Review: Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dreams

Say what you want about Freddie Flintoff, but his recent BBC show Field of Dreams was nothing short of inspirational.

The show follows Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff, a former England cricketer, as he returns to his hometown of Preston on a mission to introduce cricket to a ragtag bunch of troubled boys – many of them having never even seen a match before. Over the three-part series, Freddie trains up this unlikely group in the art of the game, coaching them to bowl, bat, and field. All the while, he makes great effort to convince the boys that cricket is not the ‘posh game’ they insist it is.

Whilst the series is essentially about the impact sport can have on a community, in my opinion the real crux of the show is the way Freddie takes the boys under his wing, becoming a stern but lovable father figure of sorts as he teaches the team key life lessons in teamwork, discipline, and respect.

What I also found particularly striking about the series is the diversity that Freddie encourages

It is clear that Freddie takes this role incredibly seriously and goes to great lengths to ensure each and every one of the boys reaches their full potential.

Personally, I think the way the show approached the stories of Ben and Adnan embodied Freddie’s famous straight-forward, no-nonsense mindset but balanced this beautifully with sensitivity and care. Both boys have experienced real hardships in their lives which the show does not shy away from.

Throughout, he makes a point of cricket being a sport for everyone, striving to create equal opportunities by arranging funding for the refurbishment of Vernon Sports Club. His efforts to continue the boys’ journey into cricket beyond the documentary is commendable, even if not all of them are fully convinced by the sport.

There is not much negative I can say about the show. Some may argue that the continued narrative of state vs private school was overdone and overemphasised, however for me, I believe it is an important point.

The tension between the state school system and private schools, especially in the sport of cricket, is something that regularly causes issues

It is no exaggeration to say that privately educated children have far better opportunities to play cricket than state school pupils, which I believe the series portrays well.

However, I would have liked to have seen more interviews with the boys. It was clear the producers had carefully selected which boys they were going to focus on and, whilst the boys they chose were definitely characters, in my opinion we needed additional interviews from more of the team to get a better sense of the group as a whole. The stories of Adnan and Ben were indeed powerful and were rightly told, but I also wanted to see more in-depth coverage about the group’s developing friendships and how they bonded into a team over the course of their training.

Overall, the series is a feel-good documentary with highs, lows, laughs, and tears. Even if you’re not a cricket fan, I would highly recommend watching the show if just for Freddie Flintoff’s charisma. I believe the series is a testament to his character, proven by his sheer determination and down-to-earth outlook on life.