Follow us. My journey into football started from humble beginnings, kicking a football with friends at the end of my street.
I was one of the lucky ones playing for a club as a schoolboy and then progressing into a brief professional career. My time as a professional footballer taught me many things, I rode the emotional wave and now want to share my story along with other professions. Although retired from playing aside from the odd charity or veterans match my work as a human performance consultant, researcher and now author allows me to work daily in the beautiful game.
For the past 16 months I have dedicated myself to digging beneath the surface of those involved in the game, interviewing some of the biggest players, managers and coaches from all over the world with questions about what goes on inside their heads? Professional football is a high-pressured environment. Players are constantly seeking approval from their teammates, coaches, managers, fans and sponsors. A feeling of undervalue can leave a footballer wrestling with a huge challenge.
Acceptance plays a key role within the game with the importance of belonging being fundamental in creating team cohesion. The idea of acceptance versus rejection is deeply rooted in us all from childhood.
However, those children who choose to play football with the dream of playing professionally have an even greater awareness of the importance of how they are perceived. Rejection for them may be just around the corner after being accepted as a schoolboy by football clubs which are household names to all of a sudden being told they are no longer wanted.
