How did your journey start in football? Do you remember the moment you decided that this was what you wanted to do full-time?

My journey started when I was playing grassroots for a local football team in Nottingham. A manager called Neil Warnock was scouting, watched me play and then asked me to come and join Notts County, which would have been many, many years ago now!

I had a very good game and it just so happened that Notts County were watching and asked me to come and join their team.

During your playing career, you successfully managed two promotions to the Premier League and were League Cup final runner-up. What would you say was your best moment on the pitch?

I’d have to say the two promotions to the Premier League. Getting to the Premier League was an achievement that I’ve always thought wouldn’t be able to do in my professional career. To do it with Birmingham City first was incredible because Birmingham had never been in the top flight of English football, and then to lift the trophy as captain in front of so many fans with Derby County was an amazing thing.

You retired from your playing career in 2009, and since then you have completed several football courses and qualifications. What stood out about the MIP course in particular?

It was the chance to broaden my network with so many leaders from Europe, from every league, Bundesliga, La Liga, and Ligue 1. It was an opportunity to really broaden that network and learn from these players and managers.

It was an opportunity that was too good to miss and I thought the qualification would enhance my opportunities going further. It was a wonderful course and I really enjoyed it. We’ve got an MIP group still going from four or five years ago now, and what’s great is every couple of years, the new alumni join. So it’s always growing. It’s a fantastic course that connects leaders from around the world together.

Do you think professional footballers struggle with retirement? If so why?

It’s something that is probably not spoken about enough. When I retired, I liken it to a bereavement where something was pulled away from you that you didn’t want to be pulled away. It’s a big, it’s a big thing for a player.

You’ve been adorned, you had fans shouting your name, and then all of a sudden you’re no longer the main player. It’s just getting used to that new life and a lot of players struggle with what to do next.

What has been your biggest challenge when navigating a career off the pitch?

I would say not really knowing who you are and where you want to go after football. I’ve always had a Saturday matchday buzz since I was nine years old. All of a sudden, that’s taken away from me. So what do I do? How do I get to those levels again? And so there’s a real adjustment as you start to come towards the end of your career about what is next. I don’t think players are adequately prepared; retirement often comes suddenly and without warning.

What advice would you give to someone struggling with this problem?

I think it’s so important to get around the network that you’ve been in and around a football environment where you’ve got many people working in managerial, academy, and analytical jobs.

If you don’t have the time to prepare for retirement, which is definitely something I would advise whilst playing, when you do retire, get amongst that network. Start asking questions about the roles that they’re doing, and opportunities that potentially could be coming up.

So it’s not burying your head in the sand and being inside of yourself. It’s now leaning on that network that you’ve been inside and trying to understand maybe opportunities that may be of interest to you.

What aspects of your MIP course have you brought into your current job?

A lot of it! I’ve utilised many of those connections in the last few years, and a lot of the leadership tools that I’ve learnt on the MIP course are something that has stood me in good stead.

Many players naturally apply leadership skills during their careers without realising it—until a course like MIP brings them to the surface. I have always had it, I’ve always done it but now I have learnt to tweak what I’ve learnt into my new role.

You are very vocal about minority backgrounds being underrepresented in the boardroom and managerial positions in football. What actions are still required to ensure the industry is more representative?

I think that the decision-making processes for how people come into positions of leadership need to be more transparent. How does a young manager get on that ladder? If there is a lack of diversity in terms of getting into leadership positions, how is that reflected in the overall decision-making process of a club?

If you aren’t accounting for people from different backgrounds, genders and particularly as we move into a world that is so multicultural, and so diverse, you might be having a few blind spots in your clubs because of opportunities that you may not have thought about because you lack diversity at the top end of your club. There are many, many pluses in terms of diversity at the top end of the game.

You have had an incredible career on and off the pitch – do you have any more personal goals you wish to achieve?

The opportunity to try and work with young players and teach them everything I’ve learnt, the culture, the diversity, the leadership and strategic thinking, is something that really excites me. I would definitely say there is more to come.