First Love Magazine by Gi Brinkman

FEBRUARY 2013 ONE-ON-ONE MEET THE C.E.O 6

SPORT TECHNOLOGY BOOT TECHNOLOGY 10 GADGET CORNER 12

UP FRONT MARK MOLESLEY INTERVIEW

PRE MATCH BUILD UP

THE CHERRIES HISTORY

FEATURES RICKY “THE HITMAN” HATTON

RAFAEL NADAL 30 ANDRÉZ INIESTA 32 GAME CHANGING INTERVIEW WITH EDDIE & JASON

USAIN BOLT 42

PERFORMANCE 44

WES FOGDAN & NUTRITION

ALCOHOL Vs EXERCISE

ISOTONIC ENERGY DRINKS

BAREFOOT RUNNING

POKER 60 8 MINUTE WORKOUT 64 FIXTURES 67 Credits:// Publishing: Platinum Media Publishing Printing: IT Media // Editor in Chief: Sacha Lys Design: Giles Brinkman // Photography: Amy Maidment – www.amymaidment.com // Sport writers: Aaron Rees / Roger Vincent / Charlie Frost / Luke Trotman

For all enquiries and advertising queries contact: sacha@platinummediapublishing.co.uk – 01202 762674

ssistant P’sP’tone Assistant stone £13-15K £13-15K snsSales SalesX6X6 B’mouth B’mouth £13K+C £13K+C vertising C’church dvertising C’church £12K+B £12K+B

NCIES ANCIES

ales Wilts OTE Sales Wilts OTE£80K+C £80K+C call 01202 292888 callnow now 01202£35K+C 292888 Base S/W B’mouth D/Base S/W B’mouth £35K+C Poole £35K+C TSalesSales-SME SME Poole £35K+Ccall callnow now01202 01202292888 292888 SALES & ADVERTISING VACANCIES SALES & ADVERTISING VACANCIES Sales Vacancies Sales Vacancies Insurance Account MgrMgr B’mouth Insurance Account B’mouth £22-25K £22-25K Account Manager Ringwood UpUp to to £30K Fleet Personnel have been established since 1972 and areare at at thethe forefront of of recruitment in in Dorset. Account Manager Ringwood £30K Fleet Personnel have been established since 1972 and forefront recruitment Dorset. er-D/base B’mouth £25K/ DOE eter-D/base B’mouth £25K/ DOE SALES & ADVERTISING VACANCIES Sales Comm Consultant B’mouth £17.5-22K SALES & ADVERTISING VACANCIES Sales Comm Consultant B’mouth £17.5-22K Recruitment Consultant Bournemouth £DOE+C Recruitment Consultant Bournemouth £DOE+C Strategically located to provide a broad area of cover, we currently have offices in Bournemouth, Dorchester Strategically located to provide a broad area of cover, we currently have offices in Bournemouth, Dorchester Account MgrMgr B’mouth Insurance Account B’mouth £22-25K £22-25K Ins Ins Sales/ Cust.Service X4 X4Manager P’stone Sales/ Cust.Service P’stone £15-20K £15-20K Insurance Branch Christchurch UpUp to we £27.5K+C Branch Manager Christchurch to £27.5K+C on B’mouth £15-18K+C ionSales Sales B’mouth £15-18K+C and Ringwood. As a Corporate Member of the Recruitment& Employment Confederation operate strict Sales Comm Consultant B’mouth £17.5-22K and Ringwood. As a Corporate Member of the Recruitment& Employment Confederation we operate strict Sales Comm Consultant B’mouth £17.5-22K Telemarketing Assistant P’stone £13-15K Telemarketing Assistant P’ stone £13-15K Recruitment Consultant Wimborne UpUp to to £27K+C Recruitment Consultant Wimborne £27K+C Ins Sales/ Cust.Service X4 P’ s tone £15-20K Ins Sales/ Cust.Service X4 P’ s tone £15-20K guidelines and take extremely seriously our commitment to promoting the recruitment industry. Continuing our guidelines and take extremely seriously our commitment to promoting the recruitment Continuing our NewNew Business-Ins Sales X6 B’mouth £13K+C Business-Ins Sales X6 B’mouth £13K+C New Business Sales Executive Christchurch UpUp toindustry. £25K+C New Business Sales Executive Christchurch to £25K+C Poole £DOE ntManager Manager Poole £DOE Telemarketing Assistant P’ s tone £13-15K Telemarketing Assistant P’ s tone £13-15K Appt SettersAdvertising C’church £12K+B Appt SettersAdvertising C’church £12K+B success in in 2010, wewe are currently thethe right candidates forfor thethe following temporary success 2010, are currently right candidates following temporary Product Development Executive Eastleigh Up opportunities: toopportunities: £25K+C Product Development Executive NewNew Business-Ins Sales X6Eastleigh Business-Ins Sales X6 B’mouth B’mouth £13K+C £13K+C Sales Executive IT Eastleigh Sales Executive IT Eastleigh Appt SettersAdvertising C’church IT SALES VACANCIES Appt SettersAdvertising C’church£12K+B £12K+B IT SALES VACANCIES Advertising Field Sales Executive Poole Advertising Field Sales Executive Poole Telecoms Field Sales Wilts OTEOTE £80K+C Telecoms Field Sales Wilts £80K+C IT SALES VACANCIES IT£10-12.50 SALES VACANCIES CNC Millers PH Weymouth CNC Millers £10-12.50 PH Weymouth Recruitment Resourcer Bournemouth Recruitment Resourcer Bournemouth Channel Mgr-D/Base S/WS/W B’mouth Channel Mgr-D/Base B’mouth £35K+C £35K+C Telecoms Field Sales Wilts OTE £80K+C Telecoms Field Sales Wilts OTE £80K+C Branch Manager Bournemouth Branch Manager Bournemouth Temp ongoing, Night shifts, £DOE Temp ongoing, Night shifts, £DOE NewNew Business IT SalesSMESMEPoole £35K+C Business IT SalesPoole £35K+C Channel Mgr-D/Base S/W B’mouth Channel Mgr-D/Base S/W B’mouth £35K+C £35K+C Senior Negotiator Winton Senior Negotiator Winton TechTech Telemarketer-D/base DOEDOENewNew Telemarketer-D/base B’mouth B’mouth £25K/ £25K/ Business IT SalesSMESMEPoole Business IT SalesPoole £35K+C £35K+C Internal Account Manager Poole Internal Account Manager Poole Experienced Bricklayers £10 –12 PH Dorset sites Experienced Bricklayers £10 –12 PH Dorset sites Softw are are Solution Sales B’mouth £15-18K+C Softw Solution Sales B’mouth £15-18K+C Tech Telemarketer-D/base B’mouth £25K/ DOE Tech Telemarketer-D/base B’mouth £25K/ DOE Advertising Sales Poole Advertising Sales Poole CSCS card required Softw are Solution Sales B’mouth £15-18K+C CSCS card required Trainee Account Manager Poole £DOE Softw are Solution Sales B’mouth £15-18K+C Trainee Account Manager Poole £DOE Outbound Sales Advisors x10 Bournemouth Outbound Sales Advisors x10 Bournemouth Trainee Account Manager Poole Poole £DOE £DOE Sales Executive Poole Telephone Sales Executive Trainee Account Manager Poole BANKING & FINANCIAL IND.VACANCIES BANKING &Telephone FINANCIAL IND.VACANCIES 7.5 Tonne driver’ s £7.00 - 8.50 PHPH 7.5 Tonne driver’ £7.00 - 8.50 area Telesales Poole Telesales Executive Poole & Shaftesbury\Blandford FINANCIAL IND.VACANCIES BANKING & Shaftesbury\Blandford FINANCIAL IND.VACANCIES area Invest & Der ivatives Mgr Dorking Invest & Der ivatives Mgr Executive Dorking s£50-80K £50-80KBANKING Sales Account Manager Verwood Invest & Der ivatives Mgr Dorking £50-80K Digital Tachograph required Sales Account Manager Verwood Invest & Der ivatives Mgr Dorking £50-80K Digital Tachograph required Compliance MgrMgr Hants £40-45K Compliance Hants £40-45K Compliance MgrMgr Wareham Hants £40-45K Sales Negotiator Compliance Hants £40-45K Sales Negotiator Wareham Sales Manager S’bur y y £20-35K+B Sales Manager-Pensions -Pensions S’bur £20-35K+B Sales Manager -Pensions S’bur y y £20-35K+B Sales Manager -Pensions S’bur £20-35K+B Part Time Travel Consultant All Areas Part Time Travel Consultant All Areas Refuse Loaders £5.80 -£6.00 PH Wareham\Purbeck area Team Manager-Pensions S’bury £20-25K Refuse Loaders £5.80 -£6.00 PH Wareham\Purbeck area Team Manager-Pensions S’bury £20-25K Team Manager-Pensions S’bury Team Manager-Pensions S’bury £20-25K £20-25K Travel Consultant AllAll Areas Areas Administrators X2 X2Travel Consultant B’mouth Administrators B’mouth £12-13.5K £12-13.5K

NANCIAL IND.VACANCIES FINANCIAL IND.VACANCIES

atives ativesMgr Mgr

Dorking Dorking £50-80K £50-80K Hants £40-45K Hants £40-45K -Pensions S’bur £20-35K+B -Pensions S’bury y £20-35K+B ensions S’bury £20-25K -Pensions S’bury £20-25K 2X2 B’mouth B’mouth £12-13.5K £12-13.5K

AdAd Hoc Positions, essential Hoc Positions, transport essential Administrators X2 X2 transport B’mouth £12-13.5K Administrators B’mouth £12-13.5K VAC VACANCIES ANCIES Insurance & Banking & Financial (Technical) Vacancies Insurance & Banking & Financial (Technical) Vacancies TECHNIC VAC ANCIES TECHNICAL AL VAC ANCIES TECHNIC AL VAC ANCIES TECHNIC AL VAC ANCIES

