The Changing Room

Send us Fan Mail If you ever doubted pro football could really be the proverbial emotional rollercoaster, then this is the episode for you. Nathan Thompson, still currently playing for MK Dons, joined us to share his, and vicariously his family's, emotional journey in the game. Thank you for listening and supporting us. If you have any comments or would like us to consider sharing your story...

Send us Fan Mail We were honored to be contacted by the Canoville Foundation enquiring whether we would like Paul Conoville as a guest on the podcast. We didn't have to think about whether we wanted to chat with an icon against racism, a pioneer with a deep story to tell, whose autobiography won Sport's Book of the Year, someone who has cheated death 3 times and is still defying the odds...

Send us Fan Mail To start season 2, we are honored to share an extended episode with the amazing Rachel Yankey. The first professional female footballer in England, Rachel provides an inspiring insight into her journey. Thank you for listening and supporting us. If you have any comments or would like us to consider sharing your story in this space contact us at thechangingroom.online If you are or...

Send us Fan Mail Paul and Sue discuss where they are with the podcast... Thank you for listening and supporting us. If you have any comments or would like us to consider sharing your story in this space contact us at thechangingroom.online If you are or someone you know is struggling with mental and emotional health issues please get in touch with your GP, a registered support organisation such as...

Send us Fan Mail As part of an impressive family legacy in pro football, Dave shares his emotional rollercoaster ride through the game. From attending training with his dad, Alvin, at West Ham to signing for Liverpool then MK Dons to being out of contract with a young family to ultimately becoming GK for West Ham in the Premier League, not that we got to talk about most of that but, rather how cha...

Send us Fan Mail From humble beginnings to living in Dubai, from dreaming of playing in the Premier League to begging Aidy Boothroyd to 'take me out the game', and from co-authoring a book and presenting to the Dragons in Dragon's Den to appearing on Couples Come Dine With Me The expected highs and lows of a football life from the outside looking in maybe, but Rich shares with us ho...

Send us Fan Mail Bobby Hassell, boasts a 27 year career in football, so far, including 499 appearances. His loyalty to and conscientiousness for Barnsley FC continues in his current role as Academy Director. But what has this journey felt like for Bobby? What did the ups and downs feel like along the way and were the downs worth the ups?  This episode provides a unique insight into a player who ex...

Send us Fan Mail A cult figure, a player, club coach, England coach, manager and dubbed as one of football's nice guys, Chris Powell has a wealth of experience and knowledge some of which he shares with us in this episode. From feeling and being different from his first contract signing at 16 to becoming part of Southgate's England coaching team, Chris shares what that felt like and how...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 12 handed The Changing Room hotseat to Steven Reid. Steven gave us an insight in to his football journey which could be seen as 'at odds' with how he portrayed himself during his 17 year playing career. On retiring from playing his statement included words such as 'with a heavy heart' and 'a wonderful journey' but, was it really?  From a very...

Send us Fan Mail Goalkeeper Toby Bull joins us for Episode 11. Toby spent all his formative years at Brighton and Hove Albion Academy and was released in 2023 at the age of 20. From the age of 10 to 16 Toby trained and played with the age group below his chronological age due to his 'late physical development'. Toby gives insights into his perspective of growing up within the football sy...

Send us Fan Mail We went slightly off script with this one, we had the pleasure of Jamie Kenna, British actor and mental health advocate, join us in the studio. Jamie came from humble beginnings and unknowingly started his acting career at a very young age negotiating tough times at home, school and football by pretending things were other than what they were to those he was protecting himself and...

Send us Fan Mail This episode welcomes Danny Haynes to The Changing Room. An Aston Villa schoolboy and apprentice who earned a 2 year pro contract, Danny talks about his struggle with anxiety from a very early age and the respite he gained from alcohol. Danny shares some dark and heartbreaking reflections of his journey as a child and young adult in professional football, which he didn't have...

Send us Fan Mail Once pipped as Manchester United's next big thing, Tom Thorpe joined Paul and Sue to explore and reflect on his emotional journey in football.  From a first team debut at Old Trafford, to India to taking 5 years away from football completely, an honest and vulnerable account of the not so glamorous side of pro football. We apologise for the sound quality of this episode but t...

Send us Fan Mail Joining Sue and Paul this week, as promised, is Darren Bent. Darren drops into The Changing Room to share some of his reflections on his football journey from a more personal perspective.  He wrestles with 'who is Darren Bent',  stepping into the real world and becoming a real person and why Sunderland will always be held fondly by him and his family. Thank you for liste...

Send us Fan Mail An impromptu episode from the pilot we ran last year. Darren Bent and Steven Caulker joined us for a conversation when we were exploring the value of football's emotional journeys and how sharing these could provide validation and understanding for the younger athletes coming up through the pathway. Both were instrumental in our decision to take the idea forward into the podc...

Send us Fan Mail In celebration of the 2024 Olympics and in support of other elite athletes in their emotional journeys, this episode hears Sue and Paul speak with the impressive double Olympian Jack Green. Jack provides a vulnerable insight into his early career, his superhero persona and a feeling of 'falling off a cliff' following the 2012 Olympic games into a diagnosis of being a ris...

Send us Fan Mail Bruce Dyer holds a place within the history book of English football as the first one million pound teenager. Bought by Crystal Palace in 1994 as they were chasing for promotion, Bruce's future as a potential Premier League player looked to be the stuff teenage boy's dreams were made of.  Episode 5 provides a look beyond the headlines of Bruce Dyer's early career. S...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Sue and Paul welcome Ben Clark Eden into The Changing Room as he reflects on his academy journey, explores his struggle with anxiety, staying true to himself and the freedom he now feels playing in the American Collegiate system. Ben shares valuable insights from his time at Brighton & Hove Albion's Academy and with hindsight from his onward journey. He o...

Send us Fan Mail We are joined in the is episode by Craig Mackail Smith. Craig explores his lost identity and how he needed to rediscover who he was following retirement from the pro game. He discusses suppressed emotion, not trusting himself and unlearning his dependance on the football structure. If you are or someone you know is struggling with mental and emotional health issues please get in t...

Send us Fan Mail Thank you for listening and supporting us. If you have any comments or would like us to consider sharing your story in this space contact us at thechangingroom.online If you are or someone you know is struggling with mental and emotional health issues please get in touch with your GP, a registered support organisation such as MIND or The Samaritans, for gambling issues contact Gam...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Steven speaks to Sue and Paul about his compulsive gambling addiction from its origins to how it has impacted on his life and career. Thank you for listening and supporting us. If you have any comments or would like us to consider sharing your story in this space contact us at thechangingroom.online If you are or someone you know is struggling with mental and emot...

Send us Fan Mail In our first episode Sue and Paul chat with Steven Caulker about his emotional experience of the football journey. They explore some of his early experiences as a child in the system through to his senior pro years. Thank you for listening and supporting us. If you have any comments or would like us to consider sharing your story in this space contact us at thechangingroom.online...

Send us Fan Mail The Changing Room is a space for those who make a living from football, those on their football journey and all those interested to hear about the not so talked about emotional journey of pro football. Thank you for listening and supporting us. If you have any comments or would like us to consider sharing your story in this space contact us at thechangingroom.online If you are or...