GOLFING SEASON (COPY)

Harry Shaw is a golfing coach by trade, but he holds a passion for goalkeeping.

Shaw has accrued over 8,000 followers on Instagram (@thetatooedgolfcoach), but he was also previously a semi-pro goalkeeper, playing for Bashley. Shaw also coaches goalkeeping, including for Poole Town Ladies.

He is a business man, and has launched a company for goalkeeping gloves, South Coast Kits. His latest range is for a very special cause.

The F You Range.

"Affordable, good quality goalkeeping gloves that helps out for charity" is how Shaw describes his new range.

Shaw is big on helping out local goalkeepers, saying: "As an ex-goalkeeper myself, I moved into gloves that were affordable, and helping goalkeepers out in the local area.

"We moved into a charity brand this year, with our F You range."

They are in memory of former Southampton academy footballer Ben Cull, who sadly passed away from cancer in 2023.

Shaw collaborated with Cull's sister, Hermione, who is a goalkeeper for Plymouth Argyle.

The design on the gloves are chosen to made awareness for cancer - the chosen partner charity, Macmillan Local, is where Ben was in the unit during treatment.

For Shaw, this helps his memory live on. He said: "There's memories ongoing for myself, through past families and friends that I've lost.

"Also for Hermione, who is also working in the industry, it's so nice to keep his memory ongoing as a footballer."

Macmillan also looked after friends and family of Shaw's, so it "made sense for everyone" to use a local Bournemouth brand as their chosen partner.

Ben was an "incredible" footballer, who's career was tragically curtailed after an x-ray for a knee injury showed that he had a rare form of bone cancer.

Cull had played for England at youth level, but turned to Golf when his footballing journey was cut short, which is how he met Shaw.

They became good friends, with Shaw as his coach, until Cull unfortunately lost his battle.

Collaboration with Hermione

Shaw is an advocate for the women's game, coaching at Poole Town ladies. He feels the game is 'growing', but said: "They don't get a lot of growth and support, which is obviously an ongoing battle."

As a result, he reached out to local women's goalkeepers. Hermione was one of them.

She wanted gloves, but then came discussions about how they could keep Ben's legacy alive in the world of football.

He said: "Having these for her is a no-brainer as well, she puts them on and it reminds her of Ben every time.

"It's exactly the same for myself, and knowing that profits are being donated to the unit that helped him tick all the boxes for me."

The gloves have been well received in the week since release, with Shaw hoping that the more they can help local goalkeepers, the more money they can subsequently raise.

Shaw hopes that he can continue to work with charities in the future.

His golf brand, Shaw Golf Coaching are partnered with Dorset Mind, which Shaw says is "massive" for him.

He said: "It's definitely an avenue I want to go into. I think that overlaps with the goalkeeping world, as mental side, so there are ideas in the future for more charity work."

AFCB Women's goalkeeper Katie Scadding is sponsored by Shaw, and although she hasn't had the opportunity to wear the gloves in game yet, Shaw described her as both "brilliant" and "amazing".

He said: "To see her wearing the gloves is amazing. I'm a Bournemouth fan myself, so seeing that in a Bournemouth shirt is brilliant.