John Shiels, 67, is cycling to all 92 Football League clubs to raise money for the Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation, a mission that coincides with the 60th anniversary of England's World Cup win. He started the ride the day after retiring as chief executive of the Manchester United Foundation.
Shiels, who grew up in Nottingham and moved to Manchester at 18, is one of five riders on the tour. So far they have completed 70 clubs and 1,316 miles. All of the riders met Sir Bobby through his pioneering soccer schools, and Shiels delivered a eulogy at Sir Bobby's funeral three years ago.
Keeping the beautiful game alive
Shiels says Sir Bobby, despite surviving the Munich air disaster, always saw football as the beautiful game and that it is now in danger of being lost.
"Having worked with him and knowing him for so long, the beautiful game mattered to him," said Shiels. "And you look around, things are happening at a right old pace, the stuff from FIFA [selling the World Cup] and, and you think, you know what, we have to fight to keep the beautiful game."
"To some extent, I think he sort of got the role of being the statesman of the game because of what happened, and he stood up to that. But he never lost that love for it, he'd say, "Football is the best toy ever invented." And the power to play is so important that we have lost."
"You look at what's happening with FIFA, and you look at what's happening around, and we are losing that access to the game, unless someone starts standing up and talking about it, we will lose it."
The Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation began as a landmine clearance charity before shifting its focus to football, offering children across the world access to the game. Shiels and his team are now raising funds to ensure that work can continue closer to home.
The cost of playing
The cost of playing football has increased at home, and as the game becomes increasingly commercial, Shiels believes it is at risk of losing its essence.
"Shockingly, there are still tens of thousands of young people in England who can't afford to play affiliated football," he said. "To play for a team now costs you between £35 and £40 a month. If you're unfortunate and you're born in a family that is struggling, they're not going to pay £35 to £40 a month to let you play football."
"Football wasn't about kicking a ball. It's about making lifelong friendships. It's about keeping yourself fit. It's about being part of something, belonging to something. If you've not got it, your life isn't the same as it could be. And it costs pennies."
Sir Bobby's soccer schools
Sir Bobby founded his soccer schools in 1978 with a clear aim, and he never stopped wanting others to have the same opportunity. Shiels remembers what Sir Bobby wanted every child to experience.
"He just loved it so much," said Shiels. "To the extent that when we were talking to him about Bobby Charlton Soccer Schools, what did he want that to feel like for a kid? And he'd go, "I want every day to feel like Christmas Day."
"He came from a working-class background. Football was his way out. He never forgot his roots. He understood the privilege he had, but also the responsibility he had to make sure that it keeps getting passed on."
Shiels warns that the national game is losing its magic. "Football is the national game; it's magical. If we're not careful, it is losing its magic... We are losing that access to the game, which unless someone starts standing up and talking about it, we will lose it."
Donations to the Sir Bobby Charlton Beautiful Game Tour can be made via the JustGiving page.
