Football Journeys Podcast

Introducing our colleague Celia Quansah. Not a footballer but a rugby player, a former Heptathlete and an Olympian. We are so proud to present her and her story. With England's women having won this year's Euros and the Red Roses about to commence their rugby World Cup campaign Celia's story gives a perfect insight into the challenges female athletes face. In lifeskills sessions wit...

A wonderful chat with Fraser's former teammate Karleigh Osborne. A Brentford legend who, like so many, struggled with his mental health during a playing career that spanned 12 clubs and ended early (at the age of 31) owing to injury. His saviour came in an unlikely source when he became manager of the Brentford Women's team. The lessons he learned from his players, after two promotions,...

Born in Germany to Congolese parents Hervé Pepe-Ngoma didn't speak English when he moved to Leicester aged 8 but one language he did know was football. He was picked up by Leicester City aged 9 and ended his scholarship as the Academy player of the year. But injury in his first year as a pro cost him dearly and he was released at the end of the season.  He has had some dark times with injurie...

Born to a Bajan father who had represented Guyana at cricket it was no surprise that Keith Barker picked up a bat at a young age (he was playing under 13s cricket when he was 6!). But growing up in Manchester, and talented with his feet as well as his hands, his head was turned by football and he signed a scholarship, followed by a pro, with Blackburn Rovers (then an established Premier League sid...

Shadab Itikhar, a lad from Preston, fell in love with the strategy of football as a child playing Football Manager. He has had a determination to coach - "I was made to manage" - and, since turning up at Wigan Athletic's training ground seeking a meeting with Roberto Martinez he has worked with the Spaniard (at Wigan and Belgium) and has managed himself in England, Scotland, Mongoli...

Andy Morrison will be remembered by most football fans as an outstanding and incredibly tough football player but that doesn't begin to tell even a fraction of his story. Andy suffered trauma as a child and, for a time, alcohol and violence drowned out the noise and damage in his head. In 1999, under the tutelage of Joe Royle and Willie Donachie, he lifted the most important trophy in Manches...

A truly inspiring episode with 21 year old Sam Gough. Sam has had sight and hearing issues her entire life which have deteriorated leading to her now being almost completely blind. Sport has been her outlet and, alongside rowing and swimming, she has been hugely successful in blind football becoming only the second person ever born in Scotland to represent England at football. You can find Sam on...

"Farewell to Princess landing stage, River Mersey, fare-thee-well, I am bound for California, A place I know right well" So sang the Pogues in the Leaving of Liverpool and those words could have been a blueprint for Peter Moore's life. The proud Scouser who ventured to the US, via Wrexham, to live the American Dream. He would later return to Merseyside to become CEO of his beloved L...

Born with achondroplasia, one of the best known forms of dwarfism, Krysten Coombs never saw anyone that looked like him growing up in Totnes in the South West of England. Sport was his passion and was the thing that helped him to change his big challenge into his superpower. Football is a passion, and he has played with the Dwarf Sports Association and is a passionate fan of Plymouth Argyle, but i...

In the early 1980s Allan Cockram made two appearances for Tottenham Hotspur in a midfield featuring Hoddle, Ardiles and Perryman but it's not his football achievements, notable as they are, that make Allan a special man, it is his work after his playing career. Running the Brentford Penguins, the club's Down's Syndrome team, has brought him deserved acclaim, and a Grierson Award for...

It might be cheating a bit to start off with our very own, Fraser Franks, but he's had one hell of a year and there's a lot to discuss. He talks about open heart surgery but we then go on to discuss some of the incredible positive experiences he has had in the last year and there are also some hints about the guests that will follow, starting next week. This episode was recorded at the A...

This is just a quick word from us, with a couple of clips, to say that we are back with Series Three! Fraser is well and truly recovered from open heart surgery and we are so excited for you to hear the stories of some of our guests. We launch next week, on 11th December, and we'll have a couple of episodes pre-Christmas with much more to come in January. You can still keep up to date on our...