Bar, Porters &Project waiting staff £6.00-6.50 PHPH £28K Bar, &Project waiting staff £6.00-6.50 Independent Financial Advisor Poole Independent Financial Advisor Project Contr Lym’ ton £28K Project Controller oller Lym’ tonPorters £28K Contr tonton £28K Controlleroller Poole Lym’Lym’ ller Lym’ ton £28K oller CNC Lym’ ton £28K Operations Control Analyst Bournemouth Weymouth area Operations Control Analyst Bournemouth Weymouth area Millers or Turners All Areas £11.75ph CNC Millers or Turners All Areas Upto Upto £11.75ph CNCCNC Millers or Turners All Areas £11.75ph Millers or Turners All Areas Upto Upto £11.75ph PI PI Claims Negotiators Southampton Claims Negotiators (Mechanical Eng) C’church £25K Estimator (Mechanical Eng)Southampton C’church Estimator (Mechanical Eng) C’church £25K £11.75ph Estimator (Mechanical Eng) C’church£25K £25K rners Estimator All Areas Upto Turners All Areas Upto £11.75ph Liability Ofﬁcers x12 Bournemouth Liability Ofﬁcers x12 Bournemouth Foundry Technician Lym’ton Upto £22K Foundry Technician Lym’ton Upto £22K Foundry Technician Lym’ton Upto £22K Foundry Technician Lym’ton Upto £22K Accounts Assistant £7.50 8.00 PHPH Dorchester Accounts Assistant £7.50 8.00 Dorchester Financial Administrator Salisbury Financial Administrator Salisbury PC Technician V’wood £12K PC Technician V’wood £12K PC Technician V’wood £12K PC Technician V’wood £12K anical £25K hanicalEng) Eng)C’church C’church £25K Temporary ongoing Temporary ongoing Financial Underwriter Ringwood Financial Underwriter Ringwood TEMPORARY VACANCIES TEMPORARY VACANCIES VACANCIES TEMPORARY VACANCIES an TEMPORARY Lym’ton Upto £22K ician Lym’ton Upto £22K Statistical Analyst B’mouth £12.72ph Statistical Analyst B’mouth £12.72ph Admin\telesales £9.36 PHPH Weymouth Weymouth Statistical Analyst B’mouth £12.72ph Customer Service &Admin\telesales Administration &£9.36 Secretarial Vacancies Statistical Analyst B’mouth £12.72ph Customer Service & Administration & Secretarial Vacancies Assist ant ant Accountant B’mouth Assist Accountant B’mouth £12.60ph £12.60ph Temporary to Permanent Personal Injury Secretary Southampton Assist ant Accountant B’mouth £12.60ph Temporary to Permanent Personal Injury Secretary Southampton Assist ant Accountant B’mouth £12.60ph V’wood £12K V’wood £12K Legal SecrSecretaretar y y All Areas Upto £9.50ph Legal Dealings Administrator Salisbury Legal SecrSecretaretar y Dealings All Areas £9.50ph Administrator SalisburyAll Areas Upto £9.50ph Legal y All Areas Upto Upto £9.50ph PA/PA/ SecrSecr etaretar y y

All All Areas £9.50ph Areas Upto Upto £9.50ph

Support Ringwood Ringwood PA/PA/ SecrSecr etaretar y Operational AllSupport Areas Upto £9.50ph y Operational All Areas Upto £9.50ph Labourers required £6.25 PHPHBournemouth\Poole Labourers required £6.25 Bournemouth\Poole Accounts Assistant C’church £8.50ph Accounts Assistant C’churchUpto Upto £8.50ph Financial Administrator Salisbury Financial Administrator Salisbury Accounts Assistant C’church £8.50ph Accounts Assistant C’churchUpto Upto £8.50ph European Telemarketer B’mouth CSCS Card essential European Telemarketer B’mouth £7.20ph £7.20ph CSCS Card essential Customer Service Advisor Romsey Customer Service Advisor Romsey B’mouth £7.20ph European Telemarketer B’mouth £7.20ph European Telemarketer

ACANCIES VACANCIES

Up to £25K+C UpUp to to £25K+C £25K+C UpUp to to £24K+C £24K+C UpUp to to £21K £21K UpUp to to £20K+C £20K+C UpUp to to £18K+C £18K+C UpUp to to £18K+C £18K+C UpUp to to £18K+C £18K+C UpUp to to £17K+C £17K+C UpUp to to £17K+C £17K+C UpUp to to £16K+C £16K+C UpUp to to £16K+C £16K+C UpUp to to £15K+C £15K+C UpUp to to £12K PRPR £12K UpUp to to £12K £12K UpUp to to £45K £45K UpUp to to £30K £30K UpUp to to £18.5K £18.5K UpUp to to £18K £18K UpUp to to £17.5K £17.5K UpUp to to £16K £16K UpUp to to £20K £20K UpUp to to £18K £18K UpUp to to £18K £18K UpUp to to £17.5K £17.5K UpUp to to £16.5K £16.5K UpUp to to £16K £16K UpUp to to £12.5K £12.5K £Negotiable £Negotiable

Customer Account Manager Salisbury Customer Account Manager Salisbury t B’mouth £12.72ph yst B’mouth £12.72ph PCV Drivers £8.50 PCV Drivers £8.50Bournemouth Bournemouth Administrator Shaftsbury Administrator Shaftsbury Full time through summer seasonal Part Time Administrator Poole Full time through summer seasonal Part Time Administrator Poole find success with untant B’mouth find success with ountant B’mouth £12.60ph £12.60ph recr uit ment recr uit ment find success with find success with Vacancies Technical Technical Vacancies Outbound Telesales Advisors £7.00-8.50 PHPH Bournemouth Outbound Telesales Advisors £7.00-8.50 Bournemouth recr uit ment recr uit ment yy All Areas Upto £9.50ph All Areas Upto £9.50ph Marine Engineer Poole UpUp to to £25K Marine EngineerPotential Poole £20-22K £25K perm after qualifying OTE Potential perm after qualifying £20-22K OTE Bour nemouth: OldOld ChrChristcistc hurc h Rd Bour nemouth: hurc h Rd UpUp MOT Testers Poole to to £22K MOT Testers Poole212212 £22K All Areas Upto £9.50ph Poole: High Str Streeteet NorNor th th All Areas Upto £9.50ph Poole:253-257 253-257 High Parts Person Poole UpUp to to £20K Parts Person Poole £20K Bour nemouth: 212212 OldOld ChrChristcistc hurc h Rd Bour nemouth: hurc h Rd jobs@sosrecruitment.co.uk Care Opportunities Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch, Weymouth jobs@sosrecruitment.co.uk Care Opportunities Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch, Weymouth UpUp Electronics Sales Co-ordinator to to £20K Electronics Sales Co-ordinator Poole £20K Poole: 253-257 High Str Str eet Nor th th Poole Poole: 253-257 High eet Nor www .sosr ecr uitment.co .uk.uk nt C’church Upto £8.50ph www .sosr ecr uitment.co tant C’church Upto £8.50ph HCA’s, Cleaners, Laundry assistants. Training provided. £6.25 +HCA’s, Cleaners, Laundry assistants. Training provided. £6.25 +Sales Engineers Poole Up to £20K+B Sales Engineers Poole Up to £20K+B jobs@sosrecruitment.co.uk jobs@sosrecruitment.co.uk Purchase Ledger Poole Up to £18K Purchase Ledger Poole Up to £18K www .sosr ecr uitment.co .uk www .sosr ecr uitment.co .uk arketer B’mouth £7.20ph marketer B’mouth £7.20ph Mechanics Bournemouth UpUp to to £18K Mechanics Factory\Production Bournemouth £18K Operatives Dorset area Factory\Production Operatives Dorset area

ssswith with

Service desk Bournemouth to to £15K Service desk Bournemouth £15K Various ongoing contracts across Dorset, days\nights £5.80 +Up Various ongoing contracts across Dorset, days\nights £5.80 +Up

General Administrator’ s £6.00 PHPH Weymouth Industrial estate General Administrator’ s £6.00 Weymouth Industrial estate General office duties, experience preferred General office duties, experience preferred Agricultural Gardner £6.50 PHPH North Dorset Agricultural Gardner £6.50 North Dorset Gardening\Mower experience preferred, contact with livestock. Gardening\Mower experience preferred, contact with livestock.

