The secret side of Freddy Shepherd: How ex-Newcastle chairman helped unknown team reach the stars; Chester-le-Street Amazons FC have paid tribute to the former Newcastle United chief and revealed his dedicated support.
Byline: nechronicle
Late Newcastle United chairman Freddy Shepherd was a quiet benefactor for a women's football team for the last 12 years of his life, it has emerged.
Chester-le-StreetAmazons FC, who won promotion in April after winning their county division, paid tribute to the "incredibly special Amazons legend and hero" after his sudden death last month.
Former Magpies supremo Freddy, together with his brother Bruce, gave their unsung support to the club from its lowly origins in St Cuthbert's Primary School through to its emergence as an independent and title-winning women's team.
Club chairperson, Julie Scurfield, said: "One of the dads of the original team worked forFreddyand Bruce, he was going into work every day and they'd ask how the Amazons did, and it was all 'they lost 15-0 but they were still full of beans'. It took them three seasons to score a goal and four seasons to win a game.
"Freddy just wanted to help us out and they contributed to a whole different range of things. If they heard we were struggling they would just give us money and they didn't ever want any sponsorship.
"There was just an ongoing interest and when the girls finally got through to a cup final they all turned up in these grand spanking new tracksuits, paid for by Freddy and Bruce, it was a complete surprise for me.
"Knowing that we had his support behind us, and knowing that someone of that significance in the North East was interested in our little club, it was really inspiring for us. It wasn't as if we were a high-flying team.
"The Amazons are just quite an infectious football club, it has a family feel about it and people get caught up in it."
On another occasion Freddy and Bruce put up the money so the young Amazons team could watch the England women's team play at the European Championships in Helsinki.
Julie said: "I just thought they were getting a drubbing every single week but I felt like they deserved a bit of a treat because they never gave up.
"They did bag packs, they did a sponsored triathlon and sponsored cake sales, but we were still quite a bit short. But then in stepped Freddy and Bruce with quite a significant amount - it was the difference between us being able to go and us not being able to go.
Freddy Shepherd: Newcastle was united in grief for their local hero
"There was the...
To continue reading
Request your trial