You may well wonder how it came to be that former England manager Sir Gareth Southgate attended our game with London Lions on Friday 3rd April. So I thought it might be interesting to go through the sequence of events that culminated in his visit to Top Field. I have only just received the go-ahead from the BBC to tell the full story.

It was on 17th February when out of the blue I received an email from Lorraine Evans a producer with Cardiff Productions who were making a premium prime time documentary for BBC with a high profile sports figure looking at life for young men in Britain today. No name was mentioned. The email said they were getting in touch to explore the possibility of filming at one of our home games in March. You will not be surprised to know that I quickly expressed our interest in getting involved. It was at this stage that I was told the ''high profile sports figure'' was Sir Gareth Southgate.

The production company chose 21st March when we were to play Aylesbury and said they would film Sir Gareth watching the game and talking to supporters. I arranged a ground visit where our chairman Paul Sprague met with the production company and it went well. But unfortunately I then received a phone call saying that they could no longer make the 21st March and asked us to consider Good Friday, 3rd April instead. I said we would be happy with the revised date and they said they would confirm as soon as possible.

It then went rather quiet so I phoned the production company on Wednesday 1st April to see if filming would take place or not. I found out Sir Gareth had to resolve some issues to ensure his availability and was told I would get a definite decision on Thursday. I nervously awaited the call and was relieved when I found out it was all systems go. I was sent a list of their requirements and they were really co-operative. They even insisted on paying for the tickets for all of the 10 man production team including Sir Gareth!

On the day the production team were friendly and helpful and really professional. As for Sir Gareth you could only be impressed by how accommodating and approachable he was on the day. He spoke to so many supporters and had plenty of selfies taken and even gave a five minute pre-match talk to our team in the dressing room. It was quite surreal to have Sir Gareth filmed coming through the Top Field turnstiles.

So it was a special day at Top Field as it is not every day you get an ex England manager visiting and it is great publicity for the club. Wearing my treasurer's hat I was obviously disappointed that I could not publicise Sir Gareth's visit as this could have doubled the gate but I was sworn to secrecy! I fully understood the need to protect Sir Gareth from unwanted attention. I must thank Lorraine Evans for setting up the visit and for being so easy to deal with.

The documentary that was being filmed at Hitchin has now been given its transmission date which will be at 9.00pm on Monday 8th June on BBC 1

Below is the press release that has now been released to promote the upcoming documentary:

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"Gareth Southgate examines the crisis facing young men and boys in new BBC documentary

The former England football manager travels across the UK to understand challenges facing young men and boys

In a new BBC documentary, former England football manager Gareth Southgate will confront the crisis he believes is facing young men and boys and look at the solutions that can help this generation thrive. Gareth Southgate: Changing the Game for Young Men will air at 9pm on Monday 8 June on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

After a long career in football, captaining teams, working with young players and leading England, Gareth is now using this experience to focus on helping young men and boys reach their potential.

He's already spoken about the need for more positive male role models and how many young men and boys feel isolated or find it hard to open up about how they're feeling. Now, he wants to hear directly from them.

Gareth Southgate: Changing the Game for Young Men moves beyond the recent conversations around the "manosphere" and looks at the everyday issues many are dealing with – school, employment, identity, mental health and life at home.

Travelling across the UK, he'll speak to young men and boys about what's really going on in their lives and ask why so many feel lost and unsure about their futures. He meets boys falling behind at school, young men struggling to find work and those growing up without father figures. He also meets young inmates in prison to understand what led them into crime.

Looking at the knock on effects on society of when they become disengaged, Gareth explores what could turn things around for this generation so they can succeed and realise their ambitions.

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Gareth Southgate says: "This is the next step in my purpose to get young men and boys moving in the right direction rather than falling behind. I wanted them to speak openly and without judgement about what's really going on in their lives. Through these conversations, I've gained a better understanding of the challenges they face.

"It's been a fascinating experience, and I am so grateful to everyone I met who were brave enough to share their stories. I hope this documentary will go some way towards changing the national conversation and encourage us all to support them in realising their potential."

Gian Quaglieni, BBC Commissioning Editor, says: "Gareth Southgate is in a unique position to explore why so many boys feel like they're falling behind and to think differently about what might help. This film steps away from polarised arguments and instead listens to how young people really feel and what they're dealing with. These are important conversations – and not always easy – but they need to be heard."

Gareth Southgate: Changing the Game for Young Men (1×60) is a documentary produced by Cardiff Productions for the BBC. The Executive producer is Narinder Minhas and the Director is Samuel Palmer. It was commissioned by Joanna Carr, Head of BBC Current Affairs. The commissioning editor for the BBC is Gian Quaglieni."