recruitment recruitment

call callnow now01202 01202292888 292888 SALES & ADVERTISING VACANCIES SALES & ADVERTISING VACANCIES ITIT && Telecoms Vacancies Telecoms Vacancies Insurance Account Mgr B’mouth £22-25K Insurance Account Mgr B’mouth £22-25K Fleet Personnel have been established since 1972 and areare at the forefront ofof recruitment inin Dorset. Fleet Personnel have been established since 1972 and at the forefront recruitment Dorset. Senior CRM Consultant Poole UpUp toto £45K Senior CRM Consultant Poole £45K Sales Comm Consultant B’mouth £17.5-22K Sales Comm Consultant B’mouth £17.5-22K Strategically located toto provide a broad area ofof cover, wewe currently have offices inin Bournemouth, Dorchester Strategically located provide a broad area cover, currently have offices Bournemouth, Dorchester Software Developer Bournemouth UpUp toto £25K Software Developer Bournemouth £25K InsIns Sales/ Cust.Service X4X4 P’stone Sales/ Cust.Service P’stone £15-20K £15-20K Service Assurance Advisor Eastleigh UpUp to £19K Service Assurance Advisor Eastleigh Confederation to £19K and Ringwood. As a Corporate Member ofof the Recruitment& Employment we operate strict and Ringwood. As a Corporate Member the Recruitment& Employment Confederation we operate strict Telemarketing Assistant stone Telemarketing Assistant Up P’to P’s£18K tone £13-15K £13-15K Trainee CRM Consultant Poole Trainee CRM Consultant Poole Up to £18K guidelines and take extremely seriously our commitment to promoting the recruitment industry. Continuing our guidelines and take extremely seriously our commitment to promoting the recruitment industry. Continuing our New Business-Ins Sales X6X6 B’mouth £13K+C New Business-Ins Sales £13K+C Technical Support Technician Poole UpUp toB’mouth £16K Technical Support Technician Poole to £16K success in in 2010, wewe areare currently the right candidates forfor the following permanent opportunities: success 2010, currently the right candidates the following permanent opportunities: Appt SettersAdvertising C’church £12K+B Appt SettersAdvertising C’church £12K+B With Italian oror Danish oror Norwegian oror Swedish oror Dutch With Italian Danish Norwegian Swedish Dutch IT SALES VACANCIES IT SALES VACANCIES SALES & Industrial ADVERTISING VACANCIES SALES & Industrial ADVERTISING VACANCIES Temp Vacancies Temp Vacancies Telecoms Field Sales Wilts OTEOTE £80K+C Telecoms Field Sales Wilts £80K+C Marketing executive £20-25k Bournemouth Marketing executive £20-25k Bournemouth Insurance Account Mgr B’mouth Insurance Account Mgr B’mouth £22-25K £22-25K Wire Person Poole £10.00 PH Wire Person Poole £10.00 PH Channel Mgr-D/Base S/W B’mouth £35K+C Channel Mgr-D/Base S/W B’mouth £35K+C Photoshop, Flash, HTML, CSS Photoshop, Flash, HTML, CSS Purchasing Assistant Poole £10.00 PH Sales Comm Consultant B’mouth Purchasing Assistant Poole Sales Comm Consultant B’mouth £17.5-22K £17.5-22K New Business IT SalesSME Poole New Business IT SalesSME£10.00 Poole PH£35K+C £35K+C Welders Poole Up to £10 PH Welders Poole Up to £10 PH InsIns Sales/ Cust.Service X4X4 P’stone Sales/ Cust.Service P’stone £15-20K £15-20K Tech Telemarketer-D/base DOE Tech Telemarketer-D/base B’mouth B’mouth £25K/ £25K/ DOE Electronic Inspectors Poole UpUp toto£10 PH Electronic Inspectors Poole £10 PH Patrol Inspector £16 – 18K Wareham area Inspector £16 – 18K Wareham area Softw areare Solution Sales B’mouth Telemarketing Assistant P’Patrol stone £13-15K Softw Solution Sales B’mouth £15-18K+C £15-18K+C Telemarketing Assistant P’ s tone £13-15K Electronic technicians Bournemouth £9.50 PH Electronic technicians Bournemouth £9.50 PH£DOE Electronics experience preferred not essential Electronics not essential Trainee Account Manager Trainee Account Manager Poole Poole £DOE New Business-Ins Sales X6 B’mouth £13K+C New Business-Ins Sales X6 B’mouth £13K+Cexperience preferred Warehouse Operatives Gillingham £6.50 PH Warehouse Operatives Gillingham £6.50 PH Appt SettersAdvertising C’church Appt SettersAdvertising C’church £12K+B £12K+B Warehouse Operatives Wimborne £6.00 PH Warehouse Operatives Wimborne £6.00 PH BANKING & FINANCIAL IND.VACANCIES BANKING & FINANCIAL IND.VACANCIES Financial Controller £20-23K Christchurch area area Assemblers Poole £6.00 PH Assemblers Financial Controller £20-23K Christchurch Poole £6.00 PH £50-80K Invest & Der Mgr Dorking Invest & Derivatives ivatives Mgr Dorking £50-80K Experience toto trial balance level Experience trial balance levelMgrMgr IT IT SALES VACANCIES SALES VACANCIES Paint Sprayers Wimborne D.O.E Paint Sprayers Wimborne D.O.E Compliance Hants £40-45K Compliance Hants £40-45K CNC Turners Poole D.O.E CNC Turners Wilts Poole D.O.E Telecoms Field Sales OTE £80K+C Telecoms Field Sales Wilts OTE £80K+C Sales Manager S’bur y y £20-35K+B Sales Manager -Pensions -Pensions S’bur £20-35K+B CNC Millers Poole CNC Millers Poole D.O.E Chef £18 -20K Wool Chef\ £18-21K Piddletrenthide ChefB’mouth £18 -20K Wool Chef\ £18-21K Piddletrenthide Channel Mgr-D/Base S/W £35K+C Team Manager-Pensions S’bury Channel Mgr-D/Base S/W B’mouth £35K+C Team Manager-PensionsD.O.E S’bury £20-25K £20-25K Break Press Operatives Ferndown D.O.E Break Press Operatives Ferndown D.O.E Live accommodation available\Transport essential Live accommodation available\Transport essential Administrators X2 X2 B’mouth Administrators B’mouth £12-13.5K £12-13.5K New Business IT SalesSME £35K+C New Business IT SalesSME Poole Poole £35K+C Tech Telemarketer-D/base B’mouth £25K/ DOE Tech Telemarketer-D/base B’mouth £25K/ DOE TECHNIC VAC ANCIES Commercial Temp Vacancies TECHNICALAL VAC ANCIES Commercial Temp Vacancies Sales Office Supervisor £30 -35K Weymouth area Office Supervisor area Underwriter – Sales Temp toto Perm Bournemouth PH Softw areare Solution Sales B’mouth £15-18K+C Project Contr Lym’ tonton £28K Underwriter – Temp Perm Bournemouth £10.40 PH Softw Solution Sales B’mouth £15-18K+C£30 -35K Weymouth Project Controller oller £10.40 Lym’ £28K Previous experience essential Previous experience essential PA All Areas Up to £10 PH PA All Areas Up to £10 PH CNC Millers or Turners All Areas Upto £11.75ph CNC Millers or Turners All Areas Upto £11.75ph Trainee Account Manager £DOE Trainee Account Manager Poole Poole £DOE Derivatives Bournemouth Up toto £10 PH Derivatives Bournemouth Up £10 PH Estimator (Mechanical Eng) C’church £25K Estimator (Mechanical Eng) C’church £25K Reconciliations Clerk Bournemouth UpUp toLym’ton £10 PH Vehicle -25K Dorchester area Clerk Mechanic Bournemouth to £10 PH Vehicle Mechanic£20 £20 -25K Dorchester area BANKING &Reconciliations FINANCIAL IND.VACANCIES Foundry Technician Lym’ton Upto £22K BANKING & FINANCIAL IND.VACANCIES Foundry Technician Upto £22K Secretary AllAll Areas £10 PH Legal Secretary Areas £10 PH Full accreditation required PC Technician V’wood Full accreditation required PC Technician V’wood £12K £12K Invest & Der ivatives Mgr Dorking Invest &Legal Der ivatives Mgr Dorking £50-80K £50-80K Pensions Administrator Poole £8.00 PH Pensions Administrator Poole £8.00 PH Compliance Mgr Hants £40-45K Compliance Mgr Service Hants £40-45K TEMPORARY VACANCIES TEMPORARY VACANCIES Customer Advisors Bournemouth £7.50 PH Customer Service Advisors Bournemouth £7.50 PH Production £21K area Production £21KWeymouth Weymouth area Sales Manager -Pensions S’bur y Supervisor £20-35K+B Statistical Analyst B’mouth £12.72ph Sales Manager -Pensions S’bur y Supervisor £20-35K+B Statistical Analyst B’mouth £12.72ph Telemarketers - German Bournemouth £7.20 PH Telemarketers - German Bournemouth £7.20 PH Food environment Food environment Assist ant Accountant B’mouth £12.60ph Assist ant Accountant B’mouth £12.60ph Telemarketers Dutch Bournemouth £7.20 PH Telemarketers Dutch Bournemouth £7.20 PH Team Manager-Pensions S’bury £20-25K Team Manager-Pensions S’bury £20-25K Legal Secr y y All Areas £9.50ph Telemarketers - Danish Bournemouth £7.20 PH Legal Secretar etar All Areas Upto Upto £9.50ph Telemarketers - Danish£12-13.5K Bournemouth £7.20 PH Administrators X2X2 B’mouth Administrators B’mouth £12-13.5K PA/PA/ Secr y y All Areas £9.50ph Telemarketers - Flemish Bournemouth £7.20 PH Food && Beverage Manager £20 22K Secretar etar All Areas Upto Upto £9.50ph Telemarketers - Flemish Bournemouth £7.20 PH Food Beverage Manager £20 22KBournemouth Bournemouth Telemarketers Bournemouth £7.20 PH Accounts Assistant C’church £8.50ph Telemarketers - Norwegian Bournemouth £7.20 PH Upto Accounts Assistant C’church Upto £8.50ph Hotel experience essential TECHNIC ALALVAC ANCIES Hotel experience essential TECHNIC VAC ANCIES - Norwegian Telemarketers - Finnish Bournemouth PH Telemarketers - Finnish Bournemouth £7.20 PH £7.20ph European Telemarketer B’mouth European Telemarketer £7.20 B’mouth £7.20ph Project Contr oller Lym’ tonton £28K Project Contr oller Lym’ £28K Telemarketers - UK Bournemouth £7.20 PH Telemarketers UK Bournemouth £7.20 PH Upholsterer £19k+ Bridport area Upholsterer £19k+ Bridport area CNC Millers or Turners AllAll Areas Upto £11.75ph CNC Millers or Turners Areas Upto £11.75ph Senior Administrator Poole £7.00 PH Senior Administrator Poole £7.00 PH Experience essential Experience essential Estimator (Mechanical Eng) C’church £25K Estimator (Mechanical Eng) C’church £25K Switchboard Operator Ferndown £7.00 PH Switchboard Operator Ferndown £7.00 PH Accounts Administrator Bournemouth £6.85 PH Accounts Administrator Bournemouth £6.85 PH Foundry Technician Lym’ton £22K Foundry Technician Lym’ton Upto Upto £22K find success with find success with£6.50 Buyer £23-25k Axminster area Administrator Christchurch PH Buyer £23-25k Axminster area Administrator Christchurch £6.50 PH PCPCTechnician V’wood £12K Technician V’wood £12K recr ment recruit uit ment Receptionist AllAll Areas £6.50 PH Receptionist Areas £6.50 PH 1212 month contract month contract Hotel Receptionist Bournemouth £6.20 PH Hotel Receptionist Bournemouth £6.20 PH TEMPORARY VACANCIES TEMPORARY VACANCIES

