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    Ex-EFL boss bags share of £1m postcode lottery despite coaching team for one of world’s richest men 7,000 miles away

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    A FORMER English Football League boss has bagged a share of a £1million postcode lottery despite a coaching a team for one of the world’s richest men 7,000 miles away.Adrian Pennock has pocketed £83,333 along with other members of his Kent postcode including his son, after hitting the People’s Postcode Lottery jackpot.
    Ex-Gillingham and Forest Green Rovers boss Adrian Pennock has hit the jackpotCredit: Alamy
    But he is no stranger to riches already – having worked in football for the Crown Prince of Brunei, Al-Muhtadee Billah.
    The prince is first in line to the Brunei throne and is heir to a fortune estimated at £20billion.
    Pennock was managing then-non-league Barrow when he was recruited to take charge of DPMM who play in the Singapore Premier League – going on to lead them to a championship title.
    He got the surprise call from a representative of the Crown Prince, who owns the now-professional club and played in goal for them when they started out as a college team.
    Read More On EFL Managers
    Pennock, 52, has been in charge of DPMM since 2019, leading them to back-to-back league triumphs.
    The Ipswich-born coach played professionally for Norwich City, Bournemouth and Gillingham where he remains a club legend after captaining the Gills to a Second Division promotion play-off triumph at Wembley in 2000.
    He later spent time as manager of Forest Green Rovers and then League One club Gillingham in 2017, before moving on to Barrow in Cumbria the following year.
    He retains a base in Gillingham’s home county of Kent and his ME7 3TG postcode in Hempstead was named winner of one of the latest weekly Millionaire Street draws.
    Most read in Football
    He shares the £1million prize with nine neighbouring families who include his Ashley, a dad-of-two who works as a secondary school teacher.
    Ashley made the call to tell his dad the good news, KentOnline reported.
    He said: “To win as a family, I can’t believe it – to share this experience with them when they’re getting the same thing, it is just amazing.”
    Ashley’s mum Tania said: “This is incredible for me and Adrian, but I’m so made up for my son and his wife.
    “We’ve been sharing the anticipation together for the past week. It’s been such fun.”
    Kent has already been dubbed “one of Britain’s luckiest counties” after three locals scooped £3million in Lotto prizes in just a fortnight.
    And separately, in another People’s Postcode Lottery draw, neighbours in the town of Deal were shared another £1million.
    One of them, pregnant mum Tamsin Burling, told of her close call which meant she almost missed out on her £83,000 windfall.
    Other locals welcomed the news though told of one aspect leaving them feeling “gutted”.
    Read More on The Sun
    Elsewhere, a quirk meant one lucky punter from Runcorn in Cheshire could keep an entire People’s Postcode Lottery jackpot to himself.
    Meanwhile, coaches and players at a grass-roots football club in south London have told of their good work – backed by Lottery funding.
    Adrian Pennock’s son Ashley and mum Tania have also shared the £1million prizeCredit: People’s Postcode Lottery
    Pennock has gone on to coaching success in SingaporeCredit: Rex Features More

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      The football team that’s about more than winning

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      “WINNING is fantastic but it’s not our goal – it’s supporting each other on the pitch that counts.”It’s not exactly your typical manager’s pre-match huddle talk, but then South London’s Saving Souls FC aren’t your typical football team.
      Kerry Phillips founded Saving Souls FC to help bring people together
      While winning is a bonus, the real focus of the team, who are supported by National Lottery funding, is scoring victories over issues men face with their mental health.
      “I’m an Arsenal season ticket holder – I go by myself, home and away, and end up talking to so many different people,” says Kerry Phillips, Saving Souls’ founder, manager and “head of laundry”.
      “During lockdown, I realised that for me football is about more than 22 men kicking a ball.
      “It’s a point of connection with other people that nurtures my soul.” 
      Kerry, 36, from Catford, felt isolated during lockdown and reached out to friends on the phone.
      He sensed they were experiencing loneliness too but he couldn’t broach the subject. 
      “It was frustrating. It’s that ‘Men don’t talk about their feelings’ thing.”
      Kerry did some research and realised there was a problem. According to mental health charity Mind, 43 per cent of men regularly feel low but 28 per cent say embarrassment stops them seeking help.
      Most read in Football
      Men from minority ethnic groups are even less likely to access help than their white counterparts.
      “In 2017, I had therapy and that helped me understand my own mental health issues,” Kerry says.
      “As a child and young man I was overweight and lacked self-esteem, masking it with an outgoing persona.
      “Even after I lost 14st in my mid-twenties, I lacked confidence. Finally, turning 30, I faced up to my issues. That gave me tools for dealing with things.”
      National Lottery funding helps pay for the pitch hire
      Lockdown knocked his sense of self all over again. He wondered if there was something he could do to improve the mental health of men in his community.
      A couple of years earlier he’d organised a charity football match for his church – over-thirties versus under-thirties.
      “It was an intergenerational bonding session,” he says. “Was there a way of replicating that on a regular basis?”
      Kerry contacted the London Football Association and enquired about setting up a club with the aim of encouraging men to talk.
      Next, he rang Bellingham Leisure Centre, close to his home, and asked about hiring a pitch.
      Within weeks he had bagged a spot in the South London Grassroots Football League. Now all he needed was a team.
      The team are all about encouraging men to talk
      TALKING A GOOD GAME
      “I came up with the name Saving Souls FC and set up an Instagram account and promoted the first training session in 2021,” he says.
      “Sitting there on my own, I was nervous people wouldn’t turn up. But ten showed. Now Saving Souls has 88 members in its WhatsApp group.”
      Training takes place every other Friday evening, matches mostly on weekdays. And on the last Thursday of every month, Saving Souls holds a men’s forum.
      If people have specific problems they want to discuss, Kerry can signpost them to organisations like Citizens Advice and StepChange, the debt charity. 
      “We’re very diverse, with different religions and cultures,” he says. “Ages too – our oldest member is 58 and his son is the youngest at 18.
      “Friendships form – two members went into business together, while another felt strong enough to come off antidepressants through the boost playing gave him.”
      The team are achieving on the pitch too, winning the Grassroots League in 2022 with a goal difference of 137 and being named London FA Grassroots Project of the Year.
      Last year, Kerry successfully applied for National Lottery funding.
      “The FA gave us funding but I was spending my own money too,” he says.
      “We pay to hire the pitch, for example, but people might be struggling so sessions are free. National Lottery support was a lifesaver.”
      National Lottery players support health and wellbeing projects near you, like Saving Souls FC – the club helping people to improve their wellbeing and mental health through free weekly football matches.
      The National Lottery is also the proud sponsor of The Sun’s Who Cares Win Awards 2023, celebrating people, like Kerry, who put caring into everyday action.
      This season, Saving Souls FC have taken a break from the Grassroots League. “To give other teams a chance,” Kerry jokes.
      Instead, they’re organising matches with community groups, including teams of asylum seekers and Forces veterans.
      The club are welcoming women too, with free self-defence classes and plans for a women’s team.
      READ MORE SUN STORIES
      Saving souls through winning and, as importantly, cheerfully conceding goals: it’s a simple concept but it works.
      Back of the net, Kerry and team. More

