City of Inverness: Unsung hero, 90, to receive medal for 70 years as a football coach

A modest hero is being honoured by his home city of Inverness for 70 years’ work as a football coach.

Jackie Sutherland will be only the fourth recipient of the special award.

A volunteer coach and lover of the game, Jackie Sutherland turned 90 last month.

He has nurtured the footballing talents of thousands of young hopefuls and keeps a close check on their success.

“I’ve always enjoyed reading about them and a lot of them still keep in touch,” he said.

“Sometimes you’re passing in the street and you get tapped on the shoulder.. this was one of the players that was in your class and they’re adults now.”

Speaking about the City of Inverness medal honour, he said: “It was embarrassing, initially, but I’m glad it came from Inverness where I was born and brought up.

“I’m part of the fabric of the town now and I think it’s a real honour to get the award from my own town.”

Jackie happily squeezed in football around his paid career as an agricultural salesman.

He co-founded the Inverness Street League and was snapped up by Highland League club Caledonian FC to establish a youth coaching scheme.

With a gift for fundraising, he helped to widen young players’ horizons with trips to overseas competitions.

Among those he helped train were Inverness-born future Liverpool star Kevin MacDonald and the Caley Thistle legends, father and son, Charlie and Ryan Christie.

Charlie, who now runs the Caley Thistle Youth Academy, said: “Jackie is such a likeable man.

“Football’s a passionate game and you hear coaches all the time raising their voice.. Sir Alex Ferguson with the ‘hairdryer treatment’ and things like that. But Jackie never had to do that.

“Everyone had such an affinity with him and so much respect for the man. He knows the game inside out.”

After seven decades as a coach, Jackie – coping well with tired knees and a second hip replacement – says he has no intention of quitting.

He will receive his medal in a special ceremony at half-time during Caley Thistle’s opening league game of the new season, next Saturday (August 5) against Queen’s Park.