FA dedicates St George's Park pitch to Dick Bate
Dick's wife Maggie was present at the ceremony at St George's Park
Written by Simon Austin — August 16, 2018
A PITCH at St George’s Park has been dedicated to Dick Bate in memory of a figure who "helped thousands become better coaches".
Pitch 10 at the national football centre, which is used to host coaching courses, will now permanently carry the name of the former England youth coach.
Bate died in April 2018 at the age of 71 following an illustrious career that saw him serve as FA elite coaching manager, technical director with the Canadian and Malaysian football associations and hold senior positions with Watford, Sheffield Wednesday, Notts County, Southend United, Lincoln City, Leeds United and Cardiff City.
In all, he delivered coach education courses in 63 countries across six continents.
The St George's Park pitch was formally dedicated to Bate during a private ceremony attended by his wife Maggie and sons Nick and Matthew. FA Technical Director Dan Ashworth led the unveiling.
“Dick dedicated his working life to coach education and helping thousands become better coaches,” Ashworth said. “Therefore it’s fitting that we can name a pitch here at St. George’s Park that will go on to inspire many more in his memory.”
