#professional-football

#professional-football

I played 717 games for Chelsea and I could say, genuinely, I was 100 per cent fit for five of them. When I went into a game, I rarely didn't have a rib, arm, leg, ankle or some sort of injury – something always hurt.

The closest he got to it was Newcastle United's development squad', a group of players deemed not good enough to sign for the academy itself, but sufficiently talented for the club to monitor them via training sessions a couple of times a week, with occasional games. Released from that setup at the age of 11, Burn played Sunday League football, and by 16, when most players sign their first professional contracts, he was struggling to pin down a place in an amateur Saturday team.

There are no words in this world to describe how grateful I am for this unbelievable gesture,

Former Premier League referee David Coote is due to be sentenced after a child abuse video was found on his device. The ex-official was charged with making an indecent image of a child after the category A video, the most serious kind, was recovered by police in February last year following a Football Association (FA) investigation into him. The 43-year-old former referee, of Woodhill Road in Collingham, near Newark, Nottinghamshire, pleaded guilty to the offence at a hearing in October.

I just drank for two days straight, come [into] training and at the weekend I'd scored two goals and then I'd go back and go and drink for two days straight again,

I wanted to go out and enjoy my time with my friends and have a night out. It got to a point where I went too far that was a moment in my life where I was struggling massively with alcohol. I didn't think I could turn to anyone. I didn't really want to because I didn't want to put that burden on anyone.

The first day of preseason is possibly the most positive moment of the entire year for professional footballers. Players experience excitement, hope, and anticipation, regardless of past seasons.

‘Certain opportunities only come along once in a lifetime,’ says Truro City manager John Askey, reflecting on his team’s unexpected rise to success. Guided by Askey, Truro City achieved promotion to the highest tier of non-league football. This transition from a part-time to a fully professional setup represents a significant milestone, as they are the first team from Cornwall to reach this level. Captain Connor Riley-Lowe remarks on the adjustments required in training while managing a full-time job, sharing both the challenges and rewards of this new chapter in his career.

"As I hang up my cleats, I'm filled with a gratitude as I close this chapter of my life and officially retire from the game that's shaped me in every way."

I had some offers to play in the [Club] World Cup but I think it didn't make sense because I prefer to have a good rest, a good preparation, because this season will be very long as it is the World Cup season at the end of the year.

It's important to remember that coaching a team is a collective effort and not solely the responsibility of the head coach, Vincent Kompany.