The interview

Patrick Edwards was born in Petre Street, Ellesmere in 1967, the youngest of six children. He grew up playing football and wanted to be a professional footballer when he left school. ‘I used to play for Davy Athletic Under 12s’, he says, ‘I went for trials up on the heliport and that’s how I got into football, but I always loved playing as a kid. I used to play it at Ellesmere on the school yard with a tennis ball, and we were wicked’. Patrick left school with no qualifications, ‘I was bright, but I flopped. When I was leaving school they said, ‘What do you want to be?’, and I said, ‘Footballer’, and they said, ‘Oh – right’. They didn’t say that less than 1% make it in football, and if you’re black you’ve no chance. Do you know what I’m saying?’ Today Patrick is a Health Improvement Worker at Kelvin, and a parent himself. He wants to create opportunities for young people in Burngreave to get involved in sport, and is working to develop organised facilities in the area. ‘It’s not necessarily about making it, or being a wicked footballer. You might just like having a game. You might be just average, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t be part of a team. There’s the sporting side of it and the social side of it. I think it would be good for the whole community’. What is your idea of happiness? A nice warm beach, with a nice climate, nice people, nice music and just generally having fun. What is your greatest fear? War, and death you know? That’s what I fear. Life is very tough. There are two sides to everything, there is a reason for everything and I can’t see it ending right now. Even if they blow up all of Afghanistan it won’t solve the problem. What do you dislike about yourself? I don’t really know what I’m that bad at. It’s for other people to say what they dislike about me. What do you dislike about others? People can be two-faced and lie. What makes you sad? Probably being alone – losing people close to me. The cold weather as well. What or who is the greatest love of your life? I have to say my own mother really, and all mothers. Which living person do you most admire? Mohammed Ali, because he was a true champion of the time. When they took his belt off him that was because he didn’t want to go to war, which we now know was a very good reason, and then he still managed to get his belt. He still managed to win George Foreman, who was pretty much unbeatable. Which words or phrases do you most overuse? Just slang; y’know, laters, and man. What is your greatest regret? Going down the wrong tracks, and not sticking by morals. What is your earliest memory? Just playing around in Ellesmere, hanging about as a kid. I can remember being at Nursery when we slept in the afternoons. What is your favourite smell? The smell of the outside. In the country, nice clean air. How do you relax? I chill. What single thing would improve the quality of your life? I have to say money. I’d somehow try and make more money, and employ people. I’d be helping others sort themselves, and you can only do that through money. When I say money I don’t mean fancy cars and the nice life, I mean just having money to open some sort of business that regenerates money, like a supermarket that could sell at a price that’s just sustainable, instead of for profit, you know. It would make me feel like I’ve done something good, and I get something out of helping people. If you could have one wish, what would it be? Peace and equality. If you could change one thing about Burngreave, what would it be? Poverty. It’s what New Deal is supposed to be doing: better housing, fair policing, schools. Somehow we’ve got to get the people from this community more training and job opportunities, that’s what is needed. What keeps you awake at night? All kind of things, but lately it’s been things like war, death. I just think about a load of things really. Things that happened that day, things I’m hoping to achieve in the days coming. I think about family, kids, what am I doing in life, things like that. How would you like to die? Peacefully. How would you like to be remembered? I’d like to be remembered for the good things that I’ve done. They won’t remember me any other way. What is the most important lesson life has taught you? To live good, and good might follow you. I’m not really a religious person, but I think morals are very important. Now I’m older and got kids myself. If you would like to get involved in All Saints Football Coaching call Patrick on 0774 7831856. Interview between Patrick Edwards and Kim Streets 30th October 2001. Photography – Richard Hanson.