Editing Dario Gradi (section)

==Early life and playing career==
Born to an Italian father (who died when Dario was still a child) and an English mother, Gradi moved to [[London]], aged four, when his mother returned after the [[World War II|Second World War]] in 1945.<ref name="Hughes-2016">{{cite book|last1=Hughes|first1=Simon|title=Ring of Fire: Liverpool Into the 21st Century: the Players' Stories|date=2016|publisher=Random House|isbn=9780593076590|page=55}}</ref><ref name="Biddle">{{cite web|last1=Biddle|first1=Stuart|title=Dario Gradi, MBE : Public Orator, Professor Stuart Biddle, presented the Honorary Graduand at the Degree Ceremony held on Monday 14 July 2003 at 10.30am.|url=http://www.lboro.ac.uk/service/publicity/degree_days/degree_2003/Summer/Gradi.html|website=Loughborough University|access-date=28 February 2017}}</ref>

He attended [[Glyn Grammar School]] in [[Epsom]],<ref>{{cite book|last1=Jackson|first1=Stanley|title=Get Me a Celebrity!: Memoirs of a Celebrity Booker|date=2012|publisher=Ecademy Press|isbn=9781907722486|page=73}}</ref> and trained as a teacher of physical education at what is now [[Loughborough University]] from 1960 to 1963 (where he played for the university's first XI football team, alongside [[Bob Wilson (footballer, born 1941)|Bob Wilson]] and [[Barry Hines]]),<ref name="Biddle" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/mar/29/loughborough-football-team-photo-with-barry-hines-is-a-bit-of-football-history|title=Loughborough team photo with Barry Hines is a bit of football history &#124; Letters|newspaper=The Guardian |date=29 March 2016|via=www.theguardian.com}}</ref> before returning to teach at his former school.

By this time he had already played as an amateur for [[Sutton United F.C.|Sutton United]]<ref name="Biddle"/> and for [[Tooting & Mitcham United F.C.|Tooting & Mitcham United]] in the early 1960s.<ref name="TMFC">{{cite web|title=Isthmian League Division 1 : Season 1961–62|url=http://www.tmu-fc.co.uk/history/season/1960/61-62.htm|website=Tooting & Mitcham United F.C.|access-date=27 February 2017|archive-date=29 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229210212/http://www.tmu-fc.co.uk/history/season/1960/61-62.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was later capped once for [[England national amateur football team|England's amateur side]] (playing in the team's British Amateur Championship tie against Scotland in Dundee in September 1967).<ref name="England-Amateur">{{cite web|title=England Matches Amateur 1962–1974|url=http://www.englandfootballonline.com/MatchRsl/MatchRslAm3.html|website=England Football Online|access-date=27 February 2017}}</ref> He later rejoined Sutton United, playing in the [[FA Amateur Cup]] Final against [[North Shields F.C.|North Shields]] in April 1969,<ref name="Alamy">{{cite web|title=Stock Photo – Amateur Cup Final. North Shields v. Sutton United. Rutherford of North Shields and Dario Gradi of Sutton. 12th April 1969|url=http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-amateur-cup-final-north-shields-v-sutton-united-rutherford-of-north-81953353.html|website=Alamy|access-date=28 February 2017}}</ref> and in the club's [[FA Cup]] 4th round tie against [[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds United]] in January 1970.<ref name="Ticher">{{cite news|last1=Ticher|first1=Mike|title=Sutton v Leeds in 1970: Full-strength teams and Don Revie's obsessiveness|url=http://www.wsc.co.uk/features/13664-sutton-v-leeds-in-1970-full-strength-teams-and-don-revie-s-obsessiveness|access-date=28 February 2017|work=When Saturday Comes|date=January 2017}}</ref> Gradi also played for [[Wycombe Wanderers F.C.|Wycombe Wanderers]], long before the club became fully professional.{{citation needed|date=February 2017}}