The World World Cup winner Sir Bobby Charlton brought his famous comb-over and football genius to Dundee in the 1980s and 1990s.
Sir Bobby – plain old Bobby back then – was no stranger to these parts.
He made his debut for Manchester United in 1956 against Dundee in a pre-season friendly at Dens Park where the home side ran out 5-1 winners.
This was the beginning of perhaps the greatest of careers.
Sir Bobby scored 249 goals in 758 games for the Red Devils and won three league titles, one FA Cup and the European Cup in 1968.
Two years before, the goal-scoring midfielder had played a pivotal role in English football’s finest hour with the World Cup final win over West Germany.
Dundee was suggested as soccer school venue in 1981
Sir Bobby set up the Bobby Charlton Soccer and Sports Academy in 1978.
Young hopefuls were given the chance to work with the greatest English player of all time in the half-term and summer holidays training camp.
Former Dundee FC player Alex Stuart was responsible for bringing the soccer school to the city.
This followed a chance conversation with Sir Bobby in 1981.
Alex had become Dundee District Council’s leisure and recreation manager after a footballing career that included winning the league in 1962.
“I was talking to Bobby a couple of months ago and he mentioned that he was running a very successful coaching school down in Manchester,” said Alex.
“He also said at the time that he was thinking of starting a similar venture in Scotland and mentioned Edinburgh as a possible venue.
“When I told him that I thought we had just the sort of facilities he would require readily available in Dundee, he said that he would come up and take a look around.”
Sir Bobby visited Dundee in October 1981.
The Manchester United and England legend liked what he saw.
He became a regular visitor in his tracksuit and his soccer school was a feast of fun.
It gave kids of all ages and abilities a chance to improve their skills.
Charlton was impressed with Scottish game
Sir Bobby was interviewed in 1984 about his commitment to nurturing young talent through his soccer school and the state of the modern game.
“We concentrate on all the basic skills such as accuracy of passing and shooting, chipping and overall control,” he said.
“I know from watching youngsters come through how much of an improvement there is from when they start to finishing the course.”
English football was in the doldrums in those days with tumbling attendances.
Sir Bobby suggested they could do worse than look north to Scotland for inspiration.
Crowd averages were up with Jim McLean’s Dundee United and Alex Ferguson‘s Aberdeen dishing out bloody noses to Celtic and Rangers.
“There is too much negative talk in the game today with keeping possession one of the priorities,” he said.
“It was bound to happen, in some respects, with so many rich rewards at stake.
“You only have to look north of the border to see how the game is flourishing there.
“In Scotland they are far less negative in their approach and last season attendances were up by a quarter of million.”
Entertainment would bring the fans back through the turnstiles.
“Beating three men and scoring with a shot from 30 yards may not be very technical,” the great man mused, “but it’s what the public want to see.”
England great raised money for Dundee good causes
The England icon became involved with Dundee Rotary Club.
He showed his desire to help good causes in the city when he attended a special charity dinner at the Angus Hotel in September 1986.
The Courier said: “There must be easier ways of getting yourself a good square meal than making a dash for a shuttle flight to Edinburgh from London, a high-speed car drive to Dundee and a quick wash and brush up at the Angus Hotel before digging in.
“It was all in a day’s work, however, for ex-soccer star Bobby Charlton.
“Following the memorial service for former Fifa president Sir Stanley Rous in London yesterday afternoon, Bobby made his whistle-stop trip to attend a special charity dinner run by the Dundee Rotary Club at the Angus last night.”
Sir Bobby was one of the four speakers at the dinner.
The 400 tickets for the event were heavily over-subscribed and, typically, sold out.
The purpose of the dinner was to raise “a healthy four-figure sum” for the Tayside committee of Help the Aged. several other local charities, and Polio Plus, the Rotary International campaign to stamp out polio.
Grove Academy pupils had new PE teacher
The name changed to the Bobby Charlton Sports School, which included a promotional visit to Grove Academy in Dundee in January 1991.
Sir Bobby took the PE class.
The Courier said he was an instant hit with pupils.
He exchanged rallies with pupils on the badminton court.
Later in the morning he took 12 boys and 12 girls from S1-S3 through a series of exercise routines and passed on tips on ball skills.
He was always affable and polite.
Sir Bobby would always take time out to visit sick children in hospital in Dundee.
He headed to Dundee Royal Infirmary in the afternoon.
He signed autographs and photographs for dozens of patients and made sure everyone got a chance to meet him before he visited the children’s ward.
Sir Bobby then spent some time in the neurosurgery ward with Grove Academy pupil David White, who was injured in a sledging accident.
He returned to Dundee in April 1991 for his one-day sports school, which took place at the Gardyne campus of the Northern College Of Education.
Sports covered were football, badminton, martial arts, dancing, swimming and volleyball, and Sir Bobby participated in all the sessions.
More than 200 youngsters took part.
Lee Wilkie was star pupil at Bobby Charlton soccer school
Sir Bobby was knighted in 1994 and served as a director and ambassador for Manchester United before he died in October 2023 at the age of 86.
The World Cup winner’s legacy and the impact of his academies live on.
His soccer school helped discover David Beckham, who signed for Manchester United in 1991 and became one of the club’s greatest players.
Closer to home, the former Dundee and Dundee United defender Lee Wilkie attended the soccer school before making a career in the game.
“I was lucky enough to encounter him once when I was young,” said Wilkie.
“I went to a Bobby Charlton Soccer School at Gardyne.
“Thinking back, that would be like nowadays having Ronaldo – either one – turn up in Dundee and put on a training camp!”
Sir Bobby picked out a couple of boys to take penalties against him.
“I was one and stuck it away,” said Wilkie.
“Even though I was only eight years old, I think it was the last penalty I ever scored!”
Most who attended in Dundee never made it to the big leagues like Wilkie.
But the experience of playing with Sir Bobby will forever be etched into their memories.
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