call callnow now01202 01202292888 292888

Statistical Analyst Statistical Analyst Assist antantAccountant Assist Accountant Legal Secr y y Legal Secretar etar PA/PA/ Secr y y Secretar etar Accounts Assistant Accounts Assistant European Telemarketer European Telemarketer

nemouth: Old ChrChr istcistc hurc h Rd Bour nemouth: 212 212 Old hurc h Rd Despatch Lates £15k Ferndown B’mouth £12.72ph Despatch (Forklift) Lates £15k FerndownBour B’mouth(Forklift) £12.72ph Poole: High StrStreeteet Nor Poole:253-257 253-257 High North th Counterbalance 01:30pm-09:30pm Counterbalance 01:30pm-09:30pm B’mouth £12.60ph B’mouth £12.60ph jobs@sosrecruitment.co.uk jobs@sosrecruitment.co.uk

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AllAll Areas £9.50ph Areas Upto Upto £9.50ph www .sosr ecrecr uitment.co www .sosr uitment.co.uk.uk Actuarial £32K Bournemouth Support £32K Bournemouth AllActuarial Areas Upto £9.50ph All Areas Support Upto £9.50ph Professional qualification and experience essential Professional qualification and experience essential C’church Upto £8.50ph C’church Upto £8.50ph B’mouth B’mouth £7.20ph £7.20ph

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Neill

BLAKE

IN THE BOARD ROOM WITH THE AFCB C.E.O So how is it working at AFCB? I love it. Every morning I come around the corner and I know I am coming into a football club to work. Its stressful at times, but very very enjoyable. So, you must be pleased that there has been a change since Eddie has come on board. What do you think it is that makes the players respond so well to his techniques? Eddie is a very good manager. He’s got a certain persona about him, he can have a laugh with the players, get on well with them as friends, but they know there is a line and not to cross it with him. He has a strict side and a good side to him, where he can be one of the boys. He sits down with the boys

individually too, gets to know them personally and privately, it is not just about football which helps a lot. So those are his key factors really, and Jason being beside him gives him that extra edge, that Jason can look after the players as well. Are you looking to add to the squad during the January transfer window? It is not high on the agenda but you never know what is going to happen in football. Shaun MacDonald has just been injured, so that might be a place that Eddie may feel that he needs someone in if he feels he can’t fill it with the current squad. It’s all factors, if we get a few injuries then we look to bring someone in. As a whole I think the squad we have got has adapted and is good enough as it is so we will just see what happens. Has there been many changes in the club now we have investment from the Russians? Massive. My first day on the job when I took over the place, the first person that walked through the door was a bailiff (Neill laughs). So, it’s changed a lot, I would say it is easier and harder, when you have someone that is willing to invest a considerable amount of money on and off the field, you need to protect that investment and that the money is put into the right areas. You have to think about the investor and the club. You don’t want to put yourself in the situation of being a year down the line the investor disappears and your left in big debt. Its changed for the better, that’s for sure. We have a better team, the facilities have improved, it’s a good change. Obviously you have to be pretty impressed with the current set up at AFCB with its dramatic change in the last few years. There has been new training pitches and further expansion, are there any future plans for development? Yes, we are in the process at the moment of putting through a planning application for a shop extension. We understand that the demands of people wanting to buy items from the shop on match days is quite high and the shop is currently not built for large amounts of public. We have also put in for changing

facilities to go in by the training pitches so the players don’t have to walk all the way to the main building, and there will be facilities in there for them to eat as well. And lastly, it will be the South End stadium which we are looking to complete. We are just looking at revised drawings now to build the fourth stand, obviously it will all be key to the fact of whether we get promoted or not. Do you think we have a chance of promotion to the Championship? Yes, I wouldn’t have said that four months ago, we were lying somewhere fourth from bottom. If anything, we almost definitely have a chance with two points off play offs and six off the top and if the squad keep playing the way they are, then I think there is a very strong possibility. Since you have been at the club, what has been your biggest highlight? Promotion the first year we were here. With Eddie and Jason, we embargoed for the year so we couldn’t sign anyone. We had 18 players that were all best friends on the pitch as well as off, and they had the hunger and desire. It was hard off the pitch as we were in a lot of debt, and we were struggling week in and week out for finances. To top it off, getting promoted that particular year was fantastic. It was Burton Albion and we were away, and we won. To win that was amazing by far. So you have worked with Eddie Mitchell for quite some time, throughout other clubs as well. What is it like working with him? Very stressful (Neill laughs). He’s a very hard working, self driven person. I don’t think people realise how it is with him. He is in at seven o’ clock in the morning until nine/ten o’ clock at night. He will drive and drive until he gets perfection. He has done it ever since I have worked with him so I have got to know his traits and what he is like. He is a very self driven man and that is what people need to see, he is probaby one of the first people 8

in the clubs in the morning, coming in seven days a week, he even walks his dog around the grounds. He is literally non-stop, as he is always striving to get perfection with the club and that’s what he wants.

though, I would probably sign Wayne Rooney. Just because he’s a fantastic football player. He is probably one of the best British football players we’ve had, but if I was looking abroad, it would definitely be Messi!

Well it seems to be paying off! So more and more players from top leagues are finding themselves going abroad to play for the money or even lower league clubs to see out their professional career. If you could sign a premiership player to Bournemouth, who would it be?

Haha good choice! Ok, lastly, if Bournemouth were to get into the Championship finals, who would be your dream team to play?

There is quite a few! If anyone

Real Madrid. I love Real Madrid, I’ve supported them as one of my foreign teams, went there and saw some games, loved it. So yeah, they would be the team of choice.

IS IT TIME TO BLOW FULL TIME ON

LEATHERBOOTS? FOOTBALL

Even in today’s marketplace of luminous synthetic uppers, space-age carbon fibre soles and super-light plastic chassis, if you were to ask anyone on the street to draw you a football boot, the chances are you’d get a classic, leather cleat with six studs. “The Puma King SL is a K-Leather Masterpiece, but Puma are looking at ditching leather soon. “ But future generations may well grow up in a world without leather football boots, as Puma chief executive Jochen Zeitz has admitted the iconic sports brand will have to join the rest of the industry in moving away from leather footwear. Speaking at the UN Rio+20 earth summit, Mr. Zeitz said , “I think eventually we’ll have to look at alternative materials, there’s no question about it. We should eat less meat, all of us, and we should use less leather, I mean that’s reality.” Puma’s current lineup of footballing footwear includes the K-Leather PowerCat 1.12, evoSPEED 1K and – of course – the iconic Puma King, meaning that of the biggest sports manufacturers in the market at the moment, Puma would be the ones required to make the most drastic shift. “Adidas’ adiPure 11pro ditched K-Leather for Taurus Leather and a synthetic midfoot and heel – Could Puma do the same with the iconic King?”

“Nike’s game-changing GS Green Speed showed that synthetic leather could be a viable substitute for natural materials.” 10

Ahead of the curve, adidas has already made a concerted effort to move it’s footwear away from natural leather over the last two years – with only the Copa Mundial still made using an entirely natural leather upper, whilst Nike’s KangaLite (and Kangatouch for

subsidiary Umbro) material has seen them also drift away from natural leather. Zeitz explained Puma are looking to move away from natural leather as the processing and production of raw materials was the biggest impactor of Puma’s environmental footprint, with cattle ranching draining water supplies and requiring land to be cleared, as well as the harmful chemicals and contaminants associated with leather tanneries. These factors – plus the sheer volume of footwear produced – makes footwear has the biggest environmental footprint of Puma’s products. A scenario likely similar for Nike and Adidas. Whilst Puma have a number of innovative synthetic materials at their disposal, they currently don’t have a ‘flagship’ synthetic leather in the same way Nike have KangaLite, or adidas have HybridTouch. Mr Zeitz, conceded hope that, “Maybe there’s an economic way of producing a leather-like product in the laboratory”; a sign that Puma haven’t developed a substitute material just yet – surprising news given Puma’s forward-thinking in this area, like the ‘Eco’ Puma Kings, that have found innovative ways to offset the environmental impact of producing small-run batches of football boots. The hand-made Copa Mundial is adidas’ last natural-leather boot. With adidas and Nike comfortable in their transition away from natural leather products, and Puma close behind – we wonder whether this will signal the end for the classic leather football boot? Once the three biggest manufacturers in the world move away from the material, will Mizuno, Asics and others be forced to follow suit?

