that football can do so much for society. I’ve said before that a lot of people use football as a convenient punch bag. It’s easy to sweep issues like racism for example, onto football and conveniently forget about it. These issues are societal. Most players and fans abhor all forms of discrimination and it’s so important to highlight stories like these.
Football is unity. Grenfell Athletic epitomise everything that is good about people and the game.
In Memory of those who lost their lives
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