There are many unsung heroes within the footballing world, and Chris Farr has certainly been one of those during his time in the sport.
Well-known in the Gloucestershire scene, he started out at Forest Green Rovers, and his introduction to the role wasn’t in typical fashion.
“I was at the University of Gloucestershire working, and Forest Green Rovers used to train there. They’d just sacked their manager, and I was setting up their session with the university and Jim Harvey (pictured below), the new manager, thought I was their kit man.
“I went, ‘no, I’m nothing to do with it’, and he said, ‘you are now,’ so he sacked his kit man on Boxing Day, and I took over on New Year’s Day.”
His time at Rovers also led to the creation of the nickname ‘Rooney’, something that has stuck and that people have called him ever since.
“We were training and they were playing 5-a-side at the end, and they were one lad short, so Jamie Pitman and Paul Wanless asked me to get involved.
“I didn’t have my boots, so the goalkeeper lent me a pair of gold Ronaldo boots. I played up front, scored a worldie and from that day on I was known as ‘Rooney’.”
In 2023, tragedy struck for Farr whilst at Gloucester City, as a catastrophic house fire left his home destroyed, along with much of the club’s matchday equipment.
“It was really hard,” he admitted.
“Normality only came back in September last year when my mum moved back in, the house was finished, the dog was back at home, and everything that was lost was either retrieved, put back in or replaced.”
However, he couldn’t understate how thankful he was for the help he was given on the road back to normality.
“The support I had from Nicky and Patrick Chambers at Gloucester was unbelievable.
“The trust and supporters club, I’d bend over backwards for them because setting up that page was influential in making life a lot easier. That wasn’t asked for by me because I’m one of those people who is too proud to ask for anything.
“I won’t take off anyone because I’m one of those people that would rather give to see everyone else succeed.”
Farr is now back at Cinderford Town having previously spent a couple seasons with the Foresters, and he has nothing but positive things to say about the club.
“It wasn’t a difficult decision to come back.
“They all supported me after the fire, they all really rallied around and helped me out and supported the GoFundMe page which was great.
“It’s hard, but it’s a pleasure, it’s fun, and if it wasn’t enjoyable I wouldn’t do it.”
With the job being a voluntary, non-paid role, it’s people like Farr that deserve more recognition, and being praised for the work he does is something that means a lot to him.
🗣️ "Those are the moments that stick with you."
— Park Life Sport (@ParkLife_Sport) February 17, 2025
Cinderford Town kitman, Chris Farr on the most rewarding part about his role 👇
Article to follow…#ParkLifeSport pic.twitter.com/Is6rx9PS6D
“When I go to clubs now and people know me, they come and have a chat.”
He concluded by saying: “Those are the moments which stick with you. They know who you are, because of your hard work and the effort you put in.”