THE NIKE+ FUELBAND WILL INSPIRE YOU TO GET ACTIVE BY RECORDING ALL YOUR ACITIVITY AND CONVERTING IT INTO A NEW FITNESS CURRENCY - NIKEFUEL Nike has jumped into the fitness tech fray with the FuelBand, which tracks your day-to-day activity and measures this through a new medium called NikeFuel. The more active you are, the more NikeFuel you will be rewarded with per day. Nike FuelBand users can decide at the beginning of the day what level of NikeFuel they want to reach that day. The Fuelband then displays how close you are to achieving your goal via a series of 20 LEDs that gradually go from red to green as you approach your target. Specifically, The Nike FuelBand uses accelerometry to record data about your exercise, which it can then relay to you as time, steps, NikeFuel or calories. Nike+ Fuelband: Build As fitness and tracking devices go, this Nike Fuelband is a looker. It has all the simplicty of a Lance Armstrong LiveStrong charity wristband, it’s just slightly more weighty

without being annoyingly bulky. During the course of the test we had ours on playing tennis, making cocktails, at work and even in the shower and found it relatively easy to forget you’re wearing it. That solves one of the main problems with similiar bulkier devices like a BodyMedia Fit which is worn on your upper arm and can become a little intrusive. The rounded edges and smooth rubber coating mean it’s comfortable and actually looks more like a cool fashion accessory than a fitness or health tracking device. For those who want to track how active they are in the shower, or just for playing sport in the rain, the Fuelband is water resistant. We actually tested it in the shower and it held up fine. Sadly it’s not fully waterproof, so swimming is out. The bottom of the bracelet features a stainless steel clasp, one side of which has the USB connect that you use to charge and, if you’re not doing so over WiFi, to sync your latest stats with the iOS app and your Nikeplus.com profile. Next to the clasp there’s the ability to add in or remove bracelet extenders, meaning tht the Nike+ Fuelband can be sized for comfort, particularly useful if you ever want to pass this onto another user.

Nike+ Fuelband: Features The Nike+ Fuelband uses a 3-axis accelerometer to measure your motion, then based on your height and weight it provides an estimate of your calories burned, steps taken and overall distance covered. What it won’t do is give you an accurate GPS-based reading on how far you’ve run like other run-tracking devices. This is very much a gadget that aims to help people become generally more active rather than targetting specific sports. Nike+ Fuelband App: iPhone and iPod Touch. The Nike+ Fuelband works in conjunction with a simple app for Apple iPhone and Apple iPod Touch. The app essentially has three screens, Home shows your key stats for the day. You get your NikeFuel total, using the red-amber-green display for at-a-glance access to your performance against the daily target. It also gives calories, steps and distance.

Nike+ Fuelband Battery Life The band has two lithium polymer batteriesand Nike claims this is enough to keep it charged for up to four days. Nike+ Fuelband:Verdict The Fueldband is very much in the Fitbit Ultra and Jawbone UP market more than the Nike+ Sportwatch or the Adidas MiCoach end of tracking. It’s a really good looking accessory that has out-of-the-box instant accessibility and some really addictive features that should get you moving. It’s a true lifestyle-changer rather than a trad training watch. It’s a great way to guilt-trip yourself into hauling your fat batty off the chaise longue.

Nike+ Fuelband price: £139.00

The second screen provides a graphical representation of your activity for a period of time, day, week, month, year so you can see when you’ve been at your most active. The final view presents information on your records such as best day, best week, your total NikeFuel earned and also any special awards you’ve picked up along the way.

MARK

MOLESLEY “I would like to say a massive thank you for all the support the club and fans have shown me.” You have been at the club now for 4 years, and everybody is going to be sad to see you leave. What has been the biggest highlight at the club over the years? There has been quite a few, the biggest was getting the call to come and play at the club. Making my debut at the tender age of 27 was definitely one of them. That was my first time playing in the league, a dream come true. Getting the opportunity to play for Bournemouth was amazing and realising my goal of playing in the football league. Obviously, another highlight was staying up that season, this was a remarkable effort from everyone involved, almost against all odds, but we did it. Then kicking the next

season off, starting well, sitting at the top of the league, but unfortunately I missed the end from injury, but we were promoted, which was great for the club. There are so many highlights, but the ones that stood out were staying up, followed by a few goals thrown in here and there which I thoroughly enjoyed. Exeter has signed you until the end of the season. How are you feeling about the move? It was mixed feelings, obviously leaving Bournemouth was a hard decision to make. I’m leaving with a very heavy heart, but you know when it’s time to move on, and now I’m excited with the new challenge, and I’m pleased for the opportunity to play for Exeter City.

You have been heavily involved with charity with AFC Bournemouth. Is this still going to continue outside the club?

humbling experience being involved, and I would love to carry on trying to help in any way I can.

Very much so, I have been given a great insight from Adam Murry of how to make a positive influence on helping others. I have made this area my home for the last few years, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be that for the foreseeable future. Hopefully that will enable me to still be involved with the projects that are ongoing. It has been such a

Any last words to the club and Fans? I would like to say a massive thank you for all the support the club and fans have shown me. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s obviously been the highlight of my life playing at AFCB, and all the help during the down time with my injury. Without the help from certain people, I

would not even be on the football pitch at all. A special thanks goes to AFCB physio Steve Hard, along with the AECC Anglo Chiropractor College, Dr. Osbourne who oversaw interns; Jon Magnusson, Laurence Plant, Dane Ferrar, Tom Faulkner for my rehabilitation. I am greatly indebted to these people. Also, a special thanks goes to Adam Murry and Eddie Howe for giving me the opportunity in the first place at AFCB, and putting their faith in me. I wish AFCB, and all the boys all the very best of luck for the future. From everyone at First Love Magazine and AFC Bournemouth, we would like to wish Mark all the luck in the future!

“Giving the pre-match talk with a team or individual athletes can be a tricky business. However, if you use the following simple steps, you stand a great chance of getting it.”

1. Do not be too dramatic: Every athlete has an innate level of arousal before competition. Trying to pump up an introvert athlete can be detrimental to performance. Similarly, overly emotional athletes need a calm word before a match rather than fuel on their fire.

2. Always be positive: Give examples of skills and situations which your team have executed and/or managed where they were successful in a previous match.

3. Send messages high in information: Don’t ask a player for his or her best, this should be taken for granted! Give your defence, midfield, strikers objectives as a unit, and give individual players performance objectives for the match. For example, to your right winger: “on your first two possessions, attack down the line once, and if it works go for it again. If it doesn’t work second time, cut inside and attack the goal”.

4. Do not shout at players: A calm voice displays control and confidence, shouting will usually cause anxiety and stress.

5. Keep the talk to 5min max: Don’t break their focus on the game to come.

JOIN US AS WE LOOK OVER THE HISTORY OF “THE CHERRIES” FROM THE HIGHS & LOWS TO THE MANAGERS AND PLAYERS THAT HAVE INSPIRED A LEGENDARY FOOTBALL CLUB

THE HISTORY

THE STATS

7-0

The present football club can trace its roots as far back as 1890 when Boscombe St. Johns Institute Football Club were playing in local football. The team dispanded and moved to Kings Park, adjacent to the current stadium in 1902 before moving to Dean Court in 1910 where they began to dominate the local football scene. It was around this time that the club gained the nickname, ‘The Cherries’. There are two main stories as to why the club would be called such a name. Firstly the Cherry Red striped shirts the side wore and secondly, Dean Court was built next to the Cooper-Dean estate which included many cherry orchards.

HIGHEST SCORING LEAGUE MATCH

VS: SWINDON TOWN, 22.09.56

The Cherries finally hit the headlines in the 1956-57 season after a fabulous run in the FA Cup. Dubbed “The Giant Killers Cup” they beat Spurs in the semis before controvertially losing to Man Utd in the final.

GAMES WON OVERALL

The 1970’s saw the Bond Years, a name change to AFC Bournemouth was paralleled with a football team which was a joy to watch thanks largely to a certain Ted “Super Mac” Macdougall

GOALS FOR

. The 1990’s saw Bournemouth escaping relegation with, then manager; Mel Machin and financial troubles when AFCB became Europes first ever Community Club after a trust fund takeover.

The 1980’s brought Harry Redknapp to AFCB, revenge on Man Utd in the 3rd round of the FA Cup on 7 January 1984, victory in the Associate Members Cup at Hull, and a 97 point record in the 1986-87 season meant they lifted the Division Three Championship.

1554 5702 5509

2000 was seen as a ‘new era’. Record appearance maker Sean O’Driscoll took over as first team manager in 2000. And by the end of his first season in charge, he had led the side from the bottom of the table to the in-form team in the UK. After temporarily moving to Dorchester Avenue’s Stadium, on November 10th 2001, Bournemouth returned to the now named Fitness First Stadium at Dean Court. Kevin Bond took charge late in 2006 and steered the club to League One survival with player of the year and former England International Darren Anderton playing a key role. The 2009-10 season started with Eddie Mitchell coming in as the new Chairman at the club. Against all odds (and player embargos) the side enjoyed their best ever start to a league season and kept up the fine form throughout the campaign and at a glorious day at Burton, gained promotion, finally finishing in second place. The 2011-12 season could be seen as one of transition as the majority of the successful squad left for pastures new. The club had the boost of Max Demin coming in to become a major shareholder. Eddie Howes return in the summer has seen AFCB hit some of their finest unbeaten form in the clubs history.

