A STRUGGLING youth football club has received cash from the widow of an MP and former football scout.
Alan Keen, who represented Feltham and Heston, in London, picked out talented players for Middlesbrough in the South for many years, having been appointed by Stan Anderson in the late Sixties.
And his love for his hometown resulted in his widow, Ann, coming up with the idea to raise money for Grangetown Youth Football Club instead of people buying flowers for his funeral, which takes place today.
Mr Keen, 73, died earlier this month from cancer.
Club secretary John Kenny said: “We were very humbled by the offer and it will be a massive boost for the club.
“It has been very hard to get funds to keep the football teams going and this would be fantastic for all the young players.
“It is a shame that it has taken someone to pass away.
However, we are grateful to Alan’s widow for this gesture.
“Hopefully, we will be able to organise a lasting tribute to Alan to show our thanks to his family.”
Former Middlesbrough player Curtis Fleming was asked to try to get as many people involved in fundraising for the club as possible.
He said: “Alan was just mad about football and he was always coming back to watch the Boro whenever he could and he never stopped talking about Grangetown because that was where he got his first taste of the game. His wife asked me if I could think of anything to raise money for to remember Alan by, rather than people buying flowers, and we thought Grangetown Youth Football Club would be perfect.”
An enthusiastic Boro fan all his life, Mr Keen was chairman of the all-party parliamentary committee on football and athletics and a member of the Commons Culture, Media and Sports Committee.
Brought up in Grangetown, Middlesbrough, Mr Keen attended Sir William Turner’s Grammar School, in Redcar, east Cleveland, served in the Army and worked in the fire protection industry before entering politics.
Mr Keen’s funeral takes place at 3pm, at Teesside Crematorium, Middlesbrough.
People can make a donation to the club, with cheques made payable to Grangetown Youth Football Club sent to Remembering Alan Keen c/o The Parliamentary Labour Party, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA or call the Parliamentary Labour Party on 0207-219-4552.
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