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      in Soccer

      I used to play football with Harry Maguire before I became a builder – but I’ve just won £1million on the Lotto

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      AN EX-FOOTBALLER who played with Harry Maguire before bad injuries forced him to retire has had a change of luck after winning £1million on the lottery. Footage posted on social media shows the moment former Sheffield United defender Terry Kennedy found out that he was in for a windfall. 
      The former defender has become a millionaire overnightCredit: PA:Empics Sport
      The former Blades footballer was thrilled to be told the news on the phoneCredit: Jam Press
      The ex-Blade can be seen laughing into his phone as an operator confirms that he has won the significant sum. 
      He played alongside England defender Maguire in the youth team in 2011, which saw them take on the likes of Manchester United’s Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard in the FA Youth Cup final.
      A video posted online shows the builder clutching his winning ticket while being filmed by his colleagues. 
      The operator then says “Are you ready? Do you want to sit down? I can confirm that you have won one million.”
      He then holds his head in his hands as his jubilant colleagues cheer and shout after hearing the news. 
      It is unclear exactly when he won the prize, but it could be that he had the best birthday present for a while – turning 28 on Sunday. 

      The former footballer was highly-rated by former United manager Nigel Clough.
      But bad luck with injuries led to him leaving Sheffield United before he had spells at a number of semi-pro clubs.
      The Barnsley-born ex-Blade made his debut in 2011 before leaving the club for Alfreton Town in 2016. 
      In 2017, he made the switch to Harrogate Town before joining Guiseley a year later.
      The National Lottery were unable to comment.
      He was waiting for the confirmation on the phone while at workCredit: Jam Press
      His colleagues were thrilled for him after he was given the good newsCredit: Jam Press
      Roy Keane accused of ‘bullying’ Harry Maguire after Man Utd legend called England star ‘a disgrace’ More

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      in Athletics

      Team GB star CJ Ujah stripped of National Lottery funding over Tokyo silver medallist’s failed drug test

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      CJ UJAH has been stripped of domestic athletics funding following his Olympics drugs violation.The sprinter is suspended from the sport after testing positive for banned substances at the Tokyo Games in August.
      Ujah has taken his case to the Court of Arbitration for SportCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      Ujah with his relay pals Zharnel Hughes, Richard Kilty and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake in TokyoCredit: Getty
      The case has gone to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the GB team that won 4x100m relay silver behind Italy could be stripped of their medals.
      That would mean heartache for Ujah’s Tokyo team-mates Zharnel Hughes, Richard Kilty and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake.
      Londoner Ujah, 27, was on Olympic Relays funding – between £21,000 and £28,000 – over the past 12 months.
      He insists he is not a cheat and denies any wrongdoing.
      And if he can prove his innocence in the CAS court then he could possibly request funds – which are provided through the National Lottery – for the 2022 season.
      Olympic head coach Christian Malcolm said: “It was a bit of shock when we found out about the test.

      “It’s very unfortunate, especially the hard work that the whole team had put into it. We’e still waiting to find out what the outcome of that will be.”
      British Athletics Performance Director Sara Symington added: “CJ is currently suspended from the sport so we were unable to consider him in this selection process. That was the rationale.”
      A group of 67 athletes have been offered membership to join the Olympic World Class Programme pool of cash.
      This includes Keely Hodgkinson, 19, who came from nowhere to win an Olympic 800m silver medal and the European indoors title.
      Scottish runner Andrew Butchart has been removed from Olympic Podium Potential funding of £10,000 to £16,000 despite finishing 11th in the 5,000m Olympic final.
      Athletics bosses say this was for ‘performance’ reasons not due to his embarrassing comments about allegedly faking Covid travel tests on a podcast. More