Kettering Ise Lodge football manager honoured with reunion celebration led by Sean Dyche

Hosted at Kettering Town Football Club, the evening was titled ‘Jim Hover – This Is Your Life’, recognising his almost five decades of dedication to Ise Lodge Football Club and the thousands of young people whose lives have been shaped by his commitment.

Founded in 1978, Ise Lodge FC began with just two youth teams, Jim coached a team of aspiring players including Sean Dyche who became a league footballer and professional football manager.

Surprised by his team of ‘82, Jim had no idea he was going to be centre of attention joined by ex-players, family and friends.

Jim said: “It was amazing. They were all there, it was something else. I’m extremely grateful to everyone who organised it.”

It was Jim’s second team at the club when he found the winning combination. They trained at Kettering Boys’ School in Windmill Avenue and then Henry Gotch in Deeble Road before the club moved to their own premises.

Players who could not be there in person sent video messages to thank Jim for his dedication to the team.

Jim said: “In the 1980s they won everything. They just bonded well as a unit and a team. I picked the team and they did the rest.

"They weren’t the most gifted boys, but it was all about their attitude. ‘There’s no I in team’ that’s what we tried to instill in them. I’d say go out and enjoy yourselves and if you win, you win.”

Jim is very proud of the team members and their career achievements after leaving Ise Lodge FC.

He said: “It’s not just their football achievements. They are chief executives, top people and if I contributed in anyway, I would be delighted. The fact is they turned up and are still friends.”

Biggest footballing success was Sean Dyche who stayed loyal to Ise Lodge but was eventually spotted by Nottingham Forest. Sean joined the team he would go on to manage years later.

Sean said: “Jim had a massive effect on so many youngsters, not just as a professional footballer in my case, but as a bloke.

"He’s done so much for all the kids. The biggest bit of advice he’s given me, and I say this all the time in business and football, is a great attitude is everything."

Asked if Sean owed his career to Jim, Sean said: “He’s certainly played his part. When you’re young – I was seven-years-old when I first joined Ise Lodge – I remember the first thing he said was ‘people who make it in life have got a great attitude’ and I still share that now.

“I left Kettering for Nottingham Forest at 16, but I haven’t forgotten my roots. It’s great to see so many faces. We still keep in touch and some are my best mates we go still go out for a few beers and a curry.”

He added: “Jim, he’s so loveable, hardly in my career has he asked for anything but I’ve invited him to games. The twist in his life is that he stuck with Ise Lodge for fifty years but he had four daughters!”

In 2018, Jim won the award for outstanding contribution to the league at the Weetabix Youth League's 40th anniversary celebrations.

Now in his 70s Jim still coaches at Ise Lodge FC working with four to six-year-olds, with two of his grandchildren playing for the club that boasts more than 24 teams.

Event organiser and Kettering Town FC head of events and hospitality, Paula Conde-Sharpe, said: "We often celebrate footballers for the goals they score, the trophies they win and the moments they create on the pitch. But sometimes we forget the people standing quietly on the touchline, making it all possible.

“Jim Hover is one of those people.

"When you think about the thousands of children who have passed through Ise Lodge over the years, the friendships formed, the confidence built and the memories made, you begin to understand the true scale of what Jim has achieved.

“Some of those children went on to play professionally. Others simply enjoyed being part of a team. But every single one was given an opportunity because people like Jim cared enough to give up their time.

“What made the evening particularly special was seeing just how much Jim means to so many people. There was laughter, there were tears and there was an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

“We should never wait until someone is no longer with us to tell them how much they mean or how much they have achieved. We should celebrate them while they are here to hear it."

Jim’s wife Carole and four daughters – Tania, Andria, Natalia and Lydia and their familes – took part in the celebration filled with ‘emotion, humorous awards, personal tributes and heartfelt reflections’ on Jim’s impact.

Paula added: "Jim's story represents everything that is wonderful about football at this level. It's about belonging, community, friendship and giving something back.

“Football clubs are not simply buildings, pitches or results on a Saturday afternoon. They are people. And without those people, we have nothing.

“If there is one message I hope people take away from Jim's evening, it is this: never underestimate the difference one person can make."