Professional Player Magazine Issue 20 by Professional Player Magazine

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Issue 20 credits

Peter Etherington peter@theprofessionalplayer.co.uk Business Development Director Gina Wade-Taylor gina@theprofessionalplayer.co.uk 07715 974816

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Support Manager Rheagan Hendry rheagan@theprofessionalplayer.co.uk 07495 325562

Firstly

a big PP welcome to our new partners in 2018. Flannels, Brewer Dolphin, Chantelle Lighting, Bobbi Brown, Slam Global and Introspective. All of these excellent brands are featured in this issue. Seven years ago PP started and we are now at our 20th Edition of which we are extremely proud of. To be successful in the print world today your offering to both clients and readers has to be right at the cutting edge of Media and journalism. At PP we employ talented people and source the very best in journalism and design. If you then can find the right balance with the correct ingredients you have the basis for a successful team of which we have created at PP. This is our biggest Edition in our history and we hope that you enjoy reading it over the festive period whilst you rest between your hectic schedules. From experience I know that you are not able to spend the time with your families as you would like as the fixtures come thick and fast for you all. However Boxing Day fixtures are in my eyes one of the best games to watch at this time of year. Finally, from everyone concerned and PP we wish you all a very merry xmas and prosperous New Year in 2018. Peter Etherington Founder

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Photography Mark Kirk markykirkphoto@gmail.com 07817 531324 Creative Director Chris Blyth chris.blyth@theprofessionalplayer.co.uk Fashion & Image Consultant Harriet Byczok harriet@harriet-byczok.com Features Journalist Emma Harrison harrison_ej@hotmail.com Contributors Anthony Bunn, Luke Nicoli, Euan Reedie, David Fearnhead, Harriet Byczok, ThinkBDW, Marky Kirk Photography, Very First to, Matt Fearnon, 20Five Ltd, Adgenda Media, Cube Marketing, Rex Images, Shutterstock, Leo Moynihan, Emma Harrison, Bobbi Brown, Flannels, Rex Features

Published by O7 Media Ltd Bartle House, Oxford Court, Manchester, M2 3WQE. Printed by Rowtype Printers Ltd sales@rowtype.co.uk www.rowtype.co.uk Terms and conditions: The Professional Player is solely owned by O7 Media Ltd. All material is strictly copyrighted and all rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission of O7 Media Ltd. Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, the publisher cannot be held responsible for any errors it may contain. The publishers cannot be held responsible for the loss or damage of any material, solicited or unsolicited. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher or those of the advertisers.

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Welcome

PHOTO: RED BULL RACING

features 20 Max Verstappen

Euan Reedie talks with Max Verstappen, this 20-year-old is remarkably cool and calm off the track while being thrillingly fast and furious on it, extremely successful and one to keep watching. Exclusive interview inside.

28 Flannels

We welcome our new partner Flannels in this issue, Flannels are a high end luxury fashion retailer specialising in clothing and accessories for all the family. In this issue we have showcased all your fashion must haves for this winter using all our favourite designers.

42 Shaun Dooley

David Fearnhead meets the Barnsley- born Actor and famed scorer of the worst goal Oakwell has ever seen. Full interview inside.

50 Harry Redknapp

Harry Redknapp remains one of football’s most enduring and popular characters. While he may have been out of work after being sacked by Birmingham City in September, Euan Reedie finds the vastly experienced manager in upbeat mood in Dubai, where he delivered some forthright views on current footballing issues.

121 Bobbi Brown

Professional Player have now teamed up with the luxury brand Bobbi Brown to show case all their luxury skincare products and makeup for our female readers.

regulars men’s fashion very first to the other half women’s fashion

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Chantelle Lighting, experts in bespoke lighting manufacturing, worked in harmony with Elixir Design Interiors to produce exquisite one-of-a-kind lighting. Nicola Carragher of Elixir Designs said: “I love working with Chantelle Lighting on the design and manufacture of stunning bespoke lighting for my clients – and in this case when designing my own home. To achieve the perfect result, I worked with Chantelle, using different elements of lighting that I loved and they brought them all together to create a stunning feature chandelier that was perfect for our family and our home. Even down to the finer details that make it that little bit special, Chantelle Lighting really delivered. It truly is a showstopper and exactly what Jamie and I wanted.”

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SPEEDING TOWARDS GREATNESS While Lewis Hamilton remains Formula One’s hottest property, a new kid on the block – Max Verstappen – threatens to give him a serious run for his money in years to come. Euan Reedie discovers that the 20-year-old is remarkably cool and calm off the track while being thrillingly fast and furious on it...

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PHOTOS: RED BULL RACING

Interview Max Verstappen

I “

f I had a pillow in the car, I could have fallen asleep,” says Max Verstappen with a sigh after last month’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Verstappen’s remarks were uttered in frustration at an inability to overtake at Yas Marina Circuit, where he finished fifth in the season-ending Formula One race. But they could very well have been voiced to convey the young Verstappen’s supreme assuredness behind the wheel of his Red Bull. For, despite being only 20 and having just completed his third season in motorsport’s blue-riband event, »

Interview Max Verstappen

Verstappen is already being tipped as a future world champion. Within hours of cementing his own position among the greats with a fourth world title in October, Britain’s Lewis Hamilton was keen to hail Verstappen’s prowess. The Belgian-Dutch driver had claimed his second win of the season in Mexico, where Hamilton had secured his title, when the Briton hailed him as an outstanding talent. “You’ve got a potential world champion within Max and he’s only going to get stronger with age,” he said. “He has a lot of raw talent and has got a long way to go but these wins, these experiences, are only adding to his great potential. I’m looking forward to battling with that.” Niki Lauda, a three-time world champion and the non-executive chairman of Mercedes, is also among Verstappen’s legion of admirers. “In all my many years in motor racing, Max is the most fantastic young driver I’ve ever seen, no doubt,” he said. “Max, at 19, now 20, impresses me. He is aggressive, fast. The only thing I would tell him is to keep his feet on the ground.” Two wins in the recently concluded campaign earned Verstappen sixth place in the drivers’ championship – one place below his Red Bull teammate, Daniel Ricciardo. His bravura performances and brilliant potential were also rewarded with a new contract at his team until 2020. “Max is working really hard, he’s enormously skilled, he’s a great racer, very determined and it’s exciting to think what he’s going to be capable of,” says Red Bull supremo, Christian Horner, of the prodigy who has been with the team since the age of 15. “His talent is obvious. He is capable of challenging for the championship but we’ve got to be able to give him the tools and the car to be able to do that and that involves all elements.” So is Verstappen satisfied with his progress? “Not fully because I’m not fighting for the championship,” he replies as the broad grin which normally adorns his face disappears momentarily. “Do I want to win the world title one day? For sure, but not only one. You want to win a lot and you want to break records.” Bold words indeed, which have been matched with bold deeds right from the start of Verstappen’s career in F1. On his debut for Toro Rosso at Australia in 2015 he was 17, not old enough to drive legally on the road. But in an F1 car he displayed his scintillating skills. At the Belgian Grand Prix that year, he produced a spectacular pass on Sauber’s Felipe Nasr at 200mph.

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Overtaking through the long, high-speed Blanchimont corner is unfathomable, yet Verstappen put two wheels off the track and held control to out-brake Nasr into the chicane. It was jaw-dropping stuff and testimony to Verstappen’s immense self-confidence and fearlessness. “This is what I have always done in my life, just racing and driving cars and go-karts fast,” he says. “I have always been relaxed and that made me fast and so I will have the same approach if fighting for a world title. It will get more intense but you have to be fully on top of it all the time.” Several weeks later, Verstappen passed his driving test on his 18th birthday – although he committed two mistakes. “Both times I didn’t give way,” Verstappen reveals. “But from my perspective, the other driver was so far away. So, that was the examiner’s opinion. The other time there were people crossing, but they were not even close to the edge of the road. Again, that was my opinion against his. But I got my licence.” Promoted to Red Bull in 2016, he won on his debut for the team at the Spanish Grand Prix. Although the

season was not without blemishes, some electrifying performances – such as in Brazil in the wet when he finished third – hinted at his greatness. This season, Verstappen has displayed his growing maturity. After a wretched opening in a lacklustre Red Bull that included five DNFs (Did Not Finish) in seven races, Verstappen rebounded impressively to record two victories. Reflecting on his development, he says: “I’ve improved but in general it’s all about experience. If you haven’t really raced a lot in lower categories and you make the jump to Formula One you have to learn in Formula One and a lot more people are watching. The speed was already there last year. “It is very important to be yourself

and just focus on yourself. Because you know exactly what you have to do. The most important thing is just being faster than everyone else and that is what I am aiming for.” How does he stay so relaxed? “I’m born like that. How do I chill out? Go-karting. I like to hang out with my friends, but I like to think I can do that as well as race. Do I like to party? “No, that wouldn’t be good, I think.” “I was never thinking about my age,” adds Verstappen, whose motorsport odyssey began in

“THE BIGGEST CRITIC I HAVE IN MY LIFE IS MY DAD SO EVERYTHING ELSE IS JUST A BREEZE”

karting and Formula 3. “You always have to believe in yourself. I do the same as I did in F3 and go-karting, even though it’s a bigger car.” Verstappen can also count on staunch support from his father Jos, a former F1 driver himself between 1993 and 2004. Is his father surprised by his lavishly gifted son’s embryonic success? “I think a little bit, but every dad is confident in his own son. Of course, he’s very happy about what’s happened. There are a lot of good drivers in F1 and it’s not easy to make your mark.” Verstappen has courted criticism at

times for his impetuosity. For example, having lost a place to his team-mate, Daniel Ricciardo, at Hungary in July, he then hit him after braking too late. Verstappen apologised to the Australian for his error, yet is completely unfazed by any controversy his aggressive driving has created. “The biggest critic I have in my life is my dad so everything else is just a breeze; it doesn’t really matter to me,” he says. “As a driver, it is important to focus on yourself and believe in yourself and there shouldn’t be a reason why, when you are in F1 and there is more attention, you change your approach.”

