Bobby Robson's secret handwritten letter to Essex village club surfaces 30 years on

A handwritten letter from Sir Bobby Robson to a small Essex village club, written in 1996 as he was about to take charge of Barcelona, has been made public for the first time — nearly 30 years after he posted it.

Robson penned the note to Hatfield Heath FC, who were marking the 75th anniversary of their affiliation to Essex FA. Despite being on the verge of signing for one of the world’s biggest clubs, the former England manager took the time to write a personal message to a side formed in the 1890s.

“You have probably heard I’m heading for Barcelona Football Club — in my opinion the biggest football club in the world,” Robson wrote. “The stadium holds 120,000 people and it’s usually full!! There is not Barcelonas of this world unless there is hundreds of Hatfield Heath Football Clubs. Football has to start somewhere.”

He went on to draw a direct line between the grassroots game and its elite: “It probably ends in Barcelona, Juventus, Manchester United, AC Milan and Bayern Munich. But the Hatfield Heaths of this world provide the vase and the solid foundation upon which football and football players develop. Believe it please!”

Robson closed the letter with a congratulatory note: “Good luck in all you do. The big guns need the little guns and you all do a remarkable job. I really admire your enthusiasm, dedication and devotion to the world game. Congratulations on your 75th — you will make the ton easily.”

The club’s secretary, David Pyle, said the letter had been treasured in their archives ever since. “It was such a special letter to receive. A club member contacted several famous football people and Bobby was one of the few to respond. It really shows the class of the man.”

Author and historian Grant Bage, who spent six years researching a biography of Sir Alf Ramsey, said the letter spoke to Robson’s character. “The fact he took time to write a letter like this when he was leaving Porto to join Barcelona at such an important time in his career shows the measure of the man. Bobby was so popular wherever he managed — no more than his time in Ipswich, where he lived.”

Robson led England to the World Cup semi-final in Italy in 1990 and managed clubs including Ipswich Town, Newcastle United, PSV Eindhoven, Porto, and Barcelona across a career that made him one of the most respected figures in the game. He died in 2009 at the age of 76.