Bishop’s Park, on the bank of the River Thames and next to the Craven Cottage home of Sir Bobby’s former club, was the destination for the July leg of the Together for England Roadshow on Friday morning.
Lewington watches on as local youngsters train in Bishop's Park
Following a nationwide launch in 2013, it was The FA’s third Sir Bobby Robson Football Day and, having visited Ipswich Town last year, it was fitting to return to the club where the great man’s playing and managerial careers began ahead of the sixth anniversary of his death on 31 July.
FA chief executive Martin Glenn and Three Lions assistant manager Ray Lewington gave their support to a Fulham FC Foundation summer camp.
Around 60 boys and girls were put through their paces as part of the Cottagers’ community scheme before sitting down for the chance to quiz Lewington on what it takes to represent England.
Sir Bobby’s wife Lady Elsie and son Paul were also on hand to enjoy the festival of football before being presented with a £25,000 cheque from the FA Community Shield Fund by Glenn and FA vice-president Barry Bright.
Tweets about #TogetherForEngland from:englandThe donation was further evidence of The FA’s on-going support of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation – the charity he established in the last 18 months of his life to help fight cancer.
Martin Glenn chats to Lady Elsie Robson in Bishop's Park on Friday morning
"It’s great and you get a nice sense of energy, despite the rain there’s a smile on everyone’s face," said The FA CEO.
"Having the opportunity to commemorate Sir Bobby Robson is terrific and we’ve made a big donation to the fund.
"But what I like about the Fund is that after all the great things he did for England, I just liked his values.
"He had a calmness under pressure and didn’t have an easy ride of things as the England manager, but he always managed to play good football.
"It’s about remembering the human values as well as the professional values."
Lewington, who spent five years as a player and four as a manager with Fulham, added: "It’s been fantastic, the weather’s not great but the kids don’t notice it. It’s only the old coaches who do!
"The enthusiasm that they play with, I enjoy watching the young kids and they just get on with it so it’s been really enjoyable.
"I didn’t know Bobby really well, but Roy did and when we used to play with Fulham up in the north-east, we used to invite Bobby over on the Friday night and I got to know him then.
"He was a wonderful man, had a great career, which started here so it’s very fitting that we came here today."
The FA Community Shield raises hundreds of thousands of pounds every year, distributed to community-based initiatives and charities like the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation up and down the country. The funds are raised through a combination of tickets sales and match programmes.
The Together for England Roadshow is a nationwide drive aimed at inspiring current and future Three Lions fans. Following on from the release of the England DNA philosophy, the roadshows will look to encourage a consistent thread of national pride aimed at creating a better England, both on and off-the-field.
For more information on the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, visit sirbobbyrobsonfoundation.org.uk.
