‘Grosvenor had the gift of understanding the teenage spirit’; SSFL honours iconic coach


“[…] As we got to know him better it became abundantly clear that he did not do it to make a name for himself (which happened anyway) or to win championships (which his teams did anyway). Instead, he wanted to shape young individuals to act as leaders.

“[Nigel] Grosvenor had the gift of understanding the teenage spirit. And therein laid his secret to success…”

The following is a press statement from the Secondary Schools Football Late (SSFL) on former St Anthony’s College and Queen’s Royal College (QRC) coach Nigel Grosvenor, who passed away on Friday 25 September 2020:

Photo: QRC coach Nigel Grosvenor (left) congratulates one of his players after the full-time whistle.
(Copyright Allan V Crane/SSFLTT)

The legacy of coach Nigel Grosvenor left a lasting impression on many people in the Secondary Schools Football League community and beyond.


At the SSFL 50th Anniversary Ceremony in 2016, Grosvenor was recognised for his accomplishments and service in the League which ended with him winning six National Intercol and three National League titles as head coach of St Anthony’s College. He later went to coach Queen’s Royal College.

We all witnessed the deep passion he had toward the sport and the great love he had for his players, shine through in everything he did.

As we got to know him better it became abundantly clear that he did not do it to make a name for himself (which happened anyway) or to win championships (which his teams did anyway). Instead, he wanted to shape young individuals to act as leaders.

Grosvenor had the gift of understanding the teenage spirit. And therein laid his secret to success. He had high expectations of his teams and he pushed his players to realise their dreams.

Photo: Former St Anthony’s College coach Nigel Grosvenor (right) passed away today after testing positive for Covid-19 on 22 August.
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/Wired868)

We thank him for sacrificing his time at the dinner table with his family in order to make it to practice and matches with his teams.

Thank you ‘Grovy’ for pushing players outside of their comfort zones in order to show them that sometimes their comfort zones were hurting them from being the successful athletes they had the potential to become.

Thank you for teaching players how to compete and hold a competitive mindset but never allowing themselves to be sore losers.

The SSFL will always remember you, Nigel Grosvenor. May your soul rest in eternal peace.


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