Words by Axel Metz
For young people in the grip of social inequality, Marcus Rashford is an athlete who refuses to simply let his feet do the talking.
At 22, Marcus Rashford is doing alright for himself. In the four years that have passed since his spectacular Manchester United and England debuts (he scored in both), the young forward has established himself as a leading man for both club and country, and ranks among the most valuable footballers on the planet. A recent Insider report puts him narrowly behind the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Raheem Sterling in the shop window of global superstars at a mere £130 million, and a salary in the sextuple digits (that’s six figures, weekly) suggests the striker is, quite literally, living the dream. Not bad for a lad from Wythenshawe.
It comes as a surprise, then, to learn that despite all the bills, boots, and brand deals, Rashford cuts a decidedly humble figure. Back in March, when the coronavirus pandemic put a lock on pubs and pitches alike, professional players found themselves resigned to their living rooms and games consoles, passing the time doing their best to remain match fit for when the moment came to return to work. N’Golo Kanté grew hair. Leon Goretzka got jacked. Antione Griezmann played Football Manager. Rashford – while maintaining the same fitness, dietary and commercial obligations as his fellow professional athletes – engaged with an issue entirely detached from the sport to which he dedicates his life.
He partnered with FareShare, a food waste charity which sought to ensure vulnerable young people continued to receive school meals during the lockdown period, helping to raise in excess of £20 million for the cause. What began as a project for the Greater Manchester region was expanded to become a national initiative, which helped to provide meals to more than three million children in the months before the summer holidays.
But existing legislation meant the government would not provide meal vouchers outside of term time, which left many families at risk during a period when access to both food and income was already precarious. Rashford, publishing an open letter to parliament, called on MPs to rectify the policy and end child poverty in the UK. Imploring them to “protect the vulnerable”, he detailed his own childhood experience of relying on free school meals, breakfast clubs and neighbourhood generosity to get by, despite having a mother who worked full time on minimum wage. “Regardless of how hard my mum worked,” he wrote, “the system was not built for families like mine to succeed.”
A day later, the government announced a dramatic U-turn on its free school meals policy. As a result, 3.7 million meals a week were distributed to families across the UK, with Rashford’s campaign credited as a major factor in the change in legislation. “We’re enormously grateful to Marcus for his unstinting support of FareShare,” said charity CEO Lindsay Boswell, “his tireless campaigning work to ensure that no child in this country should go hungry over the school summer holidays has delivered fantastic results.” Prior to the initiative, ministers had attacked players for clinging to their salaries when a global pandemic required everyone to help. In an embarrassing own goal, it was Rashford’s efforts which forced the government to dip into its own pocket to provide for families in need.
In an interview with VOGUE, Rashford explained the personal motivation behind his support for the cause. “I always swore to my mum that if one day I was in a position to help, then I would, and an opportunity presented itself. I took a risk, yes. But I reduced the risk by educating myself. I had listened and I had spoken to those most affected. I had been working with FareShare since before the lockdown so had seen first-hand how parents had become reliant on foodbanks and the support of the food vouchers.”
Since the success of the campaign, Rashford has established a dedicated task force to combat the issue of child food poverty in the UK, partnering with brands including Aldi, Tesco and Kellogg’s in an effort to bring about permanent change. The group calls on the government to fund the implementation of three further policy changes; the expansion of free school meals to every child whose family is on universal credit, an expansion of holiday provision to all children on free school meals, and a significant boost to the value of Healthy Start vouchers for families with young children.
It’s easy to criticise footballers, especially the youngsters handed eye-watering contracts before they’ve even begun shaving. Their supposed life of luxury makes them an easy target for those taking aim at the one percent, but in reality, it’s players like Rashford who prove the value in their immense public platform and capacity for good. His campaign represents the potential for bringing about positive social change through social media, done in the right way. This isn’t an act of self-promotion or obligatory endorsement, but a personal crusade to combat an issue which Rashford himself confronted in the days before he rose to the top of the world.
Neither is it a rags-to-riches nor Robin Hood tale. He isn’t just using his wealth and status to selectively provide temporary aid to a cause, but has used his podium to establish permanent systemic change and ensure vulnerable young people are no longer reliant on his celebrity.
It’s also worth noting that the life of a footballer leaves little time for the personal. Long training hours, regular international travel and seemingly-endless commercial projects mean those who carve out their own time to lend help to activism should be recognised for doing so, regardless of the size of their pay cheque. Rashford’s Twitter account is now as much a forum for the political as it is a marketing platform for Adidas and Coca Cola – look no further than his recent clashes with a Conservative MP over comments made about parental responsibility. He has proven beyond doubt the value in publicly speaking out against social grievances, and has provided the blueprint for others to do the same.
In the age of the footballing hypebeast, social media personality and pro gamer, the Manchester United star saw the chaos of a pandemic as an opportunity to shrug off the label of teenage prodigy and become a man. Without kicking a ball, he has earned an honorary doctorate degree, remedied long-standing government legislation and helped to feed millions of children across the UK – just in time for the start of the new Premier League season.
The term ‘hero’ is often bandied about when it comes to professional footballers, but Marcus Rashford comes pretty close to whatever qualifies an individual for such a title (which is handy, because it’s the only one Manchester United are getting any time soon). In any case, the young fans with his name emblazoned on their backs can be proud to support a player who delivers on and off the pitch; he is, as the kids say, the best kind of baller. Not bad for a lad from Wythenshawe.
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