Floyd Steadman’s remarkable contribution to rugby rewarded
When Floyd Steadman’s Rose Award was conferred on him by the RFU Council recently he became the sole recipient of this annual recognition of a “remarkable contribution to the game”.
And it came at a time when Floyd’s positive impact on others was being acknowledged in ways that as a young boy in the care system he could never have envisaged.
The first black captain of a Premiership rugby club when he led Saracens at the age of 23, Floyd’s accolades mounted in June. He was awarded Freeman of the City of London status, received an OBE at Buckingham Palace from Princess Anne, and returned the next day as a guest of the King and Queen for the 75th anniversary celebration of the start of the Windrush generation of migrants from the Caribbean who came to rebuild post World War II Britain.
Floyd’s story is one of triumph over adversity, chronicled in his book ‘A Week One Summer’.
From the care system to captain of Saracens
Rejected by his father, he grew up in care and managed to complete his A levels, despite being advised to work with his hands, thanks to living with his PE teacher when, aged 17, the care system cast him adrift.
A talented scrum half, he played a leading role in Saracens’ progress during the 1980s, as well as playing for the Barbarians and Middlesex. He also became a talented and inspirational teacher and headmaster who had, and continues to have, a positive impact on many young lives.
Having spotted Maro Itoje’s potential to play rugby when he was a young boy and advised his parents to encourage him to play, the England and Saracens lock acknowledges that his former headmaster sowed a seed for his future rugby career. He has called Floyd “a fantastic role model, especially for those who face adversity.”
Since retiring, Floyd has worked with The Drive Forward Foundation who provide opportunities and education for children and young adults who grow up in care. He visits schools and organisations to talk about racial issues as an associate director of Anthony Millard Consultants, an educational consultancy. He is also involved with the Boxwise charity helping young people maximise their potential, the African Science Academy and Cancer Research UK, having lost his wife Denise to cancer.
Facing challenges with dignity and kindness
Of his recent recognition Floyd says: “I’m just staggered, honoured and will be eternally grateful. I think being awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honours put my name out there and I see myself as representing so many other people in our sport who work incredibly hard for others’ benefit.
“I am acutely aware of where we are as a society in comparison to where we were 30 or 40 years ago. Looking back, I overcame the challenges I faced because of the colour of my skin, as my wife Denise had to overcome them as a woman, not by being angry and bitter but by having dignity and kindness. Kindness is very important to me. When I was a young teacher, I was told I would never become a headmaster because I was kind. As the head of four schools, all of my staff repaid that kindness and trust.
“Being captain of a rugby team taught me how to lead. Those principles apply in any group, any environment and I am so grateful for what the sport has given me. When I received the letter from Nigel Gillingham, the RFU President, saying I was receiving the Rose Award I was amazed. Having been the first black captain in the Premiership and captained Saracens for ten years, I think I am also the only English born black scrum half in elite rugby in England in the past 40 years. And to be recognised in this way is just such an honour.”
Said Nigel Gillingham: “I played against Floyd for Leicester Tigers when he was playing for Saracens and he was an extremely talented player. Some of my friends also taught with him and said he was a dedicated and outstanding teacher. I am not surprised that he has been recognised on so many fronts as he overcame immense challenges to achieve all that he has, both in rugby and the wider world.”
