I fell in love with football after the launch of Manchester United and now I’m looking to help

The end of any football career can be disheartening and for many, adjusting to life without the structure and routine of professional sport is difficult. In recent years, there has been a rise in footballers slipping into bad habits or fading into obscurity after struggling to come to terms with being a former professional.

Michael Lea, 36, joined Manchester United aged 11 after a spell with rivals Liverpool. However, his journey at Old Trafford came to an end in 2008, but luckily for the defender, who had the ability to play at left-back and centre-back, he managed to avoid a relegation by signing for Scunthorpe United in League One. .

However, his journey through professional sport was a difficult one – managing appearances and before long, Lea was questioning whether there was life outside of football.

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The struggles in the professional game for Lea echo throughout the sport. Where there are success stories like Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford, Phil Foden and Kyle Walker, they only make up a small percentage of players to cut it at elite level.

Many carve out a career in the Championship and further down the Football League pyramids, but for some they fail to carve out a professional career altogether.

After a move to Scunthorpe didn’t work out as originally planned, with a failed move for Lea’s position player sending him to the bench, problems continued at Chester City, who were kicked out by the Football Association following relegation in the National League. .

“I felt like I was wanted there, I signed on the premise that the player I was going to replace would sign for Leeds – that never happened, it fell through,” the 36-year-old told Barbie as part of Mental Health Awareness Week. “I felt like I was second choice, they were a great group of lads, successful, they went to Wembley twice that year and got promoted.

“I only signed for one year with an option, but I wasn’t offered an extension in the summer. I then signed for Chester City after they got relegated to the National League as they were still full-time, they played a lot of games there but that was the season when there were payment problems and they ended up being relegated and liquidate.

“It was a very difficult time, I don’t think I got paid for eight weeks, maybe more, the PFA supported us through that, it was probably the first time we used the PFA services for support.”

He added: “I got to the point where the option to stay at Chester was gone because there was no club or contract, I was owed money and I was thinking, ‘What do I do next year? Where do I go from here? ?’ I would probably say that that season, after the first two months with managerial changes and everything, I wasn’t enjoying football at all.

“I didn’t like being in that environment, it made me think, ‘Is this what I really want to do?’ Can I do anything better? Can I combine football with something else? I want to play League Two or National League and be a good player but I don’t want you to try anything.

“At that point, to realize that I’m playing football for a living, I’m playing full-time, that’s great, but was it the realization that this is going to be the highest level I’m going to play? Will I get better than this?

“Or can I do something else, then you have to not get paid, more points deductions, takeovers, I got to a point where I thought, ‘there’s got to be something more than this.’ A football career can be over anyway, it could be a few years after that, so it seemed like an opportunity to make that change.”

Lea made the decision at the age of 22 to apply to Salford University where she later gained a first class BSC in Sports Science and Performance.

He said: “So I applied to university that March for September, I was going to play part-time but I did a degree and took it from there.

“In a way, the decision was made for me and I was given the opportunity instead of making a decision at the end of the season. I was in the mood that I was done chasing the highest level, I was happy to play and be better at something else.”

The footballing journey didn’t entirely end here as Lea would go on to enjoy spells as a semi-professional footballer with the likes of Colwyn Bay. For one transition from football, it was as simple as it gets, but for many, it is not.

A Stoke City fan growing up, it was yet another huge honor for Lea to adorn the red shirt with the red devil across the chest.

Growing up in Greater Manchester, Leigh to be precise, Lea saw Sir Alex Ferguson’s side lift the famous treble – completing it on a famous night in Barcelona against Bayern Munich.

Originally on the books at Liverpool, the defender made the switch to their North West rivals and played alongside Jonny Evans, Darron Gibson, Frazier Campbell and shared a home with Ryan Shawcross, Danny Simpson and Barcelona icon Gerard Pique in year group. above Leah.

“The talent at the club was amazing, they were winning the Premier League every two years, the Champions League, so it was fantastic to be around and you felt part of it,” says Lea. “Everyone ate together, first team, reserves, youth team and used the same facilities, so you felt apart from that bigger team.”

The 36-year-old played through the age groups before making his mark in the reserves. An injury initially dampened his hopes of claiming a first-team place. Lea returned and enjoyed a strong campaign as he earned a Player of the Season nomination – signing a one-year extension with United.

He made the decision to join Antwerp on loan under iconic manager Warren Joyce in another move in United’s relationship with the Belgian club. Lea said: “You want to be involved in first-team training, which a lot of us have been, still playing reserve games and thinking, ‘Can I go on loan or do something different?’

“Then the Antwerp opportunity came up. Me and Craig Cathcart came through, in all honesty it wasn’t that common for English lads to come through, we had a connection with Antwerp which is why we were sent there.

“He was like, ‘I want to stay here and have a loan in the Football League, which is what every English player has wanted to do, or I go there and try something new.’

“I went out on loan at the start of the season, I came back at Christmas knowing my contract was up at the end of the season. I sat down with the boss and I knew that conversation was going to happen where I wasn’t. We’re going to get a another contract in June.”

The Old Trafford landscape at the time saw an embarrassment of riches on the left side of defence, with Brazilian brothers Fabio and Rafael entering the fray at the Theater of Dreams.

He said: “It wasn’t a surprise, I knew I probably wasn’t at the level I needed to be to get another contract and they brought in players in my position like brothers Fabio and Rafael, John O’Shea. he was still there, Patrice Evra and various other players who were my seniors.

“Realistically I didn’t expect to get another contract, I was disappointed because I’ve been there for so long it’s a tough feeling. I decided to stay in Manchester, play reserves and try to get into the window.

“I wasn’t that concerned about it, I thought I’d find another place to play, but there’s the pressure of telling people – you feel like you’ve let a lot of people down, especially your family, because they’ve dedicated so much a long time since you were 11 going to manchester or the cliff three times a week i think that was the worst.

After obtaining her degree, Lea went on to work for the NHS and the private healthcare sector with the aim of returning to football in any capacity.

He eventually found his way back into working in sport when he took up a position with the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA). The 36-year-old runs the triage system for injuries and provides physical support to players.

In May, the PFA launched RECONNECT, led by Lea, which aims to provide retired members with a network of fitness centers in some of the country’s leading universities and sports facilities – such as Leeds Beckett, Liverpool John Moores, Salford and Hull.

The initiative was developed with the aim of helping ex-players maintain their fitness after hanging up their boots and provide a chance to continue as well as develop social links with ex-professionals.

Wes Morgan and Jermaine Beckford supported the project. Lea sees the RECONNECT initiative as the perfect opportunity to help struggling players after retirement, he said: “The program is specifically for players who have just retired and know they won’t be playing football next year, want to transition into a different role .

“This gives them the opportunity to have that structured exercise and social mix with members in the same situation as them, or simply retired a few seasons ago.

“It’s a way to get that feeling of dressing room and collaboration led by professional coaches, if you look at players who are out of contract, still looking to stay in the game, we have camps.

“It’s aimed at players who are retired and we don’t want to fall into players using it as an exercise session to keep fit while they want to get back into football, we’re trying to keep it for members who have retired. and trying to move into a different role.

“It’s an initiative in place to support members transitioning from football and to provide a structure with professionally led sessions for members of all abilities and genders,” continued Lea. “It’s about reconnecting with members who are in a similar position, who have played the game and understand that it can be difficult if you don’t have that structure in place.

“Everybody knows everybody but you don’t necessarily see them, you have teammates that you talk to but you don’t see and they discuss whatever.

“The social aspect is key, but so is the physical aspect to get the best results, exercise and mental health, and the benefits are clear. it’s just the beginning, we’re trying to get members interested.”