Captain Caveman carves out career caring for kids

He is better known for his no-nonsense, rousing performances as captain of our club but David Chadwick is now embarking on a career working with young people thanks to his community work with FC United.

Chaddy, nicknamed Captain Caveman by his teammates, has given up his previous job as a window fitter to join northerncare after leading coaching sessions for kids as part of the football club’s community work.

Chaddy was approached by northerncare, who look after children and young people in local authority care, at a five-a-side tournament organised jointly by the company and FC United and didn’t need long to think about the move.

"I’d already been doing some coaching with Karl Marginson and various kids’ groups as part of FC United’s commitment to work in the community and I’d known of northerncare for a while as the club has close links to them," Chaddy explains.

"It was great to see the kids enjoying themselves at the coaching sessions and tournaments and they loved coming to watch FC United too. The connection was already there so working with young people, helping them to develop, really felt like something I wanted to do as a full-time job on top of the football."??

Now Chaddy is working in one of northerncare’s residential homes in Bolton, looking after boys aged 11-17. He said: "I love working with the kids and wish I’d done it sooner. I help round the house and we take them on trips such as camping and the cinema. We aim to get some routine and boundaries into their lives as well as some fun.

"It can be tough, mentally and emotionally but the rewards far outweigh this when you see the changes in them. I’m so pleased that playing for FC United and taking part in the club’s community work has brought me here."

Chaddy joined FC United soon after our formation in summer 2005. He quickly became a favourite of the fans thanks to his uncompromising leadership in a red shirt, despite being a massive Manchester City fan.

He added: "The crowds like to give me some stick about that but their support is amazing and so many of them get involved in the club’s voluntary work - it’s really good to see and all the FC United players love the ethos there, they all get involved too."

Martin Evans, manager of the residential home, said David was a natural fit for their team as well as FC United’s: "We want people with strong personalities, leadership skills and a genuine interest in working with young people. David had already shown us all these qualities while we were working with FC United, so we were really pleased when he agreed to join us."??

David Rae, northerncare’s chief executive, added: "It is great to see how northerncare and FC United’s longstanding partnership has opened the door for people who may not have considered this line of work before.

"David has been able to use his valuable life skills to enhance the lives of the young people we look after and we hope he will continue to flourish in his role as a casual residential support worker.

"We have been looking after vulnerable children for 10 years and hope to continue to build upon our success, which is rooted in the belief that the young people we care for and the staff we employ are central to our future growth."??