Proud Of My England Team
Dave Webb, England
As England prepares for UEFA EURO 2024, we have teamed up with The FA to tell the stories of the nation's diverse fan base. From Lancashire to London, and Southampton to Sheffield, fans share their footballing story and what supporting England both home and away means to them.
David Webb is 83 years old and watches England with his grandson Toby, and his friends at the Sporting Memories chapter in Sudbury.
My name is David Alan Webb and I will be 83 years old on June 17, 2024. I previously spent 41 years in non-league football as a voluntary secretary for Sudbury Town and AFC Sudbury. This took a large part of my life, having taken my clubs to four FA Vase Finals but not lifting the trophy once!
The first Final was at the Old Wembley in 1989, and a great memory for me because it was my first as a Club Secretary in the FA Vase. Sudbury Town played Tamworth in front of a crowd of 27,000, a record crowd for FA Vase at the time. Going into the referee's room at Wembley is a favourite memory of mine.
I then took my teams to three more FA Vase Finals, and lost all three!
Sporting Memories
Sporting Memories in Sudbury is important because it gets people talking about their past experiences in sport, which helps to put off the likelihood of Dementia.
We meet every Wednesday at 2:15 PM and we have between 50 and 70 people attend each week.
I have seen the difference for the better in some of our members in the two years that the Sudbury Club has been running.
The Year 1966
My first real involvement with the England national team was in 1966 - a famous World Cup year.
I watched our games on TV up to the Final. On the day of the Final, I had to work all day as a Warehouse Manager at a pet food plant, so I listened to the match on the van radio I was driving! I remember stopping the van at the final whistle, and crying my eyes out!
1966 was a big year for me, not just because England won the World Cup, but also because it was the year that I married my wife, Patricia. We had to see the Vicar beforehand, but he chose the night when England played Portugal. When we got to his house, he said “We have made a mistake in choosing tonight!” So we had a quick sherry and came back another night so we could watch England.
I previously was at the 1998 World Cup match where England beat Tunisia 2-0. This was a learning experience on the enthusiasm of football fans.
My wife and I drove to Charleroi in Belgium to watch England play Romania in the 2000 Euros. A game that was a bit of a damp squib, losing 3-2 to a penalty conceded late on.
Past And Present
One of my favourite England players is Geoff Hurst, our World Cup goal-scoring hero, who I was fortunate enough to meet in my time as a football secretary.
I was also privileged to meet Jimmy Greaves. I saw Jimmy score five goals for Chelsea as a 17-year-old when they beat Wolves 6-1.
Jimmy is my favourite England player from the past. From the present players, our keeper Jordan Pickford is a great last line of defence.
Shaking Hands
I will watch the friendlies at home and the Euro games on the big screen at AFC Sudbury, along with my grandson Toby. He is nearly 25 and has graduated from Northampton University with a degree in Sports Journalism. He is also a season ticket holder at Ipswich Town.
I have pride in my England team, and as long as they give 100% effort, that is all I can ask. I have learnt over 40 years in football that you have to shake the hand of an opponent if they come up better than you.