This Bonus Episode is also a bit of an announcement. Fraser is preparing to have open heart surgery and, unsurprisingly, that means he'll be out of action for a little while. In this episode he talks to Matt about his condition and the operation. We will most definitely be back but it makes sense, to take a bit of pressure off the recovery, for us to have a rest from the pod. Keep up to date...

The campaigner. Troy Townsend's football journey is a remarkable one. From his own dreams of playing as a young boy, supporting his sons with those same aspirations, tragically losing his eldest boy Kurtis and, later, his tireless campaigning for equality. This is an emotional episode and we were so grateful to Troy for sharing with us. We are so grateful, as always, to University Campus of F...

The Officer. In celebration of former guest David Clarke being awarded an OBE in the King's Birthday Honours List we had a Clarkie back on for a quick chat to discuss the honour but also his appointment this year as Chief Executive Officer of Paralympics GB. We are so grateful to University Campus of Football Business who we are partnering with for this and future episodes. For more informati...

The Paralympian. This is the third episode we've badged the Paralympian and, like David Clarke and Jack Rutter before him, we could have given this episode with Martin Sinclair so many different titles. He talks about the "challenge" of his Cerebral Palsy, the tragic experiences that impacted his life but, more than that, the fun and adventure he has had in spite of the challenges....

This is a very personal breakout episode presented by Matt Himsworth about hearing loss and football. Matt speaks to former Watford Women FC player Emma Beckett about her hearing loss caused by a car accident at the age of 19 and he speaks to Claire Stancliffe and Ceara Toal, two members of the England Deaf Women's football team who are raising funds for the team to travel to Malaysia for the...

The actor. We could have titled this episode so many things but it seems fitting to call Peter, or Mitch, the actor given that his accomplishment, in not even appearing in his school play, to having a regular part in Hollyoaks, sums up the character of the man. Like many Irish lads with footballing talent Mitch came to England as a young boy to follow his dream, securing a professional contract wi...

The trailblazer. If your boss calls you a trailblazer, why argue? When that boss is Les Ferdinand, it is all the more complimentary. Manisha Tailor earns that tag and then some. As a little girl growing up in a South Asian family in the 1980s opportunities to explore her talent and passion for football were limited. A combination of extraordinary desire, hard work, family love and also those tough...

The analyst. As a lad growing up in Merseyside John McGuigan was obsessed with football. Though a decent player, he knew he'd never grace Anfield, and so he set off on his journey to work in coaching and analyst. His passion and work ethic saw him work for Manchester City and his beloved Liverpool as well as a short stint with the Ghana national team. He know works in Lincoln, Nebraska for th...

The Paralympian. Yep, another one, and what a special lad. Jack Rutter, a Man United mad kid from Gloucester, was at Birmingham City's Academy, close to signing his first pro deal and preparing to play in the Semi Final of the FA Youth Cup, when he was punched at a night club. He fell and hit his head on the curb and suffered serious injuries which looked like they might kill him. With the su...

The double amputee. If ever a title didn't do a guest justice it's this one. Shaun Whiter, a talented non-league footballer for Newmarket Town, was hit by a drunk driver in 2016 in an incident which very nearly killed him and robbed him on both his legs. He is honest about the struggles, both mental and physical. which followed but he has not allowed what happened to him to define him. S...

The player. In association with University Campus of Football Business this week we meet a man who was described by our previous guest and colleague Brian McDermott as a leader both on and off the pitch.   Affectionately know at Reading, where he is well-loved, as Ledge we spoke to Mikele Leigertwood about his fabulous playing career, the influence of family, the experience of playing for and now...

The lawyer. In association with University Campus of Football Business this week we meet a man, David Winnie, who had a hugely successful playing career in Scotland, Iceland and Australia, but it was the end of his playing career and the requirement to re-think his life, his career and his identity, which was so hard. David ultimately started all over again and re-trained as a lawyer but the menta...

The entrepreneur. This week we speak with Michael Doughty, formerly of QPR, Peterborough and Swindon Town. Michael retired from football aged just 27, not because of injury or lack of opportunity, but because of his passion to create something lasting and sustainable. He launched Hylo Athletics, a more sustainable sports brand, and has gone from strength to strength. We talk about his early years,...