Kelly Scott: a stalwart of Newcastle football

CHILDREN at a grassroots football club have been left heartbroken following the death of its co-founder.

- By KRISTY DAWSON Reporter

Charlie Scott and his wife Beverley, with club trustee Paula Edwards, at Newcastle East End FC

Kelly Scott, 52, set up Newcastle East End FC in Walkergate, Newcastle, with his dad Charlie, 76, in 1995.

The pair began 30 years ago with two teams and worked hard to increase the size of the club.

It is now one of the biggest in the North East with 32 teams and around 400 members.

Everyone at the club was devastated when Kelly suffered a bleed on the brain on Saturday, November 15.

He was rushed to hospital where he was put on a life support machine but sadly died two days later.

Charlie, from Wallsend, North Tyneside, told The Chronicle: “It’s so hard. We thought it would be the other way around. I thought I would go first.

“From what we have seen it looks like 30 to 40 teams have done a minute silence for him. It’s unbelievable the support we have had. It’s so kind.”

Charlie’s wife Bev, 64, who is Kelly’s stepmother, said: “We still can’t believe it. His passing has had a massive impact. There's a lot of people devastated.”

Paula Edwards, 44, a trustee at the club, said: “He wanted to donate his organs but he was too poorly for them to be able to do that.

“The kids, who he trained, thought of him as a second dad or an uncle.

“He was that close to the kids. The kids are just heartbroken.

“There's been hundreds of people saying how much he was respected and how he treated all the kids in the club as part of his family.”