Tribute to Former Ramsgate Manager: Les Riggs 1935 - 2020

Former Ramsgate and Margate manager and Gillingham FC legend, Les Riggs, has passed away aged 85.

Les made a total of 169 appearances for the Gills during the 1950s and the 1960s and then later went on to manage both Ramsgate FC and Margate FC. As well as managing both Thanet sides, Les had a number of links to the area. He had local school football tournaments named after him and also owned Thanet’s most successful sports shop on Northdown Road in Cliftonville, and was the former captain of the North Foreland Golf Club.

Former Rams manager and friend, Jim Ward, had this to say about Les;
"Les was an inspiration to many young and old in the Thanet area. I first met Les in the late 1990s when I first took the Ramsgate job and most of the advice he gave me then has stood the test of time. I played golf with him many a time at North Foreland and he always wanted to know all about what we were doing at Ramsgate FC. Always positive, never negative. I never saw him play but I knew he was renowned as a tough tackler who also could throw that heavy old leather ball miles. He will be sorely missed in football and at the North Foreland Golf Club, where he was an ex-Captain. R.I.P Les"

Everyone at Ramsgate FC offers their deepest condolences to the family of Les Riggs, he will be greatly missed by many.

Written by:
Ramsgate Football Club