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Football loses grassroots hero Trevor Hutton

TRIBUTES: Hutton, centre, with ex-QPR player Clive Wilson, left, and Reading's Mikele Leigertwood

TREVOR HUTTON, co-founder and chairman of AFC Wembley, tragically passed away on April 30, at the age of 52.

He was a well-loved and respected figure across grassroots football in the United Kingdom and throughout his local community in Brent.

A teacher, coach and mentor, Trevor was passionate about enhancing the lives of young people and using football as a vehicle for social change.

He was dedicated to offering an outlet for disengaged communities and held true the important values of respect, integrity, friendship and togetherness.

He epitomised the meaning of a local hero and was recognised for his work with AFC Wembley, the club he established in 2007, when he received a special accolade for ‘outstanding community contribution’ at the first ever Pride of Brent awards last year.

Trevor’s role in grassroots football was acknowledged nationally in 2010 when he was announced on Football’s Black List, backed by The Football Association (FA), the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) and Kick It Out, as one of the 50 most influential black people in the game.

More recently, Trevor had begun to embark on a new project when launching the Community Football Federation (CFF) with his son Tajean.

The aim of the initiative is to help grassroots and community football gain greater recognition, and to provide equality of opportunity for all.

He ran a weekly ‘Corner League’, a concept taken from Jamaica to combat gang culture and street violence, in Wembley and delivered an FA Level 1 refereeing course just last week to help address the lack of qualified match officials from the black and ethnic minority community with Middlesex FA.

One of the founders of the Black and Asian Coaches Association (BACA), Trevor was a huge advocate of anti-discrimination initiatives.

Trevor played an active role in supporting the work of Kick It Out and became a member of the campaign’s Mentoring and Leadership Delivery Group last month.

Trevor was a true gentleman with an infectious smile. His warm, generous and kind-hearted personality endeared him instantly to anybody that had the pleasure of meeting him.

A grassroots and community hero who will continue to be a role model and inspiration for so many. Your legacy will live on forever.

Everybody at Kick It Out wishes to send their sincerest condolences to Trevor’s family and friends. He will be sorely missed by us all. Here are a number of tributes paid to him from across football.


GOOD WORK: Hutton (centre) at a recent conference at Wembley

Lord Herman Ouseley, Kick It Out:

“News of Trevor’s death has been a bolt out of the blue and nobody saw it coming. It’s a tragedy for his family and all who knew him and valued the work he did to assist young people in helping them to meet some of the challenges they face in our society. He will be a huge loss and very much missed.”

Greg Dyke, The Football Association:

“Trevor played a pivotal role in grassroots football, and was central to a number of initiatives which helped youngsters across the Wembley area. He will be missed.”

Peter Clayton, Middlesex FA:

“Trevor had supported the activities of the Association for many years and will be missed by those who knew him.

“His contribution to the community and football has been immense and only on Monday he was supporting the Corner League, a league which he helped develop and over the next couple of weeks his club which he started, AFC Wembley, will be taking part in two County Cup Finals.

“I had known Trevor for a number of years and was amazed at the vigour and enthusiasm he applied to his community work which has benefited countless young people in North West London. He will, indeed, be sorely missed and our condolences go to his family, friends and, of course our colleagues at AFC Wembley.”

Dr Colin King, the Black and Asian Coaches Association:

“The privilege of his spiritual altruism has inspired the most profound cultural changes in a togetherness that transcended difference. His symbolic loss to the anti-racism struggle at grassroots is as significant as Keith Alexander, and he made an immense contribution to Keith’s legacy as a founder member of the Black and Asian Coaches Association.

“His energy, imagination and industrious commitment towards change without the need of financial reward was consummate and liberated our souls to address inequality through dignified debate and collaborate resolution.

“His energies leave the baton for the potential of positive change in all aspects of the football family. My tears are for a person who represents the essence of a unique form of humanity witnessed in my friendship and struggles for a better future of all marginalised groups over the last 20 years.”

Lincoln Moses MBE, Continental Star FC:

“So sad to hear of the sudden death of Trevor Hutton. Trevor is a person I have known for several years and in that time I had formed a very good friendship with him.

“Trevor was particularly well-connected within The FA and also influential in setting up projects to suit the needs of the community.

“His travels on the social circuit were so extensive, he was a kind of legend in the national and regional sphere of community engagement. You would always see a smile like a diamond on Trevor’s face, and he will be sorely missed.”

Rodney Hinds, sports editor, The Voice newspaper:

“Trevor was a real man of the people. He was passionate and knowledgeable about life, sport and football in particular. He has touched many lives, including my own, and he will be a real loss. A special man has left a legacy which his friends, family and associates can be proud of.”

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