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Interview

JAY TALKIN’ Professional Player’s Anthony Bunn caught up with West Bromwich Albion striker Jay Rodriguez for a chat in a café in Birmingham city centre

Birmingham. We live right in the centre, and we’ve had to have our dogs looked after until we move to our new home. Me and Simone love just strolling around the centre, looking in shops and museums. We don’t get mithered by people as we keep ourselves to ourselves and are just a normal couple, really.” Jay and Simone are personable, warm and chatty, and both agree that they’ve been impressed with Birmingham, and despite soon moving into a new home on the outskirts of the city, they like the fact that they can simply ith well over 100 Premier walk around the city as they please. League games and full “Like today for example” states Jay, “we’re international recognition under his belt already, Jay sat here having a coffee, there’s no fuss, and spoke to us about his early years at Burnley, we like that. I’ve been really impressed by the moving to the Premier League, playing for city, and hope to see plenty more of it.” England, his serious knee injury in 2014, It’s obvious that Jay Rodriguez is a really city living... and being a really decent bloke! grounded individual. He spent his formative It’s a clear, blue-skied day as the train pulls years in Burnley where he describes himself as “a nice, quiet, hard-working lad at school. into Birmingham’s New Street station. I’m in the Second City to meet West Brom’s Jay And I don’t think I’ve changed much since.” Rodriguez, and as I step onto the platform I He was spotted by Burnley FC playing for the get a text message. Barrowford Celtic junior team and joined the Turf Moor youth set-up from an early age. “Hi, it’s Jay. I’m early, and I’m here...” He was also heavily influenced by his father, Attached to the message is a map of where Kiko, who played for non-league teams in we are to meet, and luckily for me, it’s only a Lancashire and took young Jay to watch The free kick’s distance away from the entrance Clarets from an early age. to the station, in a branch of a country -wide café chain. “Every goal and every good I’ve been told by several trusted folk that Jay Rodriguez is one of performance seems extra special the soundest, most down-to-earth when you’re doing it for the club footballers you could ever wish to where you live” meet, and that becomes evidently clear after just a few moments in his company. Tall, with a broad, softly-spoken, Lancastrian accent, Jay “Yeah, I loved football as a kid”, acknowledges Rodriguez is superb company. Accompanied Jay, “I stood with my dad watching Burnley by his wife Simone, it’s evident that they from when I was a young lad, and when I have settled into city-living life well, as joined the club the youth team there were all their home is within walking distance ball boys, too. I also went to watch my dad of the hustle and bustle of the centre of play whenever I could, as well”. Birmingham. After signing his first professional contract I ask Jay about our meeting place. Didn’t with Burnley when he was 17 years old, he want more privacy or in a more discreet Jay scored 31 goals in just over a century of location? games for his hometown club, a superb rate “No, not at all. We both really like living in for someone just starting out in the game.

“I’m loving it here, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season and seeing what that brings”

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Jay Rodriguez

Was it a dream to do so well for The Clarets? Stadium – something that he will never forget... “I had no hesitation in joining West Brom. It’s great to feel wanted, that people want you to play “Yes, of course, coming from Burnley it was a great “It was a dream come true, something you for them, and I knew that it was the right time to feeling to play for my local club and then to do well always really want to happen as a kid, but never leave Southampton. But I left behind some great for them. Every goal and every good performance expect to happen. I really enjoyed my call up to memories and great mates at St Mary’s... seems extra special when you’re doing it for the my first ever squad and it was great that there club where you live. I loved my time at Burnley – were Southampton teammates there to share that Tony Pulis didn’t have to sell the club to me. I and my family and friends are still there now, and experience with me. I was training and playing know that it’s a well-run, well-supported club I go back whenever with the best players in the and know that it is seen as that by many people I can.” country, and I hugely treasure in football. It’s important to feel comfortable but “I was training and playing my international cap”. also challenged wherever you play, and whilst I But Rodriguez also with the best players in the love being at West Brom, it certainly isn’t an easy acknowledged the Everything was going brilliantly life, ha, ha!” country, and I hugely treasure for Rodriguez. By then engaged impact that going out on loan for a to Simone, the striker was at A smile once again comes over Jay’s face as he my international cap” couple of short the top of his game and further confirms that training is as hard and intense as spells had on his England caps beckoned. But in he’s ever known it, after more than a decade of career, too. Spells at April 2014, he was stretchered being a professional footballer, and admits that Stirling Albion and Barnsley, in Jay’s own words, off during a match against Manchester City. As he his role in the team means he’s “working harder “toughened me up and really developed me both remembers clearly, “I knew straight away that I had than ever before. But I’m loving it here, and I’m as a person and a player.” done something serious due to the feeling in my looking forward to the rest of the season and Indeed, it did. So much so that he enjoyed a superb knee. Five minutes after it happened it felt better, seeing what that brings.” but the Saints’ physio tested it and I knew that I 2010–11 season by hitting 14 league goals for What that brings could well be another England Burnley, and then the following season saw him end faced a lengthy lay off. I knew it wasn’t a strain or call-up. It’s something that Rodriguez certainly anything like that. I knew it was serious.” up as Burnley’s top goalscorer with 21 goals in all hasn’t given up on, especially after impressing competitions, a feat which helped him earn a place in Rodriguez had ruptured an anterior cruciate during the opening months of West Brom’s season. the PFA Championship Team of the Year. Rodriguez ligament and would be out sixteen months, this “Once you experience the thrill of putting on was also called up for the England Under 21 team cruelly ruling him out of the 2014 FIFA World Cup that Three Lions’ top you want more and more of during that season, too, and it was becoming clear in the process. I asked Simone if Jay was bitter at it. Of course, I still have ambitions to play for my that other clubs had Rodriguez on their radar... that time. The answer doesn’t surprise me. country. I’ve not given up of getting called up for “Southampton had shown some interest in “No, not at all”, she stated candidly, before any of the squads, and with it being a World Cup me, and when it eventually went through in the continuing, “It was a shame, as he was doing so well year next summer every single English player has summer of 2012, the deal just felt right. I wanted at the time, and things like that tend to happen when a massive incentive to give it their all between to play regularly in The Premier League and it felt you’re at the top of your game. But Jay realised that now and then. great that Southampton wanted me. The deal was a he was young and that players had come back strongly I’m still only 28, and still have some of my best really good one for Burnley too, and it was nice that from these types of injury. That gave him strength. years in front of me. I’m enjoying my football it worked out well for all parties.” You get a weird fascination with these injuries and there’s no reason why I can’t have a real go Rodriguez scored his first Premier League goal though, and by the end of the treatment and at playing for England again. But obviously to for his newly-promoted Southampton side against recuperation we were knee experts, ha, ha!” do that I need to be playing at my best for West Spurs on 28th October 2012, and it wasn’t long It’s obvious that Jay Rodriguez is a positive, levelBrom, and that’s all I’m focused on at present.” before the striker was soon a Saints fans’ favourite, headed person, and when talking about recovering The hour spent with Jay and Simone flies by. scoring a respectable nine goals in all competitions from his ACL injury it was lovely to hear him call Indeed, they are such great company that I almost in his first season on the south coast. his now wife/then fiancé forgive Jay for scoring against But it was the 2013/14 season where Rodriguez’s Simone “my rock through “Being injured is one thing, my beloved Stoke City a few form and goalscoring exploits were really hitting all of it”. weeks ago. And they’re right: the headlines. but I think for me that it’s Rodriguez came back he really is not only a superb During that season, Southampton and Rodriguez strong and fighting fit, not as bad as being fit and footballer, but one of the nicest were catching the eye. None more so than that but knew that come the people I’ve ever met in the not being picked” of England manager Roy Hodgson who called end of last season he game. So, I put that to him... up Rodriguez and his Saints’ teammates Rickie would probably have to “Ha, ha, who said that!??!?! Lambert and Adam Lallana for England’s friendlies leave St Mary’s for regular I am who I am: I don’t try to be any different, against Chile and Germany. first team football, and so he landed at The to be honest. I like being seen as a nice person, Hawthorns this summer. That season was one of real contradictions for the and I like getting on with others. I can thank my striker. From the high of scoring regularly to the “Yeah, being injured is one thing, but I think for parents for bringing me up really well. heartbreak of a serious knee injury... but it also hosted me that it’s not as bad as being fit and not being I’m approachable, and treat people as I like to be one of Rodriguez’s career highlights when he won his picked. Because of my injury I had missed a chunk treated. Being a footballer shouldn’t change who first full England cap for England on 15th November of playing time and I was determined not to miss you are”. 2013 in a friendly match against Chile at Wembley any more.

