THIS IS WHERE IT STARTS!
KEVIN LINCOLN
Company Secretary at Tottenham Community Sports Centre Charitable Trust.
Kevin Lincoln, the Secretary of Trustees at Tottenham Community Sports Centre, has been with the centre since its opening days.
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Kevin Lincoln, of Lower Swaines, Epping has made an outstanding impact on the community of Tottenham, Haringey for over 50 years! At a young age he established Tottenham Community Sports Centre a base for people of all ages to partake in sporting activities. Tottenham Community Sports Centre was one of the first sports centres in London. It was established 52 years ago by Kevin and a determined band of volunteers, many of whom are still connected with the centre today. Now a Grandfather Kevin still volunteers at the Tottenham Community Sports Centre, High Road, Tottenham, where he started playing football in the 1960’s. The 67-year-old was the winner of Mayor of London Boris Johnson’s Special Award 2015 for the work he has done within the community. Mr Lincoln was presented with the award by the mayor Boris Johnson and Tottenham Hotspur legend Ledley King.
In the 1960s, the centre was a Territorial Army base, but a 14-year-old Mr Lincoln managed to persuade the sergeants to allow him and his friends to play football there. And ten years later when the army wanted to sell it, the group managed to persuade Haringey Council to buy it and run it as a sports centre. But when the authority closed it in 1998, Mr Lincoln rallied people together to take a lease on it and it has been run as a charitable trust ever since. He still volunteers as the secretary to the trustees, helping with the finances, bookings and day-to-day management.
The retired glassman said the aim of the charity is to provide activities for people aged five and up and today it is home to a wide range of groups.
He added: “We cross all the divides – the centre really reflects the needs of the community.
“It really is a second home.
“There is a great demand in Tottenham for facilities people can afford. He has earned the respect of his peers and became a role model in his community.
Former Tottenham and England footballer, Ledley King. “This place creates lots of opportunities for people to better themselves.”. “I grew up in east London and there weren’t many sports centres around and just through boredom kids can make bad decisions. But a sports centre can allow youngsters to thrive, and the people here can help take them along a whole new path and help them do something good with their lives.”
Over its five decades thousands of Tottenham residents have passed through its doors and some of its first users are now grandparents who bring their grandchildren to some of the 90-plus different sports clubs found within its bounds. Malcolm Springthorpe, chair of the trustees, was one of the small group of people to have founded the centre all those years ago, along with Kevin Lincoln, the centre’s secretary. Both were proudly present for the 50th anniversary in 2019.
The former Mayor of Haringey Cllr Sheila Peacock “I was a part of the centre right from the beginning,” said Cllr Sheila Peacock, the Mayor of Haringey. “And I still come to play Bingo on Tuesday nights! You can come here anytime of the week, and anytime time of the day and there are groups and clubs for you to take part in. It’s an absolutely brilliant place.” “We think the sports centre is very important because we are the only sports provider in this part of north Tottenham, and we’re the only constant on the High Road. “Having been here for 50 years, we’re now seeing the third generation of families coming through.” “We would dearly like to improve the facilities here, and it would be nice, when the time comes, to pass it on to somebody younger. “It would be nice to see it continue to thrive.”
