Welcome back everyone, this time I am sitting down with an incredibly dedicated and giving person who is carrying out a role that often goes unseen and underappreciated by all that attend a matchday, that is until they are needed.

Val Jacobs carries out the needed role of being a match day medical staff member. Having someone dedicate their time to the role for such a number of years is truly admirable and I wanted to find out the who, what and why. 

So here we go! 

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Name – Val Jacobs
Age – 60
Favourite team – Leyton Orient season ticket holder and Tonbridge Angels fan
Occupation – Charity trustee and football match day medical staff
Thing I love about football – Football to me is more like a social event at times, spending quality time with friends and talking about football the rest of the time with them via social media.
My football pet hate – Homophobia, racism, misogyny.

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What does football mean to you?

Football is the most exciting, frustrating, fun, annoying thing to experience. It’s something handed down through generations and all encompassing to new people to the football family.

What initially drew you to work as a football crowd medic?

I worked as a volunteer medic for a charity which was started by the late Paul Alcock, former Premiership referee, and we were approached by Maidstone United to take over their match day crowd cover.

What does the role actually consist of?

We arrive before the crowd arrive and liaise with the team sports therapist/medic and Safety Officer. We then are in contact with the SO by radio and should there be any issues we are called to assist. We deal with everything from plasters to cardiac arrests!

We assist the team medic when needed, with stretcher and scoop stretcher help and addition help with the team where needed.

What is it that you personally take away from your role?

I enjoy watching football obviously and I enjoy the cameraderie of the team and fans and staff altogether as a unit. We get great support from everyone at Tonbridge Angels and fans often come up to us to thank us for what we do. It’s a lovely feeling when that happens.

You previously worked at Maidstone United for 9 years, how was your time there?

It was a wonderful time, we have made lifelong friends and were lucky enough to volunteer with the academy team as medics, and with them went to St George’s Park 2 years in a row to work with them when they won the National Academy cup back to back. We also were there to see the first team win the National League South and that was a very special moment.

The Gallagher stadium has changed quite a bit over the years, how was dealing with the ever increasing size of the ground?

We started with 2 matchday staff at the Gallagher and that increased over time to be 4 staff for segregated matches. The layout altered the significantly with the changing of the away fans area and there needed to be a fluid response to that by us.

You now carry out the same work for another Kent based club, Tonbridge Angels, what made you make the switch?

We were initially looking to cover both Maidstone United and Tonbridge Angels matches this season but sadly Maidstone United decided to make changes and so we finished our cover there last season.

How has your time been at Tonbridge so far?

Tonbridge Angels has been a complete revelation, they have smaller crowds but the fans and staff there are among the most passionate and welcoming I’ve ever known. We always stay after the home matches to chill out, have a drink or 2 and chat with the amazing people there.

Is there a particular moment or time you are proud of the work you have done? 

Certainly being involved with the Academy team at Maidstone was wonderful and so joyous to see them win at the home of English football, but there have been other times, such as a successful result to a cardiac arrest situation and medic-ing a young lady who was close to death due to a ruptured kidney and may not have made it but for our pre-hospital treatment.

Did you always plan to volunteer your time for so long or have you caught the bug?

I started volunteering with Urban Blue 16 years ago and wanted to help keep young people safe (our son was a youngster working in a town centre pub at the time). I have progresses from being a volunteer medic, to manager to trustee. It’s rewarding but can be a headache at times, especially dealing with grants and the finances, as a charity we struggle a lot.

What are your plans for the future?

I aim to continue to medic at football forever, I love the game and non-league football is proper” football, in that it’s more personable and the match day experience is closer for the paying fans. You truly are a footballing family in Non-League!

Would you recommend others to volunteer their time for their local non-league clubs?