Why West Brom's Romaine Sawyers will always be a star to his first club
Romaine Sawyers might have spent the past three years living in London but in one particular corner of West Midlands football, he has remained a regular and positive presence.
While a return to Albion represents a homecoming for the 27-year-old, there is another club where his association stretches back even further, right to early childhood.
Sawyers was just 18 months old when he was first taken to watch Midlands League side Continental Star and though his talent has seen him flourish in the professional game, he has never forgotten his roots or the people who helped him along the way.
Star, who played at both Oldbury United and Rushall Olympic before moving into their current home in Perry Barr, are a community club and registered charity who for more than four decades have provided a sanctuary for some of the most disadvantaged youngsters in the region.
Their motto is More Than A Football Club. Sawyers, it is fair to say, is more than just a footballer.
One story told by Lincoln Moses, the club’s general manager and a lifelong friend, perfectly sums up his passion for charity work for giving something back to the community.
“About 12 months ago I got a call from Romaine when he was down at Brentford asking if we needed any kit,” he says.
“Brentford had a load left over from the previous season, shirts, shorts and socks. Continental Star have got 15 teams playing junior and adult football and Romaine ended up kitting out all of them.
“He didn’t just send them up to us in a van either. He actually put them in his car, drove up and personally delivered them to the club.
“Even now I am not sure how he managed to get so many kits into one car. Last season all our teams played in Brentford kit.”
Sawyers’ mother, Diane, who raised him along with his brother and sister as a single parent in Aston, helped forge the strong links with Star. A long-time club trustee, she is also a qualified coach and manages the women’s team.
Scouted by Albion at a young age, Sawyers nevertheless trained regularly with Star’s youth teams. After leaving the Baggies and joining Walsall in 2013, he was known to regularly donate old pairs of boots.
Yet his contribution goes a long way beyond supplying kit. On countless occasions, Sawyers has acted as a mentor to the club’s youngsters, many of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“Every so often we have a young person who might be having trouble in their life, away from the club,” explained Moses.
“If Romaine hears about it, he will ask to speak to that person. He will generally have a one-to-one with them and do whatever he can to help.
“Romaine is a very conscientious young man. He knows the game has given him a route out.
“Some of his close friends from childhood are no longer around, for a variety of reasons.
“Romaine uses football and his own success to try and help others. He will never shut the door on anyone.
“Whenever he has free time, he is always looking for some way he can help out.
“His mother, Diane, has been a huge influence. Her outlook on life is to always try and help others. Romaine is the same.”
Moses believes three years at Brentford have further helped the development of a man he describes as a “trailblazer”.
Sawyers was a key part of the Bees’ Ambassador Project, at one point helping out in a sign language workshop.
He has been an ambassador for Kick it Out for the past five years, while his charity work has also extended overseas thanks to his international career with St Kitts and Nevis.
Sawyers would regularly take extra suitcases, filled with boots, balls and kit, away on international duty to donate to charities on the island.
“Initially I think he found moving to London tough and he was a little homesick for a while,” says Moses.
“But once he got settled, I think you started to see the change in him from a young boy to a mature adult.”
Moving back to Albion from Brentford means Sawyers will become an even more regular visitor at Star. His most recent visit to the club, who in recent years have expanded to include others sports, came earlier this week.
“He came to pick up his mother and there were 200 kids here on a summer football course,” says Moses.
“A couple of them recognised him and he was only too happy to spend some time chatting to them.
“It can be hard to find the words to describe what a positive role model he has become.”
