Club legend Lucas Radebe recently spent a busy week representing Leeds United at multiple locations for a variety of important causes, following his announcement as an official ambassador for the club.
The 56-year-old was on hand for a full week of activities, involving matchdays at Elland Road, visits to the training ground with the Leeds United Academy, filming with LUTV and the Premier League and plenty of trips around the city with the Leeds United Foundation.
During his visit to the UK, Lucas was available to offer advice and answer questions whilst sharing his wisdom, experience and passion for the club with a number of different audiences, but he was also able to learn more about the work being done by the club's official charity to support and educate people of all ages throughout Leeds.
First on the agenda, was an exclusive 'Meet the Legend' event at the Bilal Sports Hub, hosted through the Foundation's Active Through Football project in partnership with the Junior Sports Hub. The programme has around 200 young people involved, and aims to provide a positive and culturally diverse environment whilst helping to develop their skills. The youngsters were able to spend time with Lucas and ask him questions around his incredible career.
Our new Club Ambassador also visited a number of local schools during his trip to help students commemorate Black History Month. During a visit to Lady Elizabeth Hasting's School with first-teamers Joel Piroe and Gabi Gudmundsson, the former player was able to get involved in a No Room For Racism poetry workshop organised through the Premier League Primary Stars team.
During the session, the Leeds United trio supported pupils as they took part in a poetry-writing competition focused on celebrating diversity as part of the theme 'Greatness Comes From Everywhere.'
In the afternoon following, Radebe headed to Allerton Park, where he took part in an all-star session designed for ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) students and asylum seekers which aims to provide a safe environment where young individuals can train, improve their football skills, and build a sense of community with others from similar backgrounds.
On Wednesday, the former Captain dropped in at the Combat Café to spend time with our veteran participants and their families. These sessions take place every week to provide an opportunity to socialise, enjoy light exercise and engage with other activities, and often include visits from guest speakers such as Lucas.
Radebe then headed to Thorp Arch for some filming with the first team and Official Club Partner Hisense, before delivering Q&A sessions with a variety of age groups at the Leeds United Academy, focusing on professionalism, and coping with pressures in football.
The Club Ambassador made another school appearance on Thursday morning, heading to Bishop Young Academy to take part in a secondary school hub session, providing students with educational information and inspiration, before a trip back to Elland Road to take part in the Corner Flag Café’s dementia session with the club's official charity and then an evening visit to one of our participation programmes which aid as a pathway for players to join the academy.
The Corner Flag Café events take place monthly, and run for people living with dementia, enabling families and individuals to meet new people and reminisce on memories around Leeds United, supported by tother activities such as stadium tours, and workshops with memorabilia, programmes and old LUFC footage.
Friday rolled around, and Lucas had a Weekend Live filming session with the Premier League, before a Social Goals session at Elland Road and another Foundation visit to a Girls Performance Centre of Excellence, designed for players who show real potential to progress into the Girls Academy.
On Radebe’s final full day before his flight home, he partook in a walking football community tour in partnership with the Irish Centre, offering a great opportunity for over-50s to boost their physical fitness and mental wellbeing in a social environment with similar-minded people.
The Chief's final activities included making appearances on LUTV either side of the first-team fixture against Tottenham Hotspur, marking the end of his time in Leeds.
Everyone at Leeds would like to thank Lucas for putting the time aside to take part in so many meaningful projects over the short time he was back in Leeds, and we can’t wait to see what the future brings for this ambassadorship.