GOALS AGAINST

TED

MACDOUGALL LEADING GOALSCORER

126 GOALS IN 165 APPEARANCES

11-0 HIGHEST SCORING CUP MATCH

VS: MARGATE, 20.12.71

1.37 1.32 AVG. GOALS FOR

AVG. GOALS AGAINST

BORN: 6 OCTOBER 1978 HOME TOWN: MANCHESTER FIGHT RECORD: 48 FIGHTS 45 WINS (32 BY KO) - 3 LOSSES

RICKY HATTON RICKY ‘THE HITMAN’ HATTON REALLY NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION TO BOXING Once dubbed ‘The Manchester Mexican’, Ricky first became known for his thrilling, all-action fighting style. After winning the senior ABA lightwelterweight title, Ricky embarked a procareer which made him a household name across the country and the across the world. In 1999 he won the Central Area crown with a second round stoppage of Tommy Peacock. In that same year he was also voted as the Boxing Writer’s ‘Young Boxer of the Year’. After a series of further wins Ricky jumped up to British title class in October 2000 and, despite suffering a nasty cut early on, he rallied to defeat Jon Thaxton on points. The Hitman soon gave up the domestic crown and began to face more international opposition in a WBU title reign which spanned more than four years. 26

In that time he beat the likes of Eamonn Magee, Vince Phillips, Ben Tackie and Ray Oliveira, but his biggest glory came in the summer of 2005 when he ripped the IBF crown out of the possession of Aussie/Russian legend Kostya Tszyu. Going into the contest, Ricky was a huge underdog but he took the champion’s best blows and outworked him with his trademark swarming assualts. Five months later he added the WBA crown to his collection with a stunning knockout of the unorthodox Carlos Maussa in Sheffield. These two victories were enough to earn Ricky Ring magazine’s coveted ‘Fighter of the Year’ award. After inking a deal with HBO in 2006, Ricky went Stateside and became a two weight world champion by beating Luis Collazo in Boston. Another world crown by accured in early 2007 when he moved back down

to light-welterweight to regain the IBF title with a lopsided verdict over teak tough Colombian Juan Urango. Since then he’s scored stunning wins over Jose Luis Castillo, Paulie Malignaggi and Juan Lazcano. His only defeats have come against pound for pound greats Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, and Vyacheslav Senchenko in an ill fated but enthalling comeback fight at the Manchester Arena. At the moment he is training boxers and is the Head of Hatton Promotions. Ricky has a number of champions in his promotional stable including Scott Quigg the WBA super bantamweight Interim World champion, Martin Murray the WBA middleweight interim world champion, Anthony Crolla English lightweight champion and Gary Buckland the British Super Featherweight champion. 27

ROUTINES

RITUALS

SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY: Ever noticed how a professional tennis player follows very specific routines in between points? Maria Sharapova, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are great examples. Nadal has been the best player in the world over the past two years. What is 30

interesting in his performance is that he bounces the ball a specific number of times before any serve, usually at least 9 times but it can vary depending on the type of serve executed. Roger Federer is the greatest player of all time and does similar, except he usually bounces

4-5 times before serve. Similarly, Maria Sharapova reacts the exact same way after every point, she turns her back on her opponent, checks her strings, takes a moment and gets ready for the next point. Athletes use routines to control the

tempo of their game whilst in action. Routines give the athlete time to reflect on their next performance goal be it to execute a serve or construct a point/ play that they can take advantage of. Routines are generally successful and a very useful tool.

Athlete rituals are different. Anecdotal evidence from footballers include players who had to take a hot bath in the morning before playing, or having to be the last player to leave the dressing room before kick off, or indeed wearing a specific number because

they believed it would bring them good luck. What happens when the ritual cannot be followed is anyonesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; guess, but the prognosis is generally not good. In our experience, rituals can be destructive and useless, while routines can be very helpful. 31

ANDRÉZ INIESTA

MIDFIELD GENERAL

WE LOOK AT WHAT IT TAKES TO BECOME ONE OF THE GREATEST MIDFIELDERS OF ALL TIME

RECEIVING A PASS

DRAWING A FOUL

Before I receive the ball, I quickly look to see which players I can give it to. Always be aware of who is around you: if you feel them closing down, take a touch to move the ball away from them. Try and put yourself in space to get the pass: the more space you have, the more time you have to think. And when you get the ball, don’t move it towards the opponent. That said, sometimes I’m happy to run at a player and just hold the ball in front of him. That way I’ve moved the team forward.

Make the opponent think that you are going one way, then go the other. Confuse him. And when your opponent has the ball, close him down quickly. Put him under pressure before he’s even had time to think about an attack. Another thing: if the attack has gone, don’t waste energy playing catch-up. You can be as much use to the team as a defender if the ball comes back. Or you can move up more slowly and still be in a position to shoot if the ball comes back to you.

PLAYING THE PASS

DEALING WITH A GIANT

Every pass is important. A bad pass loses possession and puts the team under pressure. Short passes build momentum and if you have the ball then the opponents can’t do anything. Know the time to make a killer pass. If you need a goal, search for the space to make the pass. If you’re protecting a lead, keep possession and play safer. Because we have played together for a long time to a certain system, everyone knows where to move. That makes my job easier, knowing where Xavi or Leo [Messi] will be.

If I play against a big player, I play the ball quickly on the ground. Playing a quick one-two is also very effective as bigger players are slower to react and turn. I also keep a distance from them so that I can turn quickly and we don’t find ourselves going for the same ball. I only weigh 63 kilos so I don’t have weight to throw around. If you can get the ball past them a few times using a one-two they will be more reluctant to rush in and tackle, so you have more space to play. Barça is a small team, so we use our height well. It’s good for me to take corners, not just because I’m unlikely to win the ball in the air.

THINKING ON YOUR FEET

SHOOTING FROM DISTANCE

If you think before your opponent where the ball is going to go then you have an advantage. If you stay with the ball at your feet and think about what to do, you are going to lose the ball. The best players are the quickest thinkers. Where is my team-mate going to run to? Will he stay onside? Which one has space? Which one is looking for the ball? How do they like the ball – to their feet or in front? You can be the best passer in the world, but without your team-mates being in the right position, it’s no good.

I’m not a natural scorer, but if I see an opening, I’ll shoot. I shoot if I think I can score and I’ll aim for the part of the goal that’s most difficult for the goalkeeper. That’s what I did in the World Cup final – the corner near the post. And against Chelsea too [Champions League semi-final in 2009], because I saw a space through a crowd of players. Opposition players in front make it more complicated – for me but also for the goalkeeper – because they can’t see properly. And if there’s someone in a better position, I’ll pass. So you need to know who is around you all the time and where they are. 33

GAME CHANGING

INTERVIEW 34

“I think we are always looking for that edge over our competitors...” Eddie Howe

Your re-appointment at Bournemouth appears to have reversed a dismal start to the season and now Bournemouth are poised for a move towards promotion. What do you believe are the key factors in your ability to motivate the players and achieve winning results? Eddie: Team spirit would be a big one and getting the players to work together as a team is as important whether you have resources or not. Secondly, for me would be the mentality of the group of players that you have. These are all important and so far the players have this. Jason: My answer would probably mirror Ed’s on that one. Obviously to achieve the consist good results, you need to have quality players. We have a great squad here, a really good team of players that are really capable of achieving that. Do you believe that professional soccer has typically adopted a lax attitude towards professionalism with players being increasingly characterised as celebrities rather than professional

athletes. Is this ‘professional mindset’ and abstinence from the ‘social scene’ something that you have insisted on at AFC Bournemouth? Eddie: I think at this level in league 1, I don’t see that being an issue in Bournemouth around town. I don’t see the players viewing themselves as celebrities as such. I wouldn’t say that they had the trappings that say the premier league have may potentially have. In saying that, there is a demand from Jason and myself to sacrifice social events in order to achieve success. I think it is paramount to the job that you are committed to your work and that so far here, the players have been very good in that respect as well. Jason: I think it is quite easy to tar everybody with the same brush, you hear and read about instances happening regarding social media. You obviously hear about things that any young guy would do, but because they are in limelight, it does tend to get highlighted more so than any other person. There is a responsibility on the players as to conduct themselves in a certain manor. But again as Eddie said, we are lucky to have a great team with some

really great characters in there and it is almost our responsibility to ensure that we guide them the right way as well. In 2003 Clive Woodward won the Rugby World Cup with England. He was given significant time and patience to implement his methodology that used a very different approach to coaching, surrounding himself with specialists and using techniques used in the business world to improve the coaching structure. How do you feel about stepping away from traditional coaching techniques and about coaches being given adequate time to get the best from their players? Jason: I think that with like everything, especially as managers, when you come into a club you need time to get across your philosophy and put that in place and then you start to see the results from what you have done. It is very rarely ever going to be an over night thing, and it is slightly different looking at the difference between football and rugby. In rugby, there are more specialised positions than there is

in football. It would be difficult to bring four or five different coaches and go down that road, but you do need to continually try and be better than your peers at what you do and try to evolve and push yourself as coaches and managers. I like to think that myself and Ed do continuously strive to be better, getting new ideas and to move forward. Eddie: I think the business world and the sport world do translate. There is a lot we can take from certain businesses and vice versa. I think we are always looking for that edge over our competitors so if there is something out there we feel would benefit us we are very open to it. Who have been your major influences in the coaching world and what is it that you admire about them? Eddie: for me it an obvious one; Sean Abrisca who myself and Jason have worked and spent a lot of time under. I do think that when you work under someone especially for such a length of time in your younger years, there is a lot of influence in us. From

“ALL HAVE HAD A BIG

INFLUENCE

ON MY CAREER” treat officials with respect, however the difficulty comes as it is such an aggressive environment as you want to try and win every game, jobs are on the line and there is a lot of money at stake so you are naturally going to get that competition. This can lead to a lot of pressure as everyone wants to win, but in the main of it all it is pretty good and as a team the guys are extremely professional. Jason: I agree, again it is a small minority that do get the headlines, however I think that especially there has been a lot of work into the ‘Respect Campaign’ in Football along with other campaigns that they run to make it the best they can and I believe there has been a difference, certainly over the last four, five years. On the whole most players do conduct themselves in the right way. You do get frustrated with officials decisions and sometimes your emotions can get the better of you which can lead to people saying the wrong thing in the heat of the moment, but as a whole, I don’t think we have a problem on that front.

