Name: Giacomo Bifulco

Date of birth: 19/07/77

Birthplace: Gloucester

Occupation: Director, Caffe Corretto

School: St Peter’s infant and junior 1982-1989; Crypt Grammar 1989-1994; Ribston Hall 1994-1995

Your sport at school: Football in junior school

Your position: Centre-forward

How did you get involved? I first started to play for the school teams in the third and fourth year of junior school. My first memory of football was watching the 1982 World Cup on TV. Being brought up in an Italian household and us winning the cup was amazing and really got me the bug for football

Best achievement/result and why: Played for Gloucestershire Primary schools. We also toured Holland and played a game against FC Rotterdam in the main stadium immediately before they played Feyenord in a league game. There was a crowd of maybe 15-20,000. I was very nervous and unfortunately we lost!

Your best coach at school and why: Mr McAlliatair at St Peter’s Junior – he was my first coach and I remember he couldn’t say my name correctly!

Other sports played at school: At Crypt they played rugby which I declined to play. We played a little hockey and cricket in the summer – I didn’t mind playing those sports as it got me out of normal study periods!

Did you continue to play sport after school and if so for whom? I played football for various local sides – Hucclecote, Windsor Drive and Kingsholm – throughout my early years. But once I entered senior school we didn’t play football so I slowly lost interest and didn’t kick a ball for maybe 20 years before I played again at a senior level. I also boxed at an amateur level for Bronx ABC from the age of 19 to 25.

What is your involvement in sport today – watching or playing? My son plays for Cleeve Colts under-7s. Caffe Corretto sponsors the team and I watch him train and play every weekend. I play a little 5-a-side football and go to the gym during the week but nothing too strenuous!

How do we get more of today’s youngsters involved in sport? Sports is very important for young children. At an early age it builds confidence, instills discipline and many good friendships are found and built at sporting clubs. They should play more sports at school from a young age, making it compulsory to play and also create more after-school sporting activities. I particularly think football needs to be pushed early, as the state of the national team is dire at the moment. The only way this will improve – although it will take years – is by boys kicking a ball around and enjoying it.