An ex-Wigan teacher who led the country's amputee football team to global success receives his royal honour
It was a day to remember as a Wigan dad received a British Empire Medal for services to amputee football at the highest level.
A former Wigan PE teacher who became coach of England's amputee football team has spoken of the high emotions he felt on receiving a royal award.
Scott Rogers was speaking after attending a glittering ceremony in Liverpool to receive a British Empire Medal, his having been named a recipient in King Charles’s birthday honours.
The one-time PE teacher at Orrell St John Rigby College and Academy coach at both Wigan Athletic and Blackburn Rovers received it for services to disability sport.
It recognises his time as head coach of the England Amputee Football Team and his contribution to the development of amputee football.
Under his leadership the team won its first major trophy in 34 years when it beat Spain, Poland and the all-conquering Turkey to win the first ever Nations League in 2023 and also reached the semi-finals of the Euros last year.
That was Scott’s swansong, having decided he was going to step down because he wanted to spend more time helping his young daughters Lily and Sophie who are themselves successful young footballers.
In fact it was Sophie, who plays for Liverpool and attends St Edmund Arrowsmith High School in Ashton, who nominated her dad for the BEM.
His daughters, along with wife Nicola, were among the family and friends accompanying Scott to the investiture at St George’s Hall, where the medal was conferred on him by the Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside Peter Oliver.
Scott said: “It was a fantastic day: very proud but also extremely emotional. I was in the room with all kinds of incredible people receiving their honours.
“There were five doctors from Alder Hey Hospital who had been nominated by a girl who survived the Southport stabbings and on whom they had worked, for instance.
“We each went up one by one, a citation was read out and then we were given a medal to rapturous applause. It’s a day I will never forget.”
Scott hasn’t severed his ties with the sport though, now becoming a trustee of the England Amputee Football Association charity so, rather than be working on the pitch, will now be higher up the pyramid “making sure the game flourishes and is sustainable.”