Sporting Bygones: When pulling power took on a whole new meaning for life outside the game

BACK in the Eighties, before a massive explosion in wage levels, the majority of professional footballers still needed to find paid employment after hanging up their boots.

For many, the easy option was the pub trade which, unlike today, was still a booming business.

When Leeds City Council linked up with brewers Tetley to offer lessons in life as a pub landlord there were no shortage of takers.

Barnsley duo Stuart Gray and Joe Joyce, pictured, were just two of the local players who took advantage of the unique 26-week course.

Bradford City’s Bobby Campbell also took part along with many others from clubs including Sheffield United, Huddersfield Town, Rotherham United and York City.

During the summer of 1985, Gray and Joyce learned how to pull the perfect pint, look after a cellar and become familiar with the laws of the licenced trade.

As evident from our photograph, it was a time when drinkers were invited to sip cocktails such as the ‘Margarita’, the ‘Blue Lagoon’, or the ‘Sea Serpent’ for no more than £1.20 a glass.

Skol was one of the most popular lagers on draught and bar-staff needed strong arms and tough fingers to work non-powered cash registers. Oh and, yes, moustaches were still deemed to be in vogue.

The training course, 26 years ago, was designed to provide footballers with a useful stepping-stone into a new industry. It was set up by Leeds City Council and David Hardy, director of the Leeds New Business Course Support Unit, revealed that those taking part were charged over £300. Today, that amount would barely leave a hole in a Championship footballer’s pocket. In 1985, it might have been a week’s wages.

John Young, manager of Tetley’s training centre in Otley, told the Yorkshire Post how customers in the county were ‘very particular’ about the pulling of their pints.

“It has to be clear and bright with a creamy top and no bubbles,” he said. “The skill of pulling a pint is trial and error but basically you need a steady pull.”

The final part of the course had to be postponed after players from York City were involved in a minor plane crash at Leeds Bradford airport. The team had been returning from a post-season trip to Majorca when a TriStar jet in which they were travelling overran the runway on landing. Fortunately, no-one was seriously hurt.