Father and son write book and raise funds for The Giles’ Trust
Keith Mayer and his son, David, have written a book dedicating it in memory of Keith’s good friend Dick Bate and are donating 10% of the profits to The Giles’ Trust, the brain tumour fund within QEHB Charity.
Keith and Dick had been friends for over 35 years before Dick passed away in 2018. The duo worked together and taught together over the number of years that they knew each other.
Dick Bate was a legendary football coach, having spent a successful career coaching football stars across the world, including in the England youth setup. When Dick was diagnosed with a brain tumour, he decided to raise money, with his wife, Maggie, to support The Giles’ Trust. He trained Keith before becoming good friends and working with him across the world.
Writing a book was always in the back of Keith’s mind, so he decided to release a book on sports coaching in 2019.
‘Gold Dust: How to Become A More Effective Coach, Quickly’ is about connecting with athletes, creating a good coaching environment and how to optimise performance.
Talking about the process of the book, Keith said: “I decided in May 2019 that I was going to write a book, I rang my son to tell him and he said he’d like to help me out with it.
“Whilst we were writing it we decided to dedicate the book in Dick’s memory as he taught me and countless others on how to coach. In addition, we thought it would be good to donate 10% of the profits to The Giles’ Trust within QEHB Charity which was a charity close to Dick’s heart.”
Picture: (L-R) Dick Bate, Keith Mayer and Gary Phillips
Since its release, the book has become a number 1 bestseller on Amazon and has received rave reviews from coaches and business people across many disciplines. Keith and David have raised and donated £600 to The Giles Trust.
Keith said: "Dick was a maverick in his field but was so humble. Anyone fortunate enough to observe Dick deliver one of his masterful practical or theory sessions will know they were in the presence of greatness.
“Dick spoke so fondly of the hospital that I knew donating to The Giles’ Trust was the right thing to do. The book delves into the importance of building connections in sporting environments and how you can do it.”
Cathryn Worth, Fundraising Manager for QEHB Charity, said: “Keith has written an incredible book on football coaching which I am sure will inspire so many people in the coaching world. Dick was a huge part of The Giles’ Trust and him and his wife, Maggie, have helped us raise huge amounts of money to further brain tumour research at the hospital.
“Thank you to Keith for choosing to donate 10% of the profits to The Giles’ Trust in Dick’s memory, it will help us continue our vital research into brain tumours.”
To purchase Keith and David’s book on football coaching, please click here.
To find out more about The Giles’ Trust and how you can get involved, please click here.
Top picture: David and Keith Mayer with their book, Gold Dust: How to Become A More Effective Coach, Quickly
