Jobi McAnuff – Official Ambassador
Thru Life has appointed Jobi McAnuff as our official ambassador. Jobi is a former professional footballer with 20 years in the game. He grew up in Tottenham and attended football development programmes in the same areas where Thru Life currently offers mentoring and football training. His story demonstrates how hard work, perseverance and mentoring can enable young people to have fulfilling lives and leave a positive impact on their community.
Jobi McAnuff's Story
With often just a fence for a goal, Joel “Jobi” McAnuff never thought as a child that his passion for football would have blossomed into a 20-year playing career, reaching the top flight of English football and even representing Jamaica at the international level.
And while there were challenges in his early days that threatened to hinder his progress, he did not dwell on them but used them as motivation to work hard and keep pushing forward and achieve as much as he could.
Joel – primarily referred to as “Jobi”, a nickname given by his father when he was young – was born in London and grew up in Tottenham. His family lived near the Tiverton Estate in the Stamford Hill area, then moved to Northumberland Park when he was around eleven. Being the son of an English mother and a Jamaican father meant that his childhood was immersed in a multicultural environment, which he thoroughly enjoyed.
“It was always celebrated in my house, my dad being Jamaican and my mom English and I grew up with children from around the world, who were white, black, Asian and mixed. It was the best place to grow up. It was brilliant for me.”
While Tottenham has historically been associated with a range of social issues including poverty and crime, Jobi has fond memories of a strong community bond where he and his friends were often chaperoned by an elder to the park to play football.
“I was very lucky growing up, coming from a working-class inner-city area. Back then people looked out for neighbours, friends and the people they went to school with. There was a real community feel.”
In his early school years, Jobi was always playing football. When he progressed to secondary school he played for the school football team. When he was about 11 he got the opportunity to attend Wimbledon Football Club’s academy. It was with this club that he would eventually make his first-team debut as a professional player. However, before his professional career started he had some initial setbacks.
When he was 14 years old he sustained an injury which put him back a whole year. Then when he was 18 he sustained another injury which hindered his ability to train with the team for 10 months. However, there was another challenge which previous to his second injury threatened to sound the death knell on a potential football career. At 16 years old when the time came for his cohort to be considered for scholarships to train with the club full-time, Jobi was not granted a scholarship. He was the only one out of the group of 10 that did not receive a scholarship. But this did not deter him.
“I didn’t get my scholarship at 16. I was the only one in my year group that wasn’t given a scholarship. I was told I was too small – that I wasn’t strong enough. So I went back in and trained part-time with them. I also started my A-levels. I had been around that group for about 4 or 5 years and by that time I felt like I was one of the better players. But clearly, someone didn’t, so it was my job to prove them wrong.”
Fortunately for Jobi his persistence paid off and with the support of a new coach who joined the club that season, he was later reconsidered and granted a scholarship.
From there, the rest is history. He then progressed to make over 750 appearances for 8 clubs including Wimbledon, West Ham, Cardiff City, Crystal Palace, Watford, Reading, Leyton Orient and Stevenage. However, it was his time at Reading FC time that was the high point of his career. During the 2011 – 2012 season he captained the team to win the EFL Championship. This victory meant the team’s promotion to the Premier League – a major personal achievement for him that many dream of but never achieve.
His time with Jamaica’s national football team the “Reggae Boyz” also holds a special place in his heart. Though he was born in the UK, being the son of a Jamaican made him eligible to represent the country. During his stint with them between 2014 – 2016, they played in two Copa Americas, a Gold Cup final, and won the Caribbean Cup in 2014.
“Some big highlights of my career include making my career debut after going through the academy system and then that first match you win when you are on the first team. Playing in the Premier League was a massive goal of mine, and prior to that winning the Championship League with Reading. Also, my international career representing one of my countries – Jamaica – was an amazing experience. Being able to have dad out in his homeland and seeing me play. These are the things you dream about playing football on the street.”
Jobi however does not credit his success to his efforts alone. He particularly acknowledges the hard work his parents put in raising and providing for his family as the enablement for him to pursue football. He also credits Clasford Stirling MBE who was his mentor in his youth as pivotal to his success, and who provided the pathway for him to progress to Wimbledon’s academy. For over 40 years Clasford has worked in community development and youth football in north London and particularly the Broadwater Farm estate in Tottenham.
“My dad has a working history as a cab driver and then he worked towards owning a shop – a local convenience store – and my mum supported him with that. He was one of those people who didn’t want to work for others – coming from Jamaica and the struggles and treatment he experienced along the way. He always wanted to get to a point where he was running his own business and owned a house. That for me has been a huge inspiration – everything that he managed to achieve, despite the odds against not just him, but a lot of the others that came over from that post-Windrush time.”
“In terms of my start in football, Clasford Sterling who worked over at the Broadwater Farm Estate spotted me playing for my school’s team. He invited me to come and play for what was at the time a little Sunday league team called Valley Youth out in Hertfordshire. We would always go to Broadwater Farm Estate and have sessions there that he would put on for us – never asking for money. Certainly for me at that stage of my early career, I can honestly say if it wasn’t for him, I don’t think I would have gone on to do what I did in the game.”
In 2021 after 4 years at Leyton Orient, including a brief stint as interim manager, he officially hung up his boots on his playing career. Before the time came when he inevitably knew he would transition from playing he started making preparations for life after the pitch. He earned his UEFA A coaching licence and is also now crafting a role as a football pundit with several platforms including Sky Sports, BT Sport, BBC, ITV and talkSPORT. In April 2022 at the annual EFL Awards, he was presented with the Sir Tom Finney Award which recognises a player who has had an outstanding career and contributed an exceptional amount to the EFL and football in general.
In May 2022 Jobi was appointed to the FA Board as a non-executive director. His aim is that the role will allow him to contribute to the improvement of issues regarding discrimination and equality affecting people in the game at all levels. One major factor is the lack of representation for black ex-players in the game whether at coaching, management or executive level.
As a Thru Life ambassador Jobi sees the role as an opportunity to come back to his roots and be an inspiration to young people who are growing up in the same areas he grew up in.
“I think it’s important for the kids to see you as somebody who is like them. When I go to support events, I can say I’ve been on this very same pitch doing what you’re doing now. And there’s no reason why whatever you want to go and do in your life you can’t do it.”
