In the second of a two-part feature Peter Barron talks to Middlesbrough FC chairman Steve Gibson about Boro’s charitable foundation – and the man he’s put in charge

AS a football club chairman, Steve Gibson is used to making big money signings – but that wasn't the case when he chose the man to give his charitable foundation fresh impetus.

Part one: A game with higher goals

Ray Mallon was coming to the end of his time as the elected Mayor of Middlesbrough. Gibson hadn't agreed with everything he'd done but but he had always respected him. He saw him as a man who made things happen.

"I asked Ray what he was going to do when the mayoral stuff was over and he said he was going to have a holiday. I told him he'd be bored after a week and I had something in mind for him," says Gibson.

The proposal was that he took over as the boss of Middlesbrough FC's charitable foundation which already had a formidable team of trustees, including Sky Sports' Jeff Stelling, the BBC's "Voice of the Boro" Alistair Brownlee, and a host of Teesside business leaders.

Ray was up for the challenge and Gibson asked him how much he'd need to carry out the role. The answer from Mallon was that he'd manage on what he already had.

"His view was that he couldn't head up a charity while taking a salary. I told him he had to earn a living but he was having none of it and that's the mark of the man," says Gibson.

Mallon's appointment brings the foundation full circle. When it was launched two decades ago, Cleveland's Deputy Chief Constable, Jack Ord, was in charge. Now, it has former Cleveland detective – Robocop – at the helm and Gibson wants a return to the foundations roots.

"We want to make football a powerful influence in the way kids approach diet and lifestyle. Ray has this boundless energy that rubs off on others. Once he gets that glint in his eye, you know he's going to make it happen.

"We've got a powerful team of trustees in place – people who know about business – but we need someone to give it some punch in the community. Ray is a man of great integrity, I like him a lot and we're delighted to have him.

"His remit is for the foundation to have a meaningful influence in every school in Middlesbrough. We've got a great bunch of players at the club and they'll play their part, with Ray leading the way."

At this point, Gibson remembers the player who was the star when it came to giving his time to foundation work – Paulo Gascoigne.

"You never had to ask Gazza – he just put himself forward and the kids were in awe of him."

It's ironic, of course, that despite that willingness to influence young lives in a positive way, Gascoigne has found it so hard to follow his own advice.

There are 37 primary schools and seven secondary schools in Middlesbrough and the foundation's aim is to put a top coach into every one of them.

"It's not about competing with schools but working with them and enhancing education in this area," says Gibson.

Mallon was told the timescale for covering all the schools was three years but his reply was "Why can't we do it now?"

At its peak, the foundation had 225 staff and 6,000 youngsters on its books. It was endorsed by The Prince's Trust, with Prince Charles coming to Middlesbrough and having a kick-about at the Riverside. There are further connections to The Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme and Outward Bound, of which Gibson is a patron.

It might sound over ambitious when Gibson says he wants Middlesbrough Football Club to "be there for everyone" – but then this is a man who created a world-class company after realising an apprenticeship as an instrument artificer wasn't for him and borrowing £1,000 from his dad.

"I hope the foundation goes on playing a key role in the club for many years to come but we need to a structure which measures its success. We need to know for a fact that it's improving things – otherwise, what's the point."

With Ray Mallon leading the attack, it's a fair bet that Middlesbrough Football Club's charitable foundation will be raising the bar.