Grassroots football has always played a prominent role in the development of footballing stars. Penistone Church Football Club have had their fair share of products come through their ranks, the most well known of which is John Stones.
Manchester City and England defender, Stones is set to feature in his last cup final for City at the weekend, after the announcement of him leaving the club at the end of the season.
The FA Cup final takes place on Saturday afternoon between Chelsea and Manchester City, with the defender looking to be fit to make a cameo at the weekend.
The 31-year-old has played for the Citizens since 2016 after signing for £47.5 million from Everton. The defender has become a central part to the sides dominance over recent years and played a pivotal role in their treble winning campaign.
Over the course of his career he has picked up a plethora of accolades, winning the Premier League on six occasions, the EFL Cup fives times, the FA Cup twice and the Champions League once.
Injuries aside, Stones has been a stalwart in the City side and has become a well known name in households across the world.
Dave Hampshire, the club secretary at Penistone Church always knew Stones would make it in football.
He said, “You could see he was going to be a good player, it was impossible to say if he’d get to England standard.
“The way he stroked the ball, controlled it and read the game even at seven year old it was impeccable,” he continued.
The performances of Stones has proven to be a massive help to the club both finacially and perception wise.
With a warming smile Dave said, “When he gets called up for England, we always feature on the map of clubs where the players started their careers. You see Penistone rubbing shoulders with the likes of Manchester United’s, Liverpool’s and Leeds.
“If we’re ever running a club fundraiser, John will always send over a match worn shirt for us to raffle off if we’re struggling to raise the money,” he continued.
Clubs like Penistone continue to prove why the English football pyramid is unrivaled and needs to be protected.