When a young people's group from South Tyneside headed down to Shildon they found a former Premier League footballer was on hand to put them through their paces. Chief football writer Paul Fraser explains why and how Alun Armstrong is opening his doors to the public

FOR a player whose career included a match-winning goal against Inter Milan, an appearance at the San Siro and a Riverside Stadium promotion party, it was during a second spell at Darlington when Alun Armstrong realised he wanted to put something back in to the game.

Now, six years on, the striker who boasts the Quakers, Middlesbrough and Newcastle United among those to have paid his wages is doing his best to keep children off the streets by developing local talent.

In August the 37-year-old opened his own Alun Armstrong Soccer Centre on the George Reynolds Industrial Estate in Shildon, where he takes sessions and hires out his six high-spec pitches and function room to groups.

"We have gone for the best Fifa rated turf there is around," said Armstrong, who is the brainchild of the centre along with business partners Ian Shuttleworth, Peter Monkhouse and Steve Coulthard.

"There are other places in the region for people to go and play football but what I wanted to make sure was that this was a little bit better. We came in slightly over budget, but that's because we want it to be a quality place."

On the occasion when The Northern Echo visited he was putting more than 20 members of the Boldon Young People's Project through their paces. The Project was set up by former Bristol City pro Dave Johnson.

Through Johnson and Armstrong's links with Middlesbrough's academy recruitment officer Martin Carter, the agreement was reached for the Project to travel across County Durham to have a two-hour session with a former Premier League footballer.

"Dave is based on the streets of Boldon," said Carter, who sees Armstrong regularly at Boro's Rockliffe Park training HQ where the latter is an Under-14s coach.

"Dave engages with groups on the streets aged between eight and 30 and tries to get them in to activities, outreach projects, positive roles. We will probably look to do it every year. It takes away the problems in their lives for a few hours, the project helps them longer, and they have an enjoyable experience."

It was particularly rewarding for Armstrong too. He said: "They were poor kids, hanging around on street corners and I just wanted to help.

"You don't know what to expect. I used to be involved in something called the Street League, which dealt with similar people. They were homeless, had problems at home and they would absolutely love it. They did this time.

"It's really rewarding. To see these young people enjoying it, listening to what you say and enjoying the football is good. You just want to help them in a way that you can. Hopefully it helped them."

The Soccer Centre is open for bookings for coaching sessions (including next week's October half term holiday programme) while there are also 515 slots a week available for teams and leagues to play and train from.

Armstrong decided to try out his own centre after becoming frustrated when he tried to take his own coaching schools around the region.

"You know what, I have this gripe really about some coaching schools were they are associated with a former player's name and they don't turn up," he said. "I wanted to set something up where I would be there to train the kids. That's big thing for me.

"At first I started to try to take different sessions around the region but as soon as different places realised who they were talking to they would often up the price because they thought 'he must have money, he's a former footballer'.

"That's not fair. I was just trying to charge a few quid to lay on sessions for children, so I thought the only way this would work is if I set up my own centre somewhere. We came across this place in Shildon and went for it."

Not all footballers try to pursue a career in coaching, though. "It started when I was at Darlington really," said Armstrong, referring to the second spell at the Quakers between 2006-07. "When Dave Hodgson was in charge he asked me if I wanted to do my coaching badges and help him. That's what I did.

"Then he got the sack, Dave Penney took over and he didn't really take to me, so I started to take my own soccer schools. I've been looking to make it work ever since."

Born in Blaydon, his playing career included ten clubs before ending at Newcastle Blue Star five years ago. Now he has settled in the County Durham village of Wolsingham.

After two years at Middlesbrough he moved to Ipswich Town for £500,000 in 2000 and will always be remembered at Portman Road as the striker who scored a winning header against Inter Milan in the 2001-02 UEFA Cup.

He will never forget that night himself, although it was the May day in 1998 - just three months after his £1.6m switch from Stockport - at the Riverside which still ranks higher than them all.

Middlesbrough needed three points against Oxford United to cement promotion back to the Premier League just months after losing to Chelsea in the League Cup final at Wembley.

And Armstrong, recalling the 4-1 win, said: "I am local North-East lad and even though I am from Newcastle I knew all about the passion for football around the area so to be involved in that game against Oxford was special.

"That was the day we won promotion, in front of 30,000 at the Riverside with Andy Townsend, Craig Hignett, Emerson ... to get two of the goals as well was fantastic.

"It meant the club were heading back to the Premier League to face Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, all of those. You could just see what it meant."

Now Armstrong wants to help nurture and bring through his own little promotion winners - and hopes his Soccer Centre at Shildon will be the ideal place to start.

* For anyone wishing to book a training session or hire out one of the six pitches, function room or a book a party log on to www.aasoccercentre.co.uk or call 01388 772800.