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DAKOTA EVENT

PP Celebrate their 20th Issue

As the stairs of the Dakota Hotel Leeds is approached, you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help but notice the stunning showcase of incredibly fine motors that welcome you into the entrance. The Dakota Hotel Leeds bleeds absolute luxury and pure indulgence as the depth of the stunning dark lit interiors entice you into the hotelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s private party balcony situated in the vibrant city centre of Leeds. The event welcomed our amazing network of professionals, celebrities, footballers, all whom have seen us reach our 20th Issue in The Professional Player magazine. Our celebration was a huge success to the very past, present and future of The Professional Player.

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David Fearnhead meets the Barnsleyborn Actor and famed scorer of the worst goal Oakwell has ever seen

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FOOTBALL STORIES :

PHOTO: STUDIOCANAL

PHOTO: BBC

Interview Shaun Dooley

haun Dooley is what I call a ‘leanin’ actor. Whilst some actors try to explode from the screen in a desperate bid for your attention, his performances are always more studied, more authentic, more believable. He draws you into the story. Whether it’s his flawless narration of the BBC 2 documentary series The Detectives, his portrayal of an everyman cop caught in the cold war espionage of The Game, or most recently the antipapist zealot Sir William Wade in Gunpowder, Dooley can be relied on for that special kind of alchemy that only the best actors possess. When we meet at the BFI cafe in South London any trace of Wade, the fearsome torturer-in-chief,

has long since gone along with the beard. Dooley as Dooley is a likeable and friendly northerner who makes for excellent company. Over the course of conversation he lets me in to a few secrets of the trade. The use of scent to establish a character, and his attention to detail such as the time he was portraying a blacksmith and practiced for hours to get the rhythmic beat of the hammer just right. He’s an actor who has never forgotten his roots. He remains proudly, almost defiantly, northern and has kept that rich Yorkshire burr which pours like honey. The son and grandson of coalminers, he grew up wanting to be a vet but a failure to perform in exams found him move into acting when others saw the potential in him that he’d not yet realised himself. His love of football is as authentic as his performances. A season ticket holder at Barnsley for twenty years he still attends every home game he can. Off-stage and off-screen his ability to tell a good story is undiminished...

: The time I called Sheffield’s Sean Bean a… ‘We hate Sheffield. They call us Dingles and we call them Deedar’s because they ‘de dalk like dat’ all their T’s are D’s. ‘De dunt wan de do dat.’ The first time I met Sean Bean was when I was working on Red Riding Trilogy. I was genuinely excited to meet him. I went up to him at the read-through and said, “Hiya Sean, I’m Shaun… Pleased to meet you.” Then I looked at him and said, “Fucking Deedar.” And he looked at me and said, “Oh, you’re not a Dingle are you?” I went, “I am mate,” and he went, “Oh fucking hell!” During filming the cast were staying at a big hotel in Leeds. One night SEAN BEAN: I went back to my hotel room and DEEDAR there was a copy of the Green’un AND A GENUINELY – which was a Yorkshire football LOVELY BLOKE newspaper that came out after all the games have been played. The PHOTO: BAKOUNINE / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

envelope said Sean Bean which had been crossed out and Shaun Dooley written in. I thought they must have meant it for Sean and not for me, so I had a quick read of the Barnsley game, folded it back in, and went to knock on Sean’s door, we didn’t know each very well then. I said, “This has been put under my door, I think this was meant for you. I did have a sneaky look at the Barnsley game,” and he says, “No, no, I thought you might want it, I’ve already read it.” I know it won’t mean much to a lot of people but I thought that was brilliant. Cut to two years later. He was in Ireland filming Game of Thrones, and I was over there doing a radio play, and I’d got in touch with him because Barnsley was playing Sheffield United on the telly. So me and Sean went to this Irish bar to watch it together. The only two people concerned about watching it at all. We got drunk watching it. It ended 1-1, so thank god there was no hassle afterwards, but such a brilliant day, both of us screaming at the telly. He’s a genuinely lovely bloke.’

: Home advantage ‘You can’t get too big for your boots when you go home and you’ve got normal, working parents. “I can’t have any ego. I go back for home games and I get ripped to bits by the fans that sit around me as soon as I get there, “Oh God he’s here, we’re gonna lose.” “Come on mate, I travel from London all the way up for home games to sit here and you rip me because I come up.” They don’t get behind me and say, “Nice one, brilliant”. They just immediately start taking the mickey out of me. I’ve got an awful home record. Whether I wear my lucky red pants, or lucky red socks, it doesn’t work. Nearly always I come back and we’ve either drawn or lost. My wife always says, “It’s because you’re there.” But for the big games - two Wembley finals, Johnson Paints Trophy and the Playoffs - I was there both times. So I’ve got a good record on big games, just not so good in the league. For me there wasn’t a choice in it. That’s my team, that’s where I’m from, and I’d feel quite false if I followed a different club just because they were in the premiership. I like watching the Premier »

Interview Shaun Dooley

100% chance of scoring, you square the ball for the good of the team. That’s how it should be as actors. It should be for the good of the team. The best projects I’ve worked on, every department has been willing to square the ball for the good of the team.’

League and Europa League but even when we were in the second division, Barnsley is where my heart is. I’d feel awful not to follow them. I couldn’t afford a season ticket when we were in the Premiership because I was skint, really skint. Then I did Coronation Street and that basically paid for my season ticket. I was chuffed to bits and have held the same seats ever since. It’ll be 20 years this year. It’s funny cause when my boy was first born in London, I thought I’m going to have give him some leeway on supporting a London club. So I’ve said, “You’re not allowed Chelsea. You’re not allowed Millwall. Arsenal would be ok because I quite like the ethos.” His first match was Charlton v Barnsley in the away end, because he if wanted to support a local team similar to Barnsley I thought Charlton, Palace, that kind of team. So I gave him the option of Charlton, but he keeps going, “Can I… just maybe… Chelsea? and I’m, “No son. No you can’t.” Going to football is a tradition and there’s a bit of a ritual to it when you’re young. Quite often there’s a haircut involved. Saturday morning get your haircut and then go to the match. Little things like that you remember. Often it’s four of us now [watching Barnsley], me, my dad and two of my kids. It’s great because my boy, he’s 13 now, and when we go to the football. He says,“Ooh can I get a Bovril dad?” Which is brilliant because you don’t get a Bovril at the other clubs. ‘Yeah, we’ll get a Bovril son.’

: The Beautiful Game ‘I was watching Match of the Day the other day and I thought, ‘Yeah, there’s some great skill but I missed the excitement of the lower divisions, of people getting stuck in still. What’s changed the game at the top level is probably down to fact that they are all worth so much money that if they get hurt they are out of the game for a while. “One of the things I love about how Barnsley play at the moment is that we just don’t dive, they don’t go down, and half the time the fans are saying, “for god’s sake just go down like everybody else

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: John Stones

PHOTO: BBC

YOU’RE NOT ALLOWED CHELSEA. YOU’RE NOT ALLOWED MILLWALL. ARSENAL WOULD BE OK BECAUSE I QUITE LIKE THE ETHOS”

does!” But we don’t dive and I think that’s probably to do with Paul Heckingbottom, who is a brilliant manager, was a brilliant player and a top bloke. We still get stuck in and we still graft. And I like that. And the wages aren’t too high.’

: Stage Fright ‘I’ve lost a lot of heart in the England national team and I don’t know why. I think it’s because we always put so much expectation on them. Every time we play in the World Cup you hear, “We should be hammering this team!” and you think, no we shouldn’t. On paper we absolutely should not be hammering them, but we’ve hung on to this thing from ’66 where we believe we are world-beaters. If we took that edge of them a bit, they’d feel a bit freer to actually experiment and try new things. They look petrified to have a go. The pressure on Rooney must have been so huge. As an actor if you are doing a play you have a tendency to want to look for the bad reviews, but the good reviews can be just as harmful. When someone says,“Watch them in this moment,” you can’t help but think: ‘God, I’ve got to be brilliant in this moment!’ I can’t imagine the pressure of playing for England to be honest with you. It’s hard to get out of rut. You can go on a run of bad auditions where you don’t get one and it starts to eat away at you. You go in for the next one and you try a little bit harder, you’re not as relaxed and it can get worse and worse. In the same way you can get on run where you just get everything, like [Manchester] City are on at the moment.’