my personal perspective, people like Harry Redknapp and Kevin Bond, all have had a big influence on my career. Jason: Obviously you take certain things from different managers that you have played under and you also admire how people work from afar as well. I guess I admire Arsene Wenger, I think he pushed the coaching world to another level. And one of my own coaches for many years, was the Arsenal first coach, Neil Banfield. I did learn a lot from Neil, he is a great coach and hence he is at one of the biggest clubs in Europe now. 38

We touched on the subject of professionalism in sport, earlier in the interview. With that in mind would you like to see changes brought in, in terms of the way officials are treated and players conduct themselves on the pitch. As these players are heroes to many fans, is it not important that their conduct both on and off the pitch is scrutinised as many young fans will seek to emulate their heroes? Eddie: I think the conduct of the players is very important. Like Jason said earlier, it is the minority that do get the headlines unfortunately on some occasions. I think that we all have a responsibility to

How do you cope with the pressures of management and what would be a normal ‘day-off’ for you? Jason: Obviously there is always more pressure on the manager as ultimately his head is on the block so to speak, and this is a results driven business. You are always under pressure to achieve these results but we work extremely hard to achieve positive results, and sometimes when you don’t and you have worked really hard, it can get to you, and take its toll sometimes. We have been in the game, and in this industry we have learned to handle what ever we come up against. On a day off, it is hard to have an ‘actual’ day off. You are always preparing for the next game or phone calls to make so it is never a real day off. The only time you really get some down time is in the summer. That is when

you get to completely chill out and go away but other than that, when the football seasons in play, it is hard to switch off as there is so much to think about and concentrate on. Eddie: It is very difficult to have a total day off, you never do really. There is always something to do as Jason was saying, which is more of a mental thing. If I do get a spare minute, I spend it with my son Harry, my wife and my dog Eric. The NFL uses a draft system that allows struggling teams to have first pick of ‘up and coming’ players. It is almost inconceivable that a similar system could be utilised in European football. However, do you think there is room for any similar systems to be used in football to create an equal playing field for clubs that do not have the resources of the wealthiest teams? Eddie: It is difficult because that goes against what the English league is based on. I think it does work in certain other sports, but not so much in football because of the rivalry and the passion for the sport. It has always been a game where the team with the bigger resource, over time will hold the most success and the smaller teams have to work harder to achieve that dream and work towards that future. I do not see that changing, and in some respects I do not think I would want it to change either. Jason: It is extremely difficult because there is big differences in financial budgets in all the divisions. I think the only way you would try and make it an even play, would be to cap players, but when it comes down to it, I don’t know if it would be good for the game and I’m not sure it would ever be possible to do that.

Did you always see yourselves as managers/ coaches or did you make that decision at the end of your playing career? Eddie: I certainly didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see myself going down this direction, it was only down to Adam Murry who sent me on this path by offering me the job. Kevin Bond gave me my first coaching job and again I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think it was really something I was going to go into but I really enjoyed when I started however this was not something I had thought about whilst playing. I was very focused on my career at the time and now I am in it, I can not see myself doing 40

anything else, and of course no one knows what is around the corner in life. Jason: No not really, I will say that the older you get the you do start thinking during your playing career what is the next step. It was something I did think about towards the end of my career, obviously I was almost forced to make a decision earlier than I would have liked to due to having to retire due to injury, but got into it that way. I have enjoyed it ever since and really enjoy what I am doing and as Ed says, now we are in it, I cant really see myself doing anything else now.

VS. 119 YEARS OF OLYMPIC SPRINTERS

With a name like Bolt you know this man is going to do himself justice as officially the fastest man on the planet. He currently has four gold medals and undoubtedly will go on to collect more. Breaking record after record how does this man compare to the former gold medallists. Basing the outcome looking at 100 years

1896 Thomas Burke 12.0 Seconds U.S.A

1984 Carl Lewis 9.99 Seconds U.S.A

1904 Archie Hahn 11.0 Seconds U.S.A

1988 Carl Lewis 9.92 Seconds U.S.A

1906 Archie Hahn 11.2 Seconds U.S.A

2008 Usain Bolt 9.69 Seconds JAMAICA

1936 Jessie Owens 10.3 Seconds U.S.A

2012

of Olympics, using each medallists average speed we can see that Usain Bolt is arguably the best sprinter the world has ever seen. If you were to put them up against each other, Carl Lewis who won in 1988 would have finished nearly 3 metres behind Bolt. 42

1968 Jim Hines 9.95 Seconds U.S.A

(First man to run sub 10 seconds)

Usain Bolt

9.63Seconds JAMAICA 43

The likable 24-year-old, who signed from Brighton last year, suffered an injury during training in April. But after undergoing successful surgery, Wes is focused on consuming protein in order to build up the muscle he has lost on his road to recovery. The midfielder told First Love, “With heavy training on I’m concentrating on getting protein in my body, especially for my shoulder which has lost a lot of muscle. I’m trying to build it back up by eating a lot of meats and eggs. “You also need a certain amount of carbohydrates for when you’re running and burning off a lot of energy and obviously you need your fruit and vegetables. I try and keep it fairly balanced to help you perform the best you can.” Wes values the importance of a breakfast meal and gave First Love an insight into his eating routines on a match day. “Every meal is important but especially breakfast, it sets you up for the day. If you have a morning session you need the energy and protein to prepare from the day before. The same goes for if you have an afternoon or evening session – you need to eat well in every meal so that you’re fit and ready. “If it’s a 3pm kick off I’ll normally have some eggs and toast when I wake up, and a bit later I’ll have tea, cereal and maybe a bit of yogurt and fruit. If it’s a late kick-off I’ll have my breakfast as normal and have a bit of a heavier lunch which usually includes pasta, chicken and rice – and then pre-match will be scrambled egg or beans on toast. “It’s important that you go into the game not feeling hungry but not

feeling sluggish – so it’s all about finding the balance. A newcomer to protein shakes following the arrival of head of sports science Dan Hodges, Wes says he feels the difference when he drinks it, a n d also recognised the increasing role of technology in training. “Since Dan Hodges came in he’s brought in protein shakes, which was new to me, and I feel the difference. I’m not sure if it’s mental or physical but I always feel better the next day. “I don’t take too many energy products but there are things nowadays like electrolytes that there weren’t a few years ago that definitely help. “There are things like heart-rate monitors so the coaching staff can monitor how hard we’ve been working in training, and whether we’re doing too much or too little. “Relaxing after training is important and I like to just do low-strenuous stuff like going to the cinema, playing video games, and table tennis.”

FACTFILE Name in native country: Wesley Keith Fogden Date of birth: 12.04.1988 Place of birth: Brighton Age: 24 Height: 1.75 Nationality: British Position: Midfield / Right – Midfield Foot: Right At AFCB since: 01.10.2011 1 year, 3 months

WHEN PARTAKING IN ANY CAPACITY OF EXERCISE, ALCOHOL WILL HAVE A DETRIMENTAL EFFECT (unless you are on the dance floor)

SURPLUS OF FAT

NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL

Besides having to cope with the excess calories, your body will prioritise burning off alcohol over burning the fat from your daily intake of carbs. Alcohol breaks down as amino acids which are stored as fat. Alcohol also encourages your levels of cortisol which is a stress hormone that further encourages fat storage.

Although widely used as well as being considered socially acceptable, alcohol is still a drug and so will affect your body and your behaviour. The long term effects of excessive alcohol consumptions can cause permanent damage to organ tissue. The behavioural problems associated with alcohol consumption include but are not limited to: disinhibition, aggression, intolerance and rowdiness. None of these behaviours are conducive to a successful performance in sports.

DEPLETED NUTRIENTS AND WATER When consuming alcohol, this irritates the stomach lining, reducing the bodies capacity to intake nutrients. With every gram of ethanol accumulated, our bodies pass 10 milliletres of urine. Considering that a drop in 2% hydration considerably effects your endurance, a heavy night will cause a mass effect on your workout routine.

SLOWER RECOVERY An extensive work out drains the glycogen storage which in turn leaves the muscle in need of repair. Carbs are displaced by alcohol so make sure you drink or snack on a combination of protein repair and carbs before you start on the alcohol - good examples are chocolate milk and peanut butter on whole - wheat crackers. 48

The chemical effects of alcohol can affect your body physiologically. The fine motor movements which require mental acuteness, such as balance, are negatively affected by alcohol. After a night of average alcohol consumption you anaerobic performance can decrease by anything up to 25%. Alcohol also suppresses appetite, preventing you from adequately providing yourself with enough nutrition, and also dehydrates you. It also reduces the quality of your sleep meaning you are likely to feel tired and poorly rested rather than invigorated and ready to exercise. All these effects contribute to an unhealthy diet which, if the surface effects of alcohol arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough already, will damage your physical performance.

Isotonic sports drinks provide fluid, energy and electrolyte replenishment. These components are depleted during exercise due primarily to an increased perspiration level - we literally sweat these elements out. Of course fluid (water) replacement is important - if water isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t replaced in our exercising system we rapidly dehydrate and in extreme cases exercise must

cease completely. In more normal cases exercise performance dips far below an optimal level. Electrolytes are essentially salts lost in sweat. Replacing them will aid the digestion and osmosis of fluid absorbed into bodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s working muscles, without them the fluid within the drink will not be fully absorbed and the effects of dehydration will still soon occur. Energy within isotonic drinks comes

in the from of glucose. This is used by working muscles as fuel during exercise training. Replenishing them during training will allow you to train longer than if you just took plain water on board. Drinking an isotonic sports drink directly after exercise will allow the bodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recovery rate to improve as glycogen re-synthesis will start ASAP.

