Seamus Coleman has listed Everton and his family as the two most important parts of his life as he reflected on what the Blues means to him.
The club captain is in his 15th season on Merseyside and his influence now extends well beyond the dressing room.
He is striving to use that to ensure the turbulence of modern football does not disrupt the values he believes are key to life at Finch Farm.
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For Coleman, Everton remains the “family club” he joined from Sligo Rovers in 2009 and the man Frank Lampard described as “one of the best people I have ever met” wants it to remain that way.
The 35-year-old believes this is important in an industry that has changed dramatically over the course of his career. Coleman said: “The club I signed for is a family club and it is something we can’t lose. I think in modern day football it can be easy to lose, and it is so important we don’t do that. There are so many people here who have been together for so long from all different departments and it is something we pride ourselves on and it is something for me, who has been here for so long, I take pride in making sure we don’t do that.”
Coleman’s love for the Blues has long been clear but his position as a bridge between the fanbase and the dressing room has come to the fore in recent years. Multiple managers have spoken of the influence he holds and the power of his words during dark moments and ahead of crucial matches in the relegation fights of recent years.
Asked what Everton means to him Coleman, who penned a one-year contract extension in the summer, said: “My life is this club and my family, that’s the two things I have going on in my life and it is not two bad things to have. Family first, this club second and I give it my all and am proud to come in every day. The last couple of years have been tough but this is where I want to be when I am not home with my family.”
That vision of the Blues as a family club for those within it still resonates for Coleman and has been particularly clear as the club has rallied around his friend and colleague Jack Dowling, a first-team physical performance coach. Jack is in the early stages of a challenge that will see him take on 26 marathons in 26 weeks to raise money for Macmillan. The effort is inspired by the bowel cancer diagnosis received by his brother, Tom. Coleman, speaking at Finch Farm when the charity campaign launched, said: “For situations like this with Jack it is so important we show that [club family] side more than ever.”
Jack has completed three marathons as part of Project 26:26 so far and will take to the streets of Merseyside again on Sunday morning, starting in his hometown of Crosby. Less than a month in, the 30-year-old has already passed the £32,250 fundraising target designed to fund a specialist Macmillan nurse for 26 weeks and donations continue to flood in. Explaining his ambition ahead of his first marathon in the series, Jack said: “What Macmillan have done for Tom and my family and families around the country is unbelievable so I’m just going out to do a run, I’m not doing anything, I’m just going for a run, and if I can raise awareness and support the great job that Macmillan do, and help our Tom, that is all it is for me.”
Coleman hopes to join him for part of a run at some point and his fitness is improving as he continues his rehabilitation - helped by Jack - from a serious knee injury suffered at Leicester City in May. The defender played 45 minutes for Everton Under-21s on Saturday and then 66 minutes in last night's EFL Trophy clash at Mansfield Town as his condition strengthens.
To support Jack, you can visit his fundraising page here. You can follow his progress here.
