West Ham United’s 2024 Community Captain Callum Oubridge could barely believe it when first-team star Jarrod Bowen surprised him with news of his award at his Queen’s Hospital workplace in Romford.
The Premier League is celebrating Community Captains as part of its ‘More Than A Game’ campaign, visible at all Premier League matches from 17-26 February, to showcase how its investment into all levels of football and funding for club community programmes positively impacts the lives of millions.
Callum was nominated by the Club for his ongoing hard work as an Education Centre Supervisor at the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT), where he has been instrumental in setting up a Men’s Health Network, aimed at improving male physical and mental well-being.
After starting out as an apprentice at the Trust when he was 19, Callum - now 25 - has continually demonstrated West Ham’s family values, swapping his suit for scrubs to help colleagues and patients at the hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic, and more recently going above and beyond to tackle challenges surrounding men’s health.
As a life-long Hammers fan, and a Season Ticket Holder, Callum was lost for words when Bowen unexpectedly burst in on him, armed with a bespoke print, captain’s armband and pennant to mark the recognition of his efforts.
“I’m still trying to process everything!” he said. “It was very surreal, but just amazing. I’ve been West Ham mad forever, and I was in Prague last summer even though I didn’t have a ticket, so getting the chance to meet Jarrod and chat to him was brilliant.
“I’m very proud and honoured to have been nominated for this award. The Men’s Health Network launched in December, so it’s still quite new, but it’s something I’m very passionate about and it continues to go from strength to strength.
“It was always an ambition of mine to create some sort of men’s network - I always thought there was a bit of a gap in the market, even from a young age. I brought it up with some senior members of staff, and after some good conversations it officially went live late last year, backed and recognised by the Trust.
“The main idea is to provide a positive and safe environment for men, based around regular, all-ability football sessions. At the moment we have over 50 members, mainly from the work-place group, but as people continue to network more people are getting involved, and eventually it’d be great to spread it as far across the NHS as possible.
“The Community Captain award is a lovely marker to show that we must be doing something right, and it also serves as a big motivation to keep going and make the Men’s Health Network as successful as possible.”
West Ham United has a long-standing history of working with BHRUT, including inviting staff members to games in the wake of the pandemic and conducting player visits to hospital, and the Club have recently supported Callum’s venture by providing some footballs for use at his sessions.
Bowen highlighted how important it is that West Ham and the Premier League continue to back such valuable grassroots initiatives, while expressing his delight at being the one to deliver Callum’s good news.
“It’s been amazing getting to know Callum’s story, and to hear about the incredible work he’s put in to offer an invaluable service to his colleagues and peers,” Bowen added.
“The journey he’s been on from where he started to where he is now is a credit to him, and you can tell being around the place and hearing from some of the guys who work here just how much he means to them.
“It was a really special moment to open the door and see the look on his face when I surprised him. We had a good chat about football and men’s health, and it was good to get to know him and listen to his stories.
“Men’s health is a very important issue to tackle, and the steps that Callum has taken are unbelievable. His work fits into the messages we try to convey as a family club at West Ham, and I’m proud that he has been chosen for this award.
“Football is a really powerful tool to help people and communities from all walks of life, and when you hear stories like Callum’s you realise how crucial it is that the Premier League and its clubs continue all their hard work off the pitch as well as on it.”
To find more about the Premier League’s ‘More Than A Game’ campaign, please click HERE.