: Teamwork ‘To be a good actor, you’ve got to be about the other person. You’ve got to listen. You’ve got to be in a position to receive the pass. One of the biggest mistakes is going in thinking you’ve got it nailed and you are immovable from that take. You need to be pliable and be able to change your game plan. It can’t be just about you. If you’re one on one with the keeper, but your team mate is open with

‘First time we saw John Stones play, me and my dad turned around and went, “He’ll be playing for England in the next five years.” He was that good. He went through the youth system at Barnsley, played for the first team, everyone was interested in him, everyone wanted to buy him and his contract was up. He could have gone for free, but against everyone’s advice he re-signed for Barnsley, just so Barnsley would get some money and get another pay out if he went bigger. Everton bought him, and because of the sell-on clause in his contract, we got like another £10million when he went to City. And that’s purely because of that kid re-signing to give something back to that club. Whenever he comes to back to our club he’s lauded and he should be remembered for what he did.’

: The worst best goal ever scored ‘I’m really quite good at heading. I’ll head anything. I’ve done diving headers on concrete before. I’ve calmed down now a bit, but I remember doing a job with Ralph Little, Married, Single, Other, and he crossed a ball and I did a diving header on tarmac. He was like, “Dude you can’t be doing that!” ‘I was playing in a charity match at Oakwell with the fantastic band Reverend and the Makers and the genius comedian Daniel Kitson, we were playing against a Barnsley Legends team. Of course I’d have preferred to be on the Barnsley Legends team because I would have loved to play with them. With about 15 minutes to go David Hirst came up to me and took his shirt off and said, “Come on lets swap sides”. I was like, “You’re kidding me!” So I went up front and I ran, and ran, and ran, trying to score a goal. I did actually score. I scored the worst goal I’ve scored in my entire life. We were at Oakwell, down at the Ponte’ end which is where I usually sit, and Martin Devanay crossed it over at the perfect height. I thought this is it! This is happening. Exactly what I’ve dream about ever since I was a kid. So I dived to head it, and as I dived it hit the calf of someone and came back at a strange angle, hit the back of my legs as I was in the air, went into the post, bounced back, smashed me in the face and dribbled over the line. Awful. And then they all went crazy and dived on me. People to this day still tell me it’s the worst goal they’ve ever seen. I basically scored with my teeth.’

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Harry Redknapp remains one of football’s most enduring and popular characters. And, while he may have been out of work after being sacked by Birmingham City in September, Euan Reedie finds the vastly experienced manager in upbeat mood in Dubai, where he delivered some forthright views on current footballing issues

n a warm winter’s day in Dubai, Harry Redknapp is characteristically chatty and cheerful. The veteran football manager is in the United Arab Emirates to play golf – one of his favourite pastimes – in a charity event and is clearly enjoying his sunshine break. It comes as a timely boost for the 70-yearold after he was sacked by Championship side Birmingham City in September after only 10 games in charge. Not that Redknapp wants to dwell on this latest setback in his eventful and noteworthy career, which has seen him manage eight English clubs and one national team, Jordan. Instead, the genial Londoner happily holds court on a range of subjects – including his former team Tottenham Hotspur, England and his own managerial future. Spurs – the team he led between 2008 and 2012 and took to the Champions League quarter-finals in 2010-11 in their debut

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in the competition – seems like the most obvious starting point for our conversation. The north London club are a formidable force again under Mauricio Pochettino’s canny management, just as they were several years ago when Gareth Bale, Luka Modric et al were to the fore with Redknapp. How does Redknapp appraise their burgeoning potential, which has seen them become credible Premier League title contenders and led them to stun the Champions League holders Real Madrid with a 3-1 victory at Wembley in October? “I think they can win the title,” Redknapp, who led Spurs to two fourth-place finishes, says, “although I’ve just got a feeling for Man City this year. But certainly Tottenham are going to be bang [in contention]. I see a league title in Tottenham in the next year or two. “They’ve got a really good team; I love watching them play. I think they’re fantastic.” Redknapp is unsurprisingly a huge admirer of Spurs’s talismanic striker, Harry

Kane, given that he gave the 24-year-old England forward his debut in 2009. Since then, Kane has emerged as one of the world’s most fearsome strikers – winning the Premier League’s Golden Boot for highest scorer last season and the year before. By mid-November, Kane’s eight goals had propelled him to joint top of the Premier League scoring charts again. Such unstinting brilliance led to Kane asserting he wanted to rival Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as the best player in the world. It also prompted the Real Madrid president, Florentino Perez, to claim that Kane would be worth a world-record transfer fee of 250 million euros if he were on the market. Does Redknapp agree? “Well, he’s a fantastic player, isn’t he? He’s not a Messi and he’s not Ronaldo, is he? He can’t do things like they can do. “But his all-round game is excellent.

Interview Harry Redknapp

I’M NOT ONE FOR LYING AROUND AND TAKING IT EASY. I LOVE BEING INVOLVED

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IN FOOTBALL”

You’re not going to look at Harry and go: ‘Oh, my God and see him look like Messi and beat four or five people’. He hasn’t got that ability or talent. “But he has got an amazing talent. He works [hard], he can play, he holds the ball up, he can score goals, he can head it. He’s a leader and an outstanding striker. “And you can’t help but like him because of the way he is, the way he comes over. Apart from his football, he’s just a great lad as well.” One of Redknapp’s protégés at Spurs, the wondrous Welshman Bale, moved to the Spanish giants in 2013 for a then world-record fee of £85.3 million. As such, he is well placed to assess Kane’s dazzling development. “I do [think Kane could] emulate Bale,” Redknapp continues. “He’s different to Bale, obviously. Gareth could pick the ball up and run 60-70 yards with it as we saw on so many occasions. »

PHOTO: VERVERIDIS VASILIS / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Interview Harry Redknapp

the last one at Chelsea. “It goes in cycles. It’s not easy. You don’t suddenly say: ‘Oh, we’ve got a youth policy and we’re going to produce players’. You have to have the kids come in and you strike a bit of gold and find a golden nugget with one of them like Harry Kane.” Simply put, then, Redknapp believes the role of the manager is overplayed. As he bluntly declares: “If you walk into a top-six club, you’ve got to be some kind of fool to mess it up. At the end of the day, it’s about good players and if you have good players, it’s easy.” Redknapp rates Pochettino “very highly”, however, he stresses. “I love him,” he says. “He comes over great, he’s a lovely character. You never see him slagging anyone off or arguing with other managers. HARRY KANE IS A WONDERFUL “He gets on with his game. His team are fantastic to watch. I’m a PLAYER AND HE IS THE BEST big fan of his.” Pochettino has admitted in a PLAYER IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE, new book, ‘Brave New World: Pochettino’s Spurs’, that he would WITHOUT A DOUBT be interested in managing England one day. “But Harry Kane is a wonderful player and he is What does the man who was famously snubbed by the best player in the Premier League, without a the Football Association in 2012, when Roy Hodgson doubt. He’s the best striker and would grace any was appointed as manager instead, think of this? team in the world. “It depends what players he’s got to manage, it’s “But he’s very happy at Tottenham. as simple as that,” Redknapp replies, continuing on the theme that players are more important than the “He’s at a great club. I don’t see any reason [why he should move]. He’s got a great manager, a great team.” man who leads them. “Would I prefer the England manager to be English? I have said that in the past, Yet, without wishing to detract from the excellent yeah, but it depends what players you’ve got. work of Pochettino, Redknapp points out that the “If you haven’t got a squad of good players, I don’t Argentinian has been blessed to have players of the care who takes them over. You’re not going to be ilk of Kane and his England team-mate, Dele Alli. “Harry Kane was a one-off. He’s been out on loan a successful. You need good players. million times but he had a great attitude. He wanted “People mustn’t get carried away and forget that.” to be a player. He works at his game. Of Pochettino’s chances of success with the current crop of Three Lions if he were hypothetically in “He’s a fantastic boy and he deserves all the success charge, he adds: he’s getting. But it’s not like they [Spurs] have another six or seven kids in the first team. It’s not “We’re short of real quality in one or two positions. like [Redknapp’s old team] West Ham, who had six kids in the team [when I was in charge] and Man United, who had six kids in theirs. “That might not happen again. That comes along in God knows how many years. Man United have got [Marcus] Rashford, but I don’t see too many other [homegrown players]. “Man City haven’t got [many], what have Arsenal got, what have Chelsea got? John Terry was probably

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I think in midfield, especially, but I still think there’s a player who’s injured at the moment, Ross Barkley, I’d have him in the England team any day of the week. “I think he’s a real talent. Him, Dele Alli, Harry Kane. You’ve got fantastic players going forward and some real talent. “I’m still not at sure at centre-half whether we have top, top players and in midfield I think we’re short of top quality to go on and win a major competition. “We have got some very good players, for sure, though.” Is he an admirer of the current incumbent, Gareth Southgate, and can the former defender inspire his country to glory at the World Cup in Russia next year? “Gareth’s doing okay,” says the former midfielder Redknapp, who began his playing career at his beloved West Ham in 1965 alongside England’s 1966 World Cup heroes Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters. “Gareth can’t do any more. We qualified, we were top [of our group], we haven’t lost any games [in qualifying] and Gareth is doing what he can do. “He’s doing what every [England] manager does, qualifying for championships. That’s what we do with every competition. It’s what we do when we get there that counts. “Until we win a trophy, I will never look at [England] as a success.” I sense Redknapp has his own unfinished footballing business to fulfil given that his passion for the game is patently undimmed. He took on an advisory role at the League Two outfit, Yeovil Town, to keep his hand in, in October. Then, later that month, the proud Englishman surprisingly admitted he would be interested in the Scotland vacancy following Gordon Strachan’s resignation after the World Cup qualifiers. “I was asked if I’d be interested; I’m not going to say no,” he says. “Management has been in my blood now for so many years and I miss getting up in the morning and going to work. I’m not one for lying around and taking it easy. I love being involved in football and I will miss it.” *Harry Redknapp was speaking at the ‘Swing Against Cancer’ Golf Series finale at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, organised by Sixteen10 and Worldwide Golf.

