Freddie Flintoff’s Field Of Dreams

Anyone with an interest in cricket would have known from his prowess on the field that Andrew Flintoff has a big heart. By the end of the 2005 Ashes series there was no doubting its generosity

when this iconic photograph of him consoling Brett Lee went round the world after the Australian had narrowly missed winning the last game.

To appreciate the truly inspirational six part BBC iPlayer Television series named in this title neither understanding nor sympathy for the game is required.

Flintoff, identifying with a disparate group of underprivileged and underachieving boys from his native Preston, gathers them together and forges a supportive and ambitious collective from youngsters with a range of difficulties and conditions through the experiences and challenges he gives them, never forgetting where he came from, and treating them as equal human beings. With his honest style he is both challenging and supportive in encouraging them to find their own potential.

Many of the youngsters had presented behaviour resulting in school exclusion or difficulties impeding their learning; one in particular had managed alone to battle his way as a fifteen year old non-English speaking immigrant to this country; their ethnic and religious backgrounds vary.

None has ever played cricket before. Most challenged Freddie and his friend Kyle with disruptive or isolating stances. The two men’s straightforward approach, especially Flintoff’s well-timed one-to-ones with struggling individuals makes the game a metaphor for life.

Slowly we see a bunch of hopeless and isolated young men meld into a group looking out for each other and for Freddie himself as he battles to come back from an almost fatal, life changing, injury that set back his programme and delayed the planned trip to India for more than a year.

Flintoff was honest with the group about how much he was himself learning about other worlds and cultures from the trip to India into which he and the lads fully engaged. Indian food, beliefs, customs, and every aspect of culture were so alien to boys from Preston council estates, yet they all learned so much from their experiences and returned to England with self-confidence and hope they had never experienced before. The programme closes with an update on the success most of them had begun to experience on their chosen paths in life.

Freddie’s message had been that it was up to each of them to find their own wishes and strengths, regardless of what these were. Months after their return these had not been abandoned. Just two are likely to have a career in cricket – others are embarking on different metiers. They continue to meet as a group.

Although some may need to become accustomed to the Yorkshire accent no viewers will miss the warmth and ultimate joy of this series.

37 comments

    1. Thank you very much, Anne. He didn’t tell the boys who he was – just his name. Soon they Googled him

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  14. I thoroughly enjoyed both series, they were heartwarming to watch.
    Just one thing, I think Freddie was born and bred in Preston in Lancashire not Yorkshire, as were the boys, well, apart from one who was born next door to Preston in Blackpool
    Our country has so many different accents from north to south, I’m not surprised foreigners have difficulty in understanding them. I struggle to understand some of them.

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    1. Thanks for clarification of the accents and te geography, Sue. Yes, it would be Lancashire – Adnan is playing for Lancashire under 18s, and Eli (from Blackpool) is training to be a cricket coach.

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      1. You know what though, I think Freddie’s accent sounds more Yorkshire than Lancashire.
        Given that Yorkshire is the biggest county in England I think it’s surprising that Lancashire has a wider variety of accents compared to Yorkshire. Just take Paddy McGuinness, he has the broadest Bolton accent!
        South Yorkshire’s accent is different to the West.

        I struggle with a Geordie accent. Once when I went without Graham to visit Joshua in Newcastle when he was a student, I got lost. I stopped the car and asked a chap for directions. When I got back into the car Sophie asked what he’d said. I answered that I didn’t have a clue because I couldn’t understand a word the man had said!

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        1. With maternal grandparents from each of those counties you would have thought I could tell them apart but my Yorkshire grandfather didn’t say much

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  15. I hope the series will land here in the near future. We’re able to see BBC offerings, but generally one year behind. He sounds like an amazing and inspiring soul.

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    1. He is – and much more worthy of a knighthood than many who get them. Thanks very much, Alys

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