The funeral of John Wildman (74) takes place on Thursday 16th July, 9am at South Lanarkshire Crematorium, Sydes Brae, High Blantyre. His family have provided the following information, a little more about his eventful life.
John was a prominent local youth football manager and coach during the 1980s. He was most notably associated with managing teams for the Chelsea Boys Club in the Lanarkshire area, which frequently organized guided tours of local senior grounds including Hamilton Accies (Hamilton Academical), Blantyre Vics, and Blantyre Celtic. The boys were taken on guided tours of Hamilton Accies, Blantyre Vics and Blantyre Celtic grounds and set their sights on tours of Wembley and Chelsea too.
He managed youth teams alongside local figures Alex Dick, Rab Dick , and coach Robert Malarkey. At its peak, the setup expanded to run five different youth teams. His club famously raised funds to secure their first official yellow playing kit. They travelled for major milestones, including a trip to Wembley in London where his side played against a touring Swedish youth team.
John Wildman was a deeply embedded figure in the Blantyre and South Lanarkshire community, known both for his dedicated working life and his expansive volunteer role in youth development. Outside of his known leadership at the local Chelsea Boys Club, his life was characterized by daily community interaction and a passion for local sports.
Before modern supermarkets changed how people shopped, John was a familiar face on the doorsteps of Blantyre. He spent decades working as a milkman for the Co-operative Dairy located on Auchinraith Road. Delivering milk daily allowed him to build a massive network of friends, keep tabs on local families, and spot young athletic talent for his football clubs.
While his team frequently organised events and tours involving Hamilton Accies, his sports involvement went much further. He helped scale local youth football, managing up to five different age-group teams simultaneously to ensure local boys had safe, constructive weekend activities.
Community Fundraising: He organised local dance events, raffles, and drives to fund club operations, purchasing official yellow strips and kits for kids who otherwise couldn’t afford them.
International and Travel Experiences: John arranged major travel opportunities for working-class Lanarkshire youth, including coordinating travel down to Wembley in London to face international touring squads.
He didn’t work alone; John was central to a tight-knit coaching network in South Lanarkshire. He collaborated closely with local sports figures Alex Dick, Robert Dick, and coach Robert Malarkey to expand recreational facilities and structured sports leagues across the region during the 1970s and 1980s
He also raised funds and took the boys on a holiday to Spain.
Our thoughts are with John’s family this week.