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Interview DJ V Smoove

The recent Professional Player party in Leeds saw DJ V Smoove tear up the decks and destroy the dancefloor, as he has done in clubs all over the globe. Here, he speaks to Professional Player’s Anthony Bunn about his love of music, fledgling football career, and ability to rock a crowd with his glorious fusion of several dance styles and genres.

“

’ve always had music in my blood. From an early age, music just filled our house. I was either playing it or listening to it, and it’s something I’ve taken with me throughout my life. I love what I do, and as long as that continues – so will I!” Born in London but now living in Manchester, DJ V Smoove owes a lot of what he’s doing now to his formative years in the capital. And he also recognises the influence on his musical tastes from living in the northern powerhouse, one of Europe’s musical hotspots. “Yeah, we lived in Battersea, and I was massively into my dance music, especially 1980’s hip-hop” he states, before continuing “and I knew most of the record shop owners and loads of DJ’s at places like Kiss FM and at various clubs, so I was always being given white labels and one-offs. But after my time in Manchester I think it’s fair to say I’ve broadened my musical horizons. So, I’m just as likely to drop a little indie tune in the middle of some R&B thanks to my time up here!” Chatty and immensely sociable, DJ V Smoove is also immensely knowledgeable about the music he loves, and it’s no wonder: He’s been buying music since the age of just 8 years old (“mainly hip hop and New Jack Swing”) and has a vast collection of records and CD’s. But despite being a selfacknowledged lover of vinyl, he’s not someone who lives in the past, and nowadays is more likely to use digital technology to get the dancefloor rammed. “Yes, my collection is hugely important to me, but DJ’s have to move with the times, too. But where I

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really am old skool is how my set evolves: Each and every night I play, I base what I play on the crowd in front of me”. The 43 year old, who is the official DJ for sporting brand Under Armour, never plans in advance what he’s going to play on a particular night – meaning each night is fresh and exciting, as he looks at what the crowd loves and wants rather than what he thinks he should be playing. Flexibility is the name of the game here. DJ V Smoove’s willingness to experiment means that he’s at the forefront as one of the new breed of open format DJ’s – as his sets can’t be pigeon-holed into a certain one genre. “I love all forms of dance music”, he states, before adding, “and I’ve grown up on R&B, New Jack Swing and hip hop. But I’m just as likely to put in some reggae, house and garage, too. It’s all about bringing a set together, being experimental...and it’s about fusing modern technology with a good old fashioned ear for a tune and what the crowd wants. Music to move you. The best of both worlds, really!” Whilst his DJ-ing was put on hold when he went to Salford University, DJ V Smoove admits that living in the north changed his perspective on music. “I obviously had to put my studying first, but Manchester is a hugely different city to London, and so obviously musical tastes vary, too. Whilst still loving many genres of dance and soul music, I was listening to more guitar-based music, too. Nowadays, I like listening to the likes of Avril Lavigne, Keane, The Verve and stuff like that – and that’s the influence that studying and living in Manchester has had on me.”

Known for his technical expertise on the decks, DJ V Smoove has played in front of thousands of clubgoers all over the UK and all over the world. He’s had residencies in any number of big UK cities such as Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, and London, and even as the resident DJ for MC Harvey from the So Solid Crew, but when I ask him what have been some of the big highlights of his DJ-ing career so far, his thoughts go slightly further afield... “I’m not just saying it, but every gig really is different. From my early days of playing in London and my residency at M2 in Manchester, to playing in Marbella and to every one of the nights I’ve played in smaller venues, every time I play I look to entertain. But two places really do stick in my mind. Firstly, playing at the legendary Eden in Ibiza in front of three and a half thousand people was really special, and then an outdoor gig at Chi in Dubai was absolutely amazing. But I have a lifetime of memories, as I simply love doing what I do. Hopefully, all the people coming through the doors see that and pick up on it, and leave after having a great night.” Anyone who was in Leeds for the recent Professional Player party would attest to the above. Indeed, I spoke to Notts County’s Carl Dickinson about the night - and he commented how amazing the music was. And DJ V Smoove is no stranger to The Beautiful Game himself. After playing for his district and county whilst at school, he had interest shown by a number of clubs, before joining Millwall’s youth set-up. “I was there until I was 18 and was part of their Youth

Cup winning side in 1991”, he states, “I ended up playing semiprofessional in Manchester, but whilst I was The Den, I did put my mixing talents to use by making up some tapes for the players, such as Teddy Sheringham, and I also DJ-ed at various football awards ceremonies and afterparty’s ha, ha!” Football’s loss was clubbing’s gain, and despite being megabusy DJ V Smoove has recently been putting out some mixes on his Mixcloud site, allowing him to showcase his talents and the music he loves – and he’s hungry to rock more dancefloors like the PP one in Leeds. “I loved that night, and I’m looking to working even more with you great guys at Professional Player in the future. I’m looking to carry on what I’m doing – playing great music to people who want to dance to great music, and I’m always on the lookout for new places to play and new dancefloors to fill, too!”

DJ V Smoove’s 3 of the best ICONIC DJ’S

DJ Swing

An amazing DJ from London who sadly passed away recently. He had a style of mixing that people had never heard before. A great DJ and a pioneer.

Jazzy Jeff

Technically an amazing DJ, and someone I looked up to massively and someone I had the honour of playing with once! Social media and contact details: Twitter - DJVSMOOVEUK Instagram - DJVSMOOVEUK Mixcloud - mixcloud.com/DJVSMOOVE Email - Vsmoove7@gmail.com

Tim Westwood

Another ground-breaking DJ, who has ripped down barriers, prejudices and conventions with what he’s achieved. He’s opened doors for many, many DJ’s and has earned massive respect in the industry.

ICONIC RECORDS

‘Intro’ by Intro

An unbelievable album from this R’n’B band from New York. This 1993 album is one of the few where every single song on there means something to me.

‘Ready to die’ by Biggie Smalls

This took music to another level for me. Released in 1994, this man was a giant and put the East Coast back on the map.

‘Guy’ by Guy

Comprised of Teddy Riley, Aaron Hall, and Timmy Gatling, this is a superb album and was a major influence on my career. They call Teddy the ‘King of New Jack Swing’, and you’ll hear why after listening to this, their first album.

Interview

“

remember the ball going out wide to El Hadji Diouf and he flicked it on to me. On my left foot, coming over my head, I would have never dreamed of hitting one but I did.” Billy Sharp is “ describing a goal he scored for Doncaster on November 1st 2011. A goal that made headlines around the world. Luey Jacob Sharp was just two days old when he tragically passed away having been born with Gastroschisis. A rare condition where part of the intestines extend outside the body. His father Billy took to the field just days later. Even through the heavy fog of grief he was determined to honour his son in the only way he knew. “I’d not really eaten or drank anything, or slept,” reflects Sharp. “Dean Saunders [then manager] rang me and asked me how I was doing. I told him I’d love to play on Tuesday and he said,‘That’s good enough for me, I’ll see you Tuesday.’ It was probably a bit selfish in a way, but it was the best thing I could have done as it got me out of the house. It got me doing what I love doing. It got me back on track.”

