In the early hours of 25 January 2020, Jordan Sinnott received a punch that would end his life in an intensive care ward of Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital later that same day.
Sinnott was a talented non-league footballer who had come through Huddersfield Town’s academy, forming a friendship group with his fellow graduates. That group, his family and his girlfriend were all broken in two by the worst news. Jordan was just 25 years old.
Among that group was Matt Crooks, now at Middlesbrough. The pair’s adolescence had been spent together, meeting at 14 after being signed by Huddersfield in the same week and released on the same day at 21. They met through football but their deep friendship went far beyond it. They grew up together, holidayed together, had girlfriends who became friends with each other.
“We were playing Peterborough away and I was in the hotel,” Crooks says. “I can still picture the hotel room now, I can remember what I was watching the night before. It’s very clear in my mind, everything from the evening to the morning after.
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Three weeks after Jordan’s death, his fiancée Kelly Bossons announced that she was pregnant with her “miracle baby” and Maisie is now 16 months old. Crooks describes her as Jordan’s “little gift to us”, a part of his friend that he can still see and hold and speak to.
In the aftermath of the tragic news, Jordan’s close family and friends became determined to create something lasting to ensure that his legacy would last far beyond the news cycle that reported on his tragic passing.
It was quickly decided that rather than focusing on the nature of his unavoidable passing, they should create a charity that raised funds to help disadvantaged and underprivileged people enjoy sport, offering grants to clubs, individuals and families to help with the cost of transport and equipment. That would be the best way to represent Jordan’s personality best.
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In December last year, the Jordan Sinnott Foundation Trust achieved status as a registered charity.
The chair is Jordan’s mum Melanie, while Crooks and fellow friends and footballers Danny Ward and Jon Stead are trustees. Kelly is involved with the running of the charity too. All are committed not just to raising money, but to keeping the memory of Jordan alive through helping others.
“We had the Sinnott 25 shirts [held up by footballers that were shared on social media] that happened organically and raised a huge amount of awareness,” Crooks says. “But after that I was desperate for him not to disappear. I feel like you see it all too often with the news the way it is: the cycle quickly shifts to something else and the focus turns to other things.”
Crooks is clearly in awe of the strength demonstrated by Melanie, who has thrown herself into the charity. He speaks of her strength and her inspirational qualities through adversity, mentioning the daily WhatsApp messages about where the next focus must be or what they must all work hardest on. And they are ambitious, driven by a simple formula: the better the charity does, the more people it helps, the more Jordan is still with them.
“We’re doing this for Jordan – of course we are,” Crooks says. “It is so beautiful to see what we can do for other people, but from a personal point of view I’m doing it to keep the memory of Jordan alive. I’m sure that he’s happy looking down on us and seeing the work we are doing. He’s likely taken aback with the amount of work I’ve done, because he always used to call me out for being lazy! But really, I’m just trying to do my best for my friend.”
To find out more about the Jordan Sinnott Foundation Trust or to participate in the raffle for the chance to win the unique 2022 ‘Jordan’ football shirt, visit www.js25.co.uk
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3FTvOPb
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