Months after injury forced his early retirement, Sam McQueen returns to Southampton FC to support and advocate for club charity Saints Foundation.
Sam McQueen joins Saints Foundation as their newest official ambassador to push the message of the charity’s work to people across Southampton and beyond.
27-year-old McQueen’s new role marks the next chapter in his relationship with the club which signed him when he was just 8 years old. Sam made the difficult decision to retire from playing in January 2022 after spending more than three years attempting a comeback from a serious knee injury he suffered in October 2018.
Now, McQueen hopes to channel what he experienced during this difficult period into relating to Saints Foundation participants as they face their own challenges.
Sam McQueen commented: “I’m excited to be asked to be an ambassador for Saints Foundation. Hopefully the journey I’ve been on in the past few years, through the academy and being part of the club, I can share some of my experiences of what I’ve been through, and it will help and add some value to the Foundation.
“I’m looking forward to getting out there and meeting the people involved with the activities and the sessions that are going on. I’d like to connect with people and try and help them – just doing all that we can to help the community of Southampton.
I’m looking to give back.”
Head of Saints Foundation Greg Baker commented: “We are thrilled to welcome Sam to the Saints Foundation team as our newest ambassador.
“Like everyone, we felt Sam’s pain when he took the big decision to retire from playing earlier this year. The dignity and openness he showed when announcing his retirement was inspirational and we saw what a fantastic asset he would be to our ambassador line-up.
“We’re delighted that Sam was just as keen to come on board and further support our work in the community. We can’t wait to get him out to projects, meeting our participants and kickstarting the next chapter of his journey with the club.”
Saints Foundation is celebrating its 20 th anniversary in the 2021/22 football season. You can find out more about two decades of its life-changing impact here in Southampton by visiting their website: www.southamptonfc.com/saints-foundation#saintsfc
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