“After the game I just wanted to get to Jade, because I did feel a bit selfish. She supported my decision to play, but one of the hardest things about that time was watching my wife have to go through it. I’d come home to Jade who was blaming herself and was distraught from what had happened. She didn’t have that release and support circle that football gave me, but she’s been amazing through it all.” “Jade did everything you’re supposed to do in pregnancy the first time and it didn’t go right. Obviously having two healthy boys doesn’t replace Luey, but it does make things a little easier. Still there are hard times especially with anniversaries. We’ll never forget him. He’d have been six this year.” “I owe football a lot because it could have quite easily gone the other way. Football made it easier. It helped me get on with things. I’ll always be in debt to football because of that.” There is another reason why he played that night. “I had an opportunity to show at times that these you can stay strong and get through it. I’ve had people come up to me and say you helped me by doing what

top at the time. Promotion to the Premier League followed, where sadly he would be given just two appearances. “I’ve learnt in Football it’s a matter of opinions. If a manager decides you’re not for them it can change really quickly. Nigel Adkins signed me from Doncaster in the January window when we were top of the league. I thought it was a really good opportunity. I did well and was part of the squad that was promoted to the Premiership. I thought I was going to get a really good chance but it wasn’t to be. They were signing someone for £7million and they had to get someone off the books, unfortunately it was me.” Various loans spells followed but a return home to the club he’d supported as a boy would prove a magical reunion. In 2015 he returned to Sheffield United and netted 21 goals in his first season. The following season was even better. Scoring 30 times for the Blades, he powered the team all the way to the League One Championship. That season also saw him win his

The goal heard around the world Sheffield United Captain Billy Sharp talks to David Fearnhead about the emotional night he brought all of football together.

It was described as a 14th minute wondergoal. Congratulated by his team mates, Billy lifted his shirt to reveal a message: That’s for you Son. With his arm aloft he looked to the heavens as both sets of fans applauded. Even the opposing manager, Tony Mowbray, was delighted to see Sharp score. He described it as “A goal from heaven.” Perhaps most remarkably of all the referee decided not to award the customary yellow card. Sometimes the game is bigger than the rules which govern it. “As I watched it fly over the keeper and into the top corner, that’s when all the anger and frustration came out. That’s when it hit me,” reveals Sharp, who was just 25 at the time. It would be easy to pen this story as a tragic one, and yet Billy and Wife Jade have managed to do something remarkable. They’ve managed to turn Luey’s story into a positive one. Honouring his name with the setting up The Luey Jacob Sharp Foundation in order to help support other families and fund much needed research into the condition. Unlike many couples who’ve suffered the loss of a child their marriage has survived, producing two healthy children: Leo in 2012 and Milo Thomas in 2015.

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“As I watched it fly over the keeper and into the top corner, that’s when all the anger and frustration came out. That’s when it hit me”

second League One Player of the Year award. His first coming ten years ago with Scunthorpe. “The games last season when we were closing in on the title to have my wife and two kids there with the kits on, and my family who are all Sheffield United fans - it’s only when you look back at the photos that you realise what an unbelievable season it was. I’m lucky to be a Sheffield United fan who is playing for the club.” “I always think of this as being my second spell with the club, because the first time I was there as a kid. you did. I was delighted to hear that. It made us feel When I came back I only 20. I got bought for £2million good because we felt like we’d helped other people too.” and I’d only been sold two years before for £100k.” As for the man who set up the goal, Sharp says El He says this is understandably the most enjoyable Hadji Diouf is much misunderstood. “He did play on time of his career. Made even more special as he now the bad boy image a little bit but during the tough wears the Captain’s armband. time that I had, he personally was one of the ones “I’ve never been Captain before in my career but the who put their arm around me. He was a top man gaffer rang me and said I want you to be my Captain. in that situation. He’s got a bad name with a lot of I was over the moon. It was a real privilege. I thought people but I think he’s a nice guy.” it was the right time of my career and I liked that The road home responsibility. My team mates made it pretty easy for me and I was just he lucky one to wear the Sharp’s performances whilst at Doncaster attracted armband. We’ve started were we left off and it’s the attention of Championship clubs Burnley and Leicester City, but he chose Southampton who were going really well at the moment.”

Billy Sharp

Academies

Sheffield Wednesday

Ash Baker

Academy Workshop

Sheffield Wednesday FC welcomes an afternoon at Hillsborough Stadium with Professional Player and their partners in another successful academy workshop to their talented ahead. The Professional future professionals. Player invites only the

alking into the boardroom to present to Sheffield Wednesday’s Football Academy comes with great passion and excitement from The Professional Player team and their partners. It’s always this moment that we can take young footballers on a journey to ensure they are getting the very best advice during and throughout their career. Our partners in finance, legal advice and insurance introduce the academy to the serious side of the footballing world and leaves our young footballing talent of today in control of their careers, now and for the journey

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prestigious in their divisions to provide the relevant advice and support and we share with you how we had a successful afternoon. Hillsborough Stadium offers the PP team a delightful and warm welcome, the history and pride of the club excels itself. You can truly tell football started at home here with Sheffield Wednesday being one of the oldest football clubs in the world, it’s honorary status is one to be proud of. The players are all sat ready and waiting to go, intrigued and unsure, but what they

Sheffield Wednesday

don’t know is that the next hour is going to provide a great sense of understanding and security to their chosen career paths, one we truly hope to see them thrive in. Again the PP team and their partners present an incredibly sharp insight into the world of football, the good, the bad and the ugly. It’s without hesitancy that the lads sit up and take note of what a great service the PP workshop offers to ensure success and security in their footballing careers.

U23

Fraser Preston

Professional U23 Development League 2 saw Sheffield Wednesday as their winners for the 2016-2017

10th

It was great to welcome Professional Player to Hillsborough Stadium to meet our U18s and U23 teams. Gina and Peter made a positive impact on the players who enjoyed the financial talk, real life experiences and examples and advice from partners in the small group sessions”

Sheffield Wednesday has the 10th highest record for home attendance for English football clubs – 72,841 to be exact

Dan Potts Sheffield Wednesday

With the exciting connections made between our professionals and partners, the sense of complete satisfaction is that of knowing that PP have once again delivered a great session. Advice and support has been provided exceptionally to educate these young professionals into understanding the world of football and all that lies with it. As we see more football clubs nationwide working to the most in-depth of measures to help provide the support and education within football, we know that there are areas of adjustment and angles to cover that we are all too proud to be able to deliver here at PP.

1929

They were formally known as The Wednesday Football Club until 1929

Preslav Borukov

Professional Player continue to impart the very best advice to young professionals. If you want your club to benefit from this complimentary service then contact: gina@theprofessionalplayer.co.uk

VeryFirstTo.com

5 of the Finest Hotels on Earth and Water

The next two years will see a host of new hotels and resorts opening across the globe. Luxury launches website VeryFirstTo identifies its favourite 5: two of which are floating.

Yas Island Resort 2019 The Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island Resort will be part of an AED12 billion development plan by Miral for the southern end of Yas Island, in efforts to further position the island among the world’s most soughtafter destinations by 2022. Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island Resort, opening in 2019, will be located in the Yas Bay, a 3-kilometre stretch that is anticipated to become one of the most iconic and vibrant waterfront destinations in the region. The resort’s facilities will include a multi-purpose conference centre, seven dining outlets and an innovative urban beach concept with an infinity pool suspended above the waters of the Arabian Gulf. The resort is also nearby the 18,000 capacity Yas Arena, a multi-purpose indoor arena designed to host large and intimate scale events including sporting competitions, major cultural performances, concerts and MICE activities. Hilton Hotels & Resorts has a longstanding history in Abu Dhabi, stretching back more than 40 years when Hilton Abu Dhabi become the city’s first international hotel. Part of an AED12 billion development plan

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Features two 138 square-meter lavish duplex penthouse suites.

Ritz Cruise Liner 2019 The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection venture represents an unprecedented foray into the cruise industry for a luxury hotel operator. The first of three lavish cruising yachts is scheduled to take to sea late 2019, and distinguishes Marriott International as the only provider of luxury accommodations both on land and at sea. Itineraries are being developed with the intent to combine the lifestyle of The Ritz-Carlton’s luxury resorts and the casual freedom of a yachting vacation. Voyages will range from seven to ten days. The first ship will cruise a wide variety of destinations depending on the season, including the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America.

One&Only Montenegro 2018 The specially designed vessel will measure 190-meters, accommodate up to 298 passengers, and feature 149 suites, each with its own private balcony. The yacht will also feature two 138 square-meter lavish duplex penthouse suites. The yachts will feature a restaurant by Sven Elverfeld of Aqua, the three Michelin-starred restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, Wolfsburg; a signature spa; and a Panorama Lounge and wine bar. Additionally, the yacht will offer oneof-a-kind curated destination journeys through collaborations with local chefs, musicians and artists, allowing guests to experience the locations in different and experiential ways, both onboard and ashore.

With approximately 150 luxurious guest rooms and villas, the One&Only will also house a world-class Marina, tennis academy, dining and retail outlets. The property is expected to attract travellers from around the world and is expected to be ready in 2018. The 60-acre project will command an enviable position between mountain (Montenegro translates to ‘Black Mountain’) and sea and will overlook 1.2 kilometres of pristine Adriatic Sea coastline. This will be the brand’s first resort in Europe and is located less than an hour from Dubrovnik International Airport. Like all the resorts within the collection the European destination will place an emphasis on privacy while evoking a ‘sense of place,’ using materials that showcase the natural elements of Montenegro industry. Overlooking 1.2 kilometres of pristine Adriatic Sea coastline

Further details on each magical destination can be found on VeryFirstTo.com

VeryFirstTo.com

W Brisbane 2018

Quintessentially One 2019 – 2020

The W Brisbane will be located by the Brisbane River and is set for completion in 2018 and is set to offer 305 plush guest-rooms, consisting of 25 luxurious suites and an Extreme Wow Suite®, which is the W brand’s re-imagining of the traditional Presidential Suite.

