My primary school, Portway, was close to where I used to live in Stratford, east London, a five-minute walk from my house. We had some good times there. The school was good at football and I used to play in midfield in those days. I was a sweeper, centre-half, centre-forward and I ended up in midfield. I played everywhere except in goal.
My secondary school, Lister community school, was down the road from Upton Park, West Ham’s ground. The headteacher was Mr Hudson, and Mr English taught maths. Those guys were influential. They didn’t beat around the bush; they were straight down the line, and that’s all you can ask for in a teacher.
They were strong characters. To be a headteacher you’ve got to be strong to control the pupils, and the teachers, and to get some team spirit going. Mr English had to be strong because there were some feisty kids in his group. I haven’t been back to Lister school for a long time; I think a lot of my teachers have left. From time to time, I used to pop in unannounced and see who was about.
I played all sports - football, tennis, softball, badminton, a bit of basketball. I was keen on football but at that stage I was just going out and enjoying it. I didn’t realise I was going to make a career out of it because I quite liked schoolwork. I really liked maths, design, IT and a bit of English.
I love buildings and houses and how they are built, and if I hadn’t been a footballer I would like to have been a surveyor or something that combines all those things.
When I was 14, Tottenham Hotspur put me forward for Lilleshall school in Shropshire (the FASchool of Excellence which closed in 1999 and was replaced by club academies). You go for a few trials and at the last one they decide who’s going to go. It wasn’t a wrench to leave my school. To be honest, Lilleshall came at the right time for me: 14 was a great age to get out of London. I think it’s a good age for any kid to say “this is the path I may go down” and to try it. You are young and you’re more receptive. It’s a great age to start to carve out your career.
The routine at Lilleshall, where we boarded, was that after school at a local comprehensive, Idsall, we’d go training and do homework after dinner for an hour. It was intensive but you did have spare time. On Saturdays, we’d watch a local game and relax in the evening, maybe have a barbecue, and Sunday we’d play against a local side. I really enjoyed it there.
There were 16 of us in the class but only a few are still playing. The person who taught me most in football is John Cartwright, who was my coach when I started at Lilleshall. He taught me to believe in myself. I came into Lilleshall with a fresh mind; I said to them “give me what you’ve got” and I sucked it all in like a sponge. You never stop learning. If you stop and think you know it all, that’s when it starts to go wrong. I’m still willing to learn and I want to learn.
A good teacher can instil discipline in your life; sometimes a kid can be in trouble and can turn to a teacher to help out. They have an important role in children’s upbringing. I think the Teaching Awards are great because it’s very important for people to be recognised for what they do. Some of the situations teachers are in are hard, and the environment is difficult. It’s nice that people can show some belief and keep on doing the right thing.
Footballer Sol Campbell was talking to Harvey McGavin. Sol Campbell was a presenter at this year’s Teaching Awards (www.teachingawards.com)
The story so far
1974 Born Newham, east London
1988 Leaves Lister school to attend the FA School of Excellence at Lilleshall, Newport, Shropshire
1992 Makes debut for Tottenham Hotspur
1996 First of 42 full international caps; one of the few players to play for England at every level - under 15, under 16, under 18, under 21 and senior
1998 Becomes youngest England captain since Bobby Moore; plays in every game of the World Cup in France
2000 Ever-present at Euro 2000 in Belgium and the Netherlands
2001 After 315 appearances, joins Tottenham’s arch rivals, Arsenal
