Progress is Central

Manchester Central has had a vital role when harvesting undiscovered grassroots football talent. The football club is inseparable from unearthing the next generation of prospects to prosper in the sport at Manchester.

Central has had players and more educated, focused young inspiring individuals who have sprouted to have gone on to get hold of incredible careers as players and administration personnel inside the sporting industry at some of the most decorated regional football clubs and newspapers.

That's because Central considers itself a helping hand/extra push for young talent to express themselves with an environment central to the idea of giving them time to find themselves (on and off the pitch). Learn life lessons that will better them for their success as people with the club and for the place we ultimately all love, Manchester.

We caught up with Chairman Paul McGuire, Manager and Secretary Chris Tomkinson and Media Manager Josh Hawkes to find out why Central has drawn some of Manchester's best prospects both on and off the field and what it is like to be part of a team that is so central to family values.

"A good environment where people feel heard and are willing to cooperate often gives out excellent results in the organisation's interest.” - Paul McGuire

After re-establishing Central back in 2016 after an 85-year absence, Paul has made it clear what he wants Central to mean to players and how everyone should embrace the club culture who is involved with the club.

"The whole purpose of having a player at Central is for them to show the pride and passion to wear the Club shirt."

"They must understand that it's a learning ground for them to go on and prosper in football. So that, at times, will come with a harsh sense of reality and responsibilities to know what working hard means to be successful. Going out there in the world prepared to face any adversity."

Aside from Central, Paul has always been a leader in various roles, so he knows how to get the best out of the people around him. Talking about being a good leader, Paul said;

"For me to be a good leader, you need to provide tangible results and conduct yourself in a way that enables people to follow your lead. People still have to individually go through life, and knowing how to man-manage every day is a key element to the process.

"A good environment where people feel heard and are willing to cooperate often produces excellent results in the organisation's interest."

"I've seen just how bad narcissistic leadership can affect people. Regardless of business/team performance, treating people right is important, and we do this very well at Manchester Central. Hence, many players, staff, and volunteers have been around for years."

Having re-established Central in 2016, Paul openly takes pride in the work Central produces and knows that having a good nucleus of people at the club for the right reasons is vital for the club to survive and move forward.

"I've always taken a lead role in most things I do. I'm completely comfortable with taking responsibility and giving direction. Having been the one that re-established Manchester Central a few years back and having done the research/cradle of the football club's history. I do take pride in what we do."

"Yes, it may be quite a challenge at times to fully function in a football club daily, but this is why I like to surround myself with good people whose interests and ethics are aligned with mine. That's what we've always had at Manchester Central.

"Since I know I can depend on such a foundation of people. We do this out of love, not financial means. In fact, it costs us money compared to profit. Therefore it has to be enjoyable, and I've always tried to make it that."

"Here at Central we have always done things professionally which leads to the right things going well for us." - Chris Tomkinson

Chris, who for many years has been involved with Central initially as a goalkeeper coach but since 2021 has overseen the team guiding them back to Division One at the first time of asking elaborates as to what it means to be in charge of Central

"What is worthwhile for me is witnessing my players improve and progress throughout the years, which generally leads to successful seasons. Players, therefore, have gone on to higher levels, and we as a team can only be proud of having played an important part in their progress. That is what truly fulfils me as a Coach at Central."

Tomkinson thanks Chairman and Former Manager Paul McGuire alongside other experiences, for making him he is the coach today.

"I've learnt more since becoming a coach, thanks largely to Paul. Him and facing different coaches whose physiological and philosophical approaches have allowed me to go back to the drawing board and come up with new ways to approach football games. This keeps things exciting for me."

Aside from winning games and looking to push the club in the right direction, Tomkinson highlights important lessons players learn whilst at Central, which will aid them when they move on to higher levels.

"Here at Central, we have always done things professionally, which leads to the right things going well for us. The players understand the need to show discipline and accountability by showing up on time, and consider the life lessons football teaches on and off the pitch, such as respecting your opponent, adversity and how a winner conducts themselves. So when they do move on, hopefully they carry these traits with them."

"The training sessions are always engaging with intensity, and challenging factors by smiles are always all over the pitch. We are here to make them understand that anything worth having is worth sacrificing for."

"I can only hope that people enjoy our content, see the work we put in and how we do our best to diversify the work we put out" - Josh Hawkes

Having been at the club since the very start, media manager Josh discussed how important supporters and fandom overall are impactful at the football club and how focusing on expanding the Manchester Central brand has yielded positive feedback and acknowledgements within the region.

"When Central was first formed in 2016, we noticed a gap in grassroots football. There needed to be more social media presence to provide modern ways for fans to engage with teams, such as website articles, social media match updates, highlights and interviews from games.

This would help communicate with supporters, stakeholders and the community at large. Therefore, We at Central have worked hard over the last six years and a half to provide such services to our supporters. The results? We have won social media awards for grassroots

football and fans acknowledge our content throughout the world."

Like most things, Marketing and Media have changed over the last five years, and Josh knows all too well that it's essential to keep up with the latest trends to keep current fans engaged and how it's an opportunity to generate new fans too.

"How we plan and use our Marketing and Media campaigns and social media channels have changed over the past five years. In the past, for the most part, posters and flyers were a massive way to generate interest for games and a great way of getting our name out there."

"As things have evolved and changed, our Social Media channels have been utilised from traditional Facebook and Twitter to newer apps such as Instagram and Tik Tok. Having your supporters engage online through social media and our website is more work, but it's valuable and worth concentrating on."

Josh hopes that people who view Central's social media channels for the first time allows people to spark an interest in Central.

"I can only hope that people enjoy our content, see the work we put in and how we do our best to diversify the work we put out. We also aim to get content out on newer publication channels like Tik Tok; we will potentially grow our fan base."

"We do our best to emphasise that we are more than just a club by putting insightful and heartfelt stories about our media team, players and coaches. Alongside working with organisations such as Seashell Trust for fundraising events."

"Getting awards such as the Best use of Social Media award for Grassroots Football in Manchester motivates us to push our club further into the public eye via social media."

"It's not just new fans we attract to the club; having a good social media presence has also got us new players who want to play for the club because of the videos and the photographs we take at games, which is great."

Having read the article. We hope the people of Manchester, especially young and upcoming football lovers, can appreciate the platform with its football family and feel Central is a football club. That being at Central, they should not have to feel like their dreams can never be a work in progress.