What are Hypotonic and Hypertonic drinks? HYPOTONIC DRINKS

What are hypotonic drinks?

Hypotonic drinks are designed to quickly replace fluids lost through sweating. Unlike isotonic and hypertonic drinks, they are low in carbohydrates.

Who are they suitable for?

They are very popular with athletes who need fluid without the boost of carbohydrate.

When should I drink them?

The best time to drink them is after a tough exercise work out.

How do hypotonic drinks benefit me?

Hypotonic drinks can directly target the main cause of fatigue in sport - dehydration - by replacing water and energy fast.

HYPERTONIC DRINKS

What are hypertonic drinks?

Hypertonic drinks are used to supplement your daily carbohydrate intake. They contain even higher levels of carbohydrates than isotonic and hypotonic drinks.

When should I drink them?

The best time to drink them is after exercise as they help your body to top up on muscle glycogen stores. These are your valuable energy stores. In very long distance events such as marathons, high levels of energy are required.

Can you drink them during exercise?

Yes. Hypertonic drinks can also be taken during exercise to meet the energy requirements. However, it is advisable to only use them during exercise alongside isotonic drinks to replace fluids.

Enjoy the thrill of ownership with Sandbanks Racing Club, We offer affordable syndicates for race horse lovers, the sport of kings is now affordable. TO enquire about joining call: 01202 701573 www.sandbanksracing.co.uk

sandbanksracingclub.com@aol.co.uk

SANDBANKS RACING CLUB, 80 HAVEN ROAD, CANFORD CLIFFS, POOLE, DORSET, BH13 7LZ

“We want their horses to fulfil their maximum potential and wish every owner to enjoy ownership to the full.”

EVER WANTED YOUR OWN RACEHORSE? Sandbanks Racing Club was formed by Patrick and Harry, lifelong friends that share a passion for horse racing. Harry is a professional jockey based in Newmarket. He is currently working with trainer Terry Clement at his yard where racing legend Lester Piggot used to live, Harry also rides for many other trainers and oversees all of the Newmarket side of our syndicate. Patrick 56

is based in Dorset with his family and is hoping to make the Club a very successful syndicate. They can’t offer you Royal Ascot or classic winners just yet but they can offer you lots of fun and great days out. You will meet some great people and enjoy the thrills of racing first hand. At Sandbanks Racing Club you can expect a high level of personal service. Each owner will be treated as if they own their horses outright. They will regularly keep you informed

TOO EXPENSIVE? WHY NOT JOIN A SYNDICATE of the progress, wellbeing and running plans. We will keep in touch via email and phone. Regular stable visits are also arranged so you can bond with your horse, meet the trainer and get to know fellow share holders. Each syndicate is professionally managed. They want their horses to fulfil their maximum potential and wish every owner to enjoy ownership to the full.

01202 701573 www.sandbanksracing.co.uk 57

One of the greatest benefits of barefoot running is related to injury resistance. Highly supportive running shoes donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let your feet operate the way they were intended. Wearing a support shoe is similar to putting a cast on your lower leg. It prevents your lower leg muscles from moving through their full and natural range of motion. In addition the shoes reduce your sensory feedback or ability to â&#x20AC;&#x153;feelâ&#x20AC;? your stride. As a result your lower leg muscles become weak and vulnerable to injury, especially lower leg injuries such as shin splints and stress fractures. 58

A study from 1987 showed that injury rates to the lower leg are substantially higher among shod runners when compared to barefoot runners. That same study suggested that barefoot running makes adaptations that transfers strain from your plantar fascia to the more yielding attached muscle, helping you avoid the dreaded plantar fasciitis injury. Another study from 1986 said that a barefoot running stride gives a softer landing which helps avoid many running injuries including shin splints. The softer, more efficient mid foot landing, combined with greater sensory

feedback and the stronger lower leg muscles that barefoot running provides you will make you a more injury resistant runner.

It would be all too easy to dismiss poker as a pastime; an excuse for bored men to sit around a table throwing money and arrogance at one another, a minor social event for local housewives to pass some time or a somewhat degenerate addiction for students hoping to find their fortune before stepping into the ‘traditional’ work place. And it would be easy, because in many ways the aforementioned descriptions are true. Unlike sport there is no particular athletic prowess or co-ordination required and unlike ‘traditional’ sport there is no telling restriction on the age of ‘poker professionals’. Indeed the professionalism of poker itself

has a convoluted and complex history.The US banned online poker as for a myriad of very legitimate and equally ridiculous reasons. It has been demonized as a highly addictive form of gambling, with the extreme right accusing the sport of corrupting humanity and driving good families into financial and emotional turmoil. One politician even tried to link poker to child abuse – a groundless and fruitless opinion, completely baseless in fact – but damaging nevertheless to a pursuit that has witnessed extreme negative press in recent years. Others correctly argue that the game of poker is no more of a

risk than playing the stock market. IG index is one of the many online trading tools that allow members of the public to play the stock market and it would be fair to say that it is as easy to lose vast sums of money ‘playing the market’ as it is playing poker. If anything the perception of playing the stock market is more dangerous than that of poker. As long as poker is characterised as a form of gambling the general public are aware that they are consciously taking a risk with their money. However, there is little characterisation of the risks of private ‘traders’ gambling away their savings and homes. The truth is that

because ‘trading’ is a largely respected profession we are less aware of the dangers faced by the amateur trader. It would be also fair to say that a bright individual stands a fair chance of becoming a profitable poker player by immersing themselves in the training tools available in poker; I am yet to see an online trading tutorial that can lead you to fortunes. So should online trading be banned or vilified like poker? Of course not, we should be entitled to do what we want with our time and money 60

and the premise of an enlightened, modern society should afford us that freedom of choice. People buy cars, houses, clothes and spend money on socialising that they cannot afford so it would be wrong to decide that a person does not have the right to invest their money in a game of financial profits or loss. What poker and the aforementioned comparable do require, is broader governance and stricter regulation to ensure that the public begin their journey with their eyes open and do not fall foul of corrupt businesses looking to exploit a poorly regulated industry. With that being said poker would do well to follow professional sports that are carefully regulated by their relative governing bodies.

So, if poker can undeniably learn from sport, does it share any similarities that could justify its characterisation as a sport? The answer is a resounding yes! While it does not require the traditional physical capabilities of an athletic sport, the best professionals display a possibly unrivaled nerve, under tough time constraints when making decisions for vast sums of money. ‘Cash games’ and tournaments can run for days and occasionally weeks and it is not unknown for some players to play without sleep for two or three days in a bid to maximise their profitability against certain opponents. It is one thing to stand on a pitch and take a penalty kick in front of thousands of fans, but quite another to risk, hundreds of thousand of pounds on a ‘gut instinct’. It should also be noted that the World Series of Poker pays the biggest prize in sport – reaching almost twelve million dollars at its peak, while making all of the nine finalists millionaires.There is also no doubt that real success in poker is limited to the elite few who combine a mixture of mental endurance, emotional control, bankroll management and unrivaled 61

dissection of their opposition. While poker players receive virtually no endorsements outside the Poker Industry, it should be noted that the game has created hundreds of multi-millionaires, with a handful of the greatest players surpassing the earnings of some of the world’s most popular sportsman. One of the major differences between poker and other professional sports is the accessibility to the general public. It is almost impossible for the common man to consider kicking a football with Ronaldo, playing a round of golf with Tiger Woods or entering Wimbledon, but it is entirely plausible for a member of the public to pay their entrance fee for a poker tournament and find themselves sitting next to one of the world’s greatest. From that perspective poker offers what other sports cannot – the chance for the ordinary man to play against the best and come out on top. Indeed the rapid growth of poker has been attributed in part to the aptly named Chris Moneymaker, an amateur who won a ten thousand dollar entry fee in a satellite competition and found himself, a month or so later, as the proud owner of a World Series of Poker bracelet and World Champion Title – this was his first live tournament.

limited success many pro athletes have found poker to be a natural extension of their competitive personas. Boris Becker, Shane Warne, Rafael Nadal and Teddy Sheringham are just a handful of the many sporting greats that have fallen in love with poker. In fact, Teddy is known to be a fiercely competitive and competent poker player that can compete with the very best. Beyond that, arguably poker’s second biggest online winner, Patrik Antonius was a professional tennis player before injury ended his career. Fellow Scandinavian Gus Hanson was also a tennis pro before making multi-millions from professional poker and Europes biggest all time tournament winner, Sam Trickett who has won over seventeen million dollars in tournaments was close to a professional footballing contract before injury ended his career. It would be fair to say then, that a diligent work ethic, professional attitude and hard work are as commonplace in poker as they are at the top end of professional sport. Like all sports, only the very best will survive, and as in life, sometimes even the very best will fail through

It is also common nowadays to find professional sportsmen turning to the poker tables. Although most have made the transition with

“Like all sports, only the very best will survive” 62

lack of discipline or simply bad luck. So is poker a hobby or a sport? The simple answer is both.The common fact that defines all sport is competition and in that sense there is no sport that is as inclusive and subsequently competitive as poker. Is it for everyone? Should we be letting our children join poker clubs and play amongst their friends? The answer to that is a resounding no. As an ex-professional who has consciously used lessons learned and money earned in poker to enter the professional business arena, I would be amoral if not immoral to say that it was suitable for all. More than any other sport or hobby it has an unmatched capacity for debilitating stress and frustration and for that reason, more than anything, poker must follow in the footsteps of professional sport and submit to careful governance under the tightest regulatory standards. This undeniable fact will not only serve the individual but future of amateur and professional poker across the globe.