The £250m, 722ft Quintessentially One will “provide the opportunity for the global elite to tour the world and attend the world’s most desirable events, such as the Cannes Film Festival and the Monaco Grand Prix, and plays host to mega parties with star performers.”

As well as this, there will also be a modern and spacious conference and event space, over 960 square metres to be precise; as well as a spa and gym, W Hotels The Store, an indoor heated swimming pool and a 24-hour WIREDSM business centre.

25 luxurious suites and an Extreme Wow Suite®

The boat will boast a moving hotel and a restaurant, which will be catered for by up-market London restaurant The Wolseley, a Jacuzzi area, grand dining

rooms, an old-fashioned style library, plus exquisitely designed bedrooms and private dining rooms. Due to make its first voyage in 20192020, Quintessentially One is billed as “the world’s largest floating private membership club,” by Aaron Simpson, Co-Founder of Quintessentially, but securing a spot on board will be by invitation only.

Securing a spot on board will be by invitation only

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Further details on each magical destination can be found on VeryFirstTo.com

The Best UK Luxury Breaks

The Best UK Luxury Breaks Whether you want a sophisticated boutique hotel, or a cosy country house accommodation set in rolling fields, Emma Harrison rounds up the most luxurious breaks to take in the United Kingdom.

Top Tip Enjoy a game of golf on one of the finest parkland courses in the country. This 27-hole championship course also offers exceptional practice facilities too.

Stoke Park

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

This 18th century mansion house has more of a feel of a private country club. All the bedrooms and suites are individually designed with most having breathtaking views of the 300-acre estate. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a superb spa and exceptional restaurant, run by head chef Chris Wheeler.

Lime Wood Top Tip

NEW FOREST

Why not pay a visit to the Herb House Spa you can do yoga on the roof in an herb garden, revive together in double treatment rooms and take in the forest views from the massive sauna.

Set in the heart of the stunning New Forest National Park, the Lime Wood is laid-back luxury at its best. Celebrated chefs Angela Hartnett and Luke Holder do the cooking, pulling together both of their much-admired signature styles, to create Hartnett Holder & Co, the hotels relaxed Italian restaurant.

The Vineyard BERKSHIRE Inspired by the vineyards of California – which is home to the owner’s personal winery, The Vineyard is the perfect choice for wine lovers. Home to some 30,000 bottles of wine and an award-winning restaurant and Spa, The Vineyard is an oenophile’s dream and home to 10 different English wines.

Top Tip Don’t leave without enjoying a ‘Balinese Journey’ – one of the most popular treatments at the spa which unblocks energy channels, allowing your life energy to flow freely, returning balance to your body and restoring vitality.

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Top Tip At the heart of the hotel is the two Michelin-starred restaurant, an intimate dining area with magnificent views across the hotel’s beautiful gardens.

Gidleigh Park DEVON

Set in 107 acres of woodland and garden on the upper reaches of the River Teign, Gidleigh Park offers an air of tranquillity and romance within a Tudor-style country house. All individual in style and design, they feature the most stunning bathrooms, wet rooms and spa suites that inspire a true sense of indulgence.

Haven Hall

Lympstone Manor

ISLE OF WIGHT

DEVON

With guests such as Colin Firth and Peter Crouch enjoying the spectacular seaside views at the Haven Hall hotel on the Isle of Wight, it is easy to see why this is one of the most popular places to stay on the Island. Each of the rooms has been carefully individually designed by the owners. Our favourite room is the delightful ‘Seagulls’ suite which has a real quirky and quaint feel with its own porthole.

This Grade II listed Georgian mansion is set in 28 acres with unrivalled views overlooking the Exe Estuary is steeped in history. With Michael Caines, one of Britain’s most celebrated and best-known chefs at the helm, it is no surprise that exceptional cuisine and wine lies at the heart of the experience.

Top Tip Why not hire the entire house for an exclusiveuse getaway? You can take advantage of the incredible views, graceful grounds and elegant interiors with your friends and family.

Top Tip There is nowhere more special than Lympstone Manor to enjoy the full Devon afternoon tea experience. Enjoy freshly made sandwiches; scones just out of the oven to be spread with thick Devon clotted cream, local jams and preserves washed down with a glass of English sparkling wine.

Top Tip If you are looking to channel your own Raymond Blanc, why not sign up for one of the cookery courses where you can create phenomenal cuisine in a fun, relaxed setting.

Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons OXFORDSHIRE The perfect destination for foodies! Often described as Oxfordshire heritage meets French flair, the Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons is one of the country’s most cherished manor house hotels. The accommodation is both sumptuous and cosy in equal measure and the food – exquisite!

Top Tip Don’t leave the Lakes without paying a visit to the luxurious spa, The Orchard and taking a dip in the glorious 17-meter heated pool with panoramic views of Clear Water Lake.

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Dormy House COTSWOLDS With a chic spa, this 17th Century converted farmhouse is one of the finest boutique hotels in England. This peaceful rural bolthole offers oodles of character, impeccable service and great food and is an ideal retreat for a long weekend away.

Top Tip Check out their Champagne Nail Bar by Veuve Clicquot and the bespoke treatment using locally-sourced Cotswold lavender.

Lakes by Yoo COTSWOLDS With interiors designed by Kate Moss, Elle MacPherson, Jade Jagger, Kelly Hoppen and Phillipe Starck. Our favourites have to be the glorious ‘Barn House’ which was designed by Ms Moss herself and the ‘Pool House’ which is the first ever UK holiday home to feature a heated rooftop pool.

The Wellness Kitchen strives to provide you with artisan handcrafted meal plans to suit your personal needs. Discover enjoyment of healthy eating through high quality sourced ingredients, crafted by a handful of quality chefs. Our plans are created to perfection to help you achieve your aesthetic goals. Fuelling performance through nutrition calls for your experience of our Pro-Zone bespoke packages. Combining your performance demands with our highly advanced nutritional system, means we can assist professionals, athletes, or even if your in serious training with a winning difference.

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Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to

Eat Clean Live Well! 69

Interview

Jules knows

the score!

A familiar face on our TV screens every Saturday afternoon as a presenter on BT Sport Score, Jules Breach also has one eye on Brighton & Hove Albion’s progress, as she told Luke Nicoli Hi Jules, we hear you’re a Brighton fan, so when did you start supporting the club?

most of my friends and family had email addresses and passwords with Zamora in them for years!

I was actually born in Brighton but lived in Jamaica until I was 14. When I came back I lived with my cousins who are massive Albion fans. They lived and breathed everything Seagulls. I got taken to my first Albion match when they played at Withdean Stadium but I can’t remember who we played. I do remember feeling really excited though as I’d only ever watched football on TV before.

Can you believe how far the club has come since those days?

Who was the player who caught your eye back then?

I actually wanted to be a tennis player when I was younger. When I was at university at Sussex I did

Bobby Zamora, he was so prolific. I’m pretty sure

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It’s amazing. If you look at Withdean now and compare it with the Amex it’s crazy! To think Albion have gone from groundsharing with Gillingham, after the Goldstone Ground shut down, to now having state-of-the-art facilities at one of the best stadiums in the country – it’s phenomenal! How did you get into presenting Jules?

a media degree and realised I loved the buzz of the industry and so I thought if I could combine my love of sport and TV together, that would be the dream. I started off as a runner on Britain’s Got Talent, then entered a presenting competition on Channel 4 and started my first proper presenting job on a shopping channel. I didn’t do my official NCTJ in journalism until a couple of years ago but it’s the best thing I’ve done. You’ve got a pretty impressive CV, haven’t you...

Sometimes I look back at jobs I’ve done and I still pinch myself! I feel privileged and really lucky, but it has taken a lot of hard work, dedication and drive not to give up. It’s really competitive and I have done a lot of not so glamorous jobs along the way too. One of my highlights has to be the Rugby World Cup though. It was one of my first ‘big’ jobs and was amazing to be part of such a huge sporting event – and great that it came to the Amex as well!

Jules Breach

You worked on local Sussex radio station Juice FM on a Saturday afternoon – what are your favourite memories doing that show?

It was such a brilliant opportunity. I got to produce and present the show every week and cover all sports. The great thing with live shows is that you have no idea what is about to happen, and that excitement never got old. I loved interviewing players and broadcasting Brighton’s push for promotion during the 2015/16 season. Brighton missed out on automatic promotion on the final day at Middlesbrough. That was a bit awkward as my dad is a Boro fan but thankfully we finally won promotion last season – which was a fantastic achievement by Chris Hughton and the boys. How did the move to BT Sport come about?

