FOOTBALL CHANGED MY DIRECTION.
At 15, I was playing for Preston North End and believed football was going to be my future. When I was released at YTS level, that path suddenly changed.
After being released, I stepped away from structured football for around a year. I played with friends, rediscovered my enjoyment of the game and eventually found another route forward.
That route took me to F.A.C.E. (Football and Academic Centre of Excellence) in Liverpool, run through Liverpool FA, before joining Southport Reserves in 2000. A year later, football gave me an opportunity I hadn't previously imagined — the chance to go to America.
In 2001, I moved to the United States, initially attending Life University in Atlanta before transferring to Lambuth University in Jackson, Tennessee. I completed my Sport Management degree while continuing to play the game that had opened the door for me.
After graduating, I became a Graduate Assistant Soccer Coach at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tennessee. I also continued playing during the summers in the Professional Development League, while gaining coaching experience across youth and school football in the United States.
My experience in America showed me that football could offer more than the pathway I had known growing up in England. It gave me the opportunity to continue playing, gain a degree, experience a different country and build a future through the game.
Opportunity XI was created to help other players see that opportunity too. Not every player's journey follows the same path, but football can open doors that they may never have considered. I want players and their families to understand what could be possible and help them find the right opportunity to take their game further.