I met with a producer at BT about a hockey job funnily enough. When he heard I had been covering live football on the radio at Juice, he thought I’d be a good fit for their new show, BT Sport Score, so I had a screen test and luckily it all worked out! Dream job! I’m also now presenting the Fantasy Premier League show, which is part of Premier League Productions, likewise a programme called Fanzone, so it’s all hands to the pump at the moment. Tell us about your role on the BT Sport Score show…

We cover all the big talking points in football and all the live scores from the Premier League, down to the National League and Scotland too. I present all the football headlines, fantasy football updates, and I read out some of the weird and wonderful stuff that fans are talking about on Twitter and questions for the pundits to answer too. It seems a lot of fun, especially when you’ve got the likes of Chris Sutton and Robbie Savage on it…

Ha ha, yes, they’re a really fun bunch to work with! Everyone is lovely, from Mark Pougatch the presenter through to all the ex-pros we have on the show. We have a range of guests all with different opinions, which is what football is all about.

just eight points off the top four, and unbeaten at home since the opening day, I’d have been absolutely buzzing! And that’s exactly how I feel Do it! There are so many girls working in sport now. I’m really proud of my job as I know I’ve had about the season so far. We’ve looked organised to work extremely hard to get to where I am now. and have put in performances that have made It isn’t a walk in the park. It’s competitive and really other Premier League teams now look over their difficult to get jobs, but if you’re focused and you shoulders at us. They now see a visit to the Amex know your stuff, you should go for it. You need to not necessarily as easy a ride as they may have be thick skinned and prepare for a lot of rejection once thought. Before the season began, I had and criticism along the way, but there’s nothing colleagues, former players, ex-managers and fans more rewarding than finally achieving your dream. of other clubs say that Brighton were without a shadow of a doubt going down. They’d joke Finally, what do you make of Brighton’s debut Premier League campaign so far? around and say to me ‘are you ready for a horrible season?!’ And now, almost every single one of If you told me at the start of the season that in December we’d be sat in the top half of the table, them has changed their tune...

What would be your advice to girls hoping to break into the industry?

*You can catch Jules on BT Sport Score every Saturday at 2.30pm on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport Showcase. Follow her @julesbreach

Official government fuel consumption figures in mpg (litres per 100km) for the Mercedes-Benz range: urban 16.2(17.4)72.4(3.9), extra urban 23.9(11.8)-88.3(3.2), combined 20.5(13.8)-134.5(2.1). CO2 emissions 322-48 g/km. Official EUregulated test data are provided for comparison purposes and actual performance will depend on driving style, road conditions and other non-technical factors. Derwent Vehicles Limited is a credit broker/intermediary that can introduce you to a limited number of lenders to provide funding for your vehicle. They may incentivise us for introducing you to them.

Mercedes-Benz UK Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales with company number 2448457 and has its registered address at Tongwell, Milton Keynes, MK15 8BA.

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Specialist motor insurance for professional footballers Call our specialist broker, Greg Bridges, on 020 8722 5789 or email gregbridges@stackhouse.co.uk for more information. www.stackhouse.co.uk

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Interview

The Donna Louise

What we do and how your support makes a difference At our recent AGM we asked one of our young ladies, 20 year-old Charlotte, to talk a little about her experience of using The Donna Louise. After reducing most of the audience to tears - she summed it up beautifully, when she said “The Donna Louise is ‘Just There’.” Professional Player finds out more...

wo simple little words that can mean so much – “JUST THERE” That is exactly what we aim to be “JUST THERE” for children, young people and families to support them in any way we can. However long or short a child’s life may be, The Donna Louise is there to support every member of the family, every step of the way - from initial diagnosis until they no longer need us. Whether having lots of fun and bringing families together at our purpose-built facility in Trentham, providing respite in the family home, being there during hospital stays, facilitating support groups in the community, or simply being at the end of the phone, The Donna Louise is there for families across Staffordshire and Cheshire - whenever, wherever, always. Parents and carers often describe respite stays as their “lifeline” whether it’s for a few hours, a day or longer. Caring for a child or young adult with complex needs can put a huge strain on the whole family, and respite breaks provide a fantastic way for families to recharge their batteries. To someone who is a carer 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days per year, it’s a chance to do things other people take for granted - sit on the sofa and watch a movie, spend time with their other children, and even enjoy an uninterrupted night’s sleep. Although the opportunity to have a night off is a rare one, families often choose to come and stay in our family accommodation at The Donna Louise too. Our care team makes sure that every need of

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The Donna Louise is now 17 years old. In those years we have continuously grown and evolved to meet the changing needs of children, young people and their families and the growing demand for care services. As the children and young people are growing up, it feels like we are too – growing up alongside them, developing the maturity and ability to continue to care for and support them. The life expectancy of children with life-limiting conditions is increasing; yet appropriate care provision that fulfils the specific needs of these young adults is currently non-existent in our areas. In January 2016, following extensive engagement with families, staff and other professionals, we stopped discharging young people from our care at the age of 19 and embarked on our mission to raise enough money to build a state of the art the child, teenager or young adult is met so that the facility that would enable us to deliver the best care possible in the most appropriate surroundings. family can take time off from being carers and just enjoy being a family. We knew this was the right thing to do and we’d heard enough horror stories and sad stories For the children, teenagers or young adults and negative feedback to confirm this. We knew staying with us, it can be like a mini-holiday - the that the young people we care for deserve better chance to meet up with friends and have lots of fun. The opportunities to have fun are endless and than what was currently available. We knew that there would be at least 50 young people requiring each activity is individually tailored to the needs, interests and abilities of each child or young adult. this care by 2020. And, we knew from working The Donna Louise offers a “one-stop” information, alongside young people and their families both what they need and what they want. advice and support service for families trying to juggle the challenges of never-ending appointments So, in December 2016 we announced exciting and the minefield that can be health and social care. plans to build a new multi-million pound young adult facility. Without this service, the future for Our highly trained care team works closely with young people, currently in our care, looked bleak, other healthcare professionals to help manage with no appropriate care services available to them. symptoms by providing care that is tailored to the specific, and ever-changing, needs of each child, young We now have the funding secured, an amazing building design ready to be built and planning person or adult. We also give emotional care and support to the whole family through counselling, art permission granted. The building will provide facilities for day care and overnight respite, and will therapy, play therapy and music therapy. We help to ensure that children’s clinical symptoms encourage independent living as much as possible for our young adults. are well managed to help them enjoy life to the full Without the continued generosity of our but most importantly - we provide opportunities for families to be families – to enjoy being together, supporters we wouldn’t have been able to even having fun and creating family memories. consider extending our service to young adults,

The Donna Louise

Respite breaks provide a fantastic way for families to recharge their batteries”

let alone plan to build a purpose-built facility for them. And that’s in addition to continuing to deliver and develop our existing service. And that doesn’t mean we don’t still need your support, because it will be our loyal supporters who will be making the service itself happen. Next year will be a big and very exciting year for The Donna Louise. The construction of our new young adult facility will begin by the end of 2017 and will continue throughout next year. While the funding for the new building is secured, we will be launching our biggest ever fundraising campaign to raise money to develop our young adults’ service. So if you’d like to get involved and make a difference to hundreds of children and young adults, please contact Josh Slater in our Fundraising Team, at: Joshua.slater@thedonnalouise.org or call 01782 654444.

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Interview

It’s Gonna Be Me At just 18 Liv Cooke literally has the World at her feet. The Lancashire freestyler was crowned World Champion in 2017. David Fearnhead caught up with the player who was once of the books of Preston North End and Blackburn Rovers. How do you become a World Champion in Freestyle?

You can compete in the Open World Championship which anyone can enter and you face the best of the best. You battle it out. It’s like a street dance battle, it’s 1v1, and each battles has 3 rounds of 1 minute 30 seconds each. There’s a judging panel who select the winner. I went through the qualifying stages, the group stages, the quarters, the semis and then the final. It’s done over a week. How is the competition judged?

A lot of people think it’s just the harder the trick the better, but other factors affect it. Your style, how you make it look, your execution, is the trick clean? All these other things make a difference. Replying to your opponent is something that a lot of competitors don’t do but I excelled in. I’d studied my opposition. Going into the competition I picked who I thought were the top five freestylers and analysed them fully. I watched every single battle that they’d ever done, took notes about their weaknesses and strengths,

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I even predicted in many circumstances what they were going to do against me. This allowed me to train the tricks they would do, and when they did them I could reply by doing the trick harder and better. Which countries are strongest in Freestyle?

As you’d expect Brazil is a very strong, then Norway and France. They are the top three. It’s strange because freestyle is so big in countries like France, but in England it’s still quite a small sport even though we have former four-times male World Champion and the current female World Champion. It’s strange. It doesn’t make sense. I think it’s because in other countries like Brazil players such as Neymar and Ronaldinho are all fascinated by skills and they support freestyle. Whereas in England we don’t really have those players that are super skilful and who push the sport. What has the reception been like since becoming the World Champion?

That’s one thing that I was a little surprised by. A lot of the other champions would go home and the media would be all over it, but in England it’s different. I think it comes from the culture. I feel like our media is very negative these days. Someone can win something major and the journalists are just searching for some dirt on them. Maybe that’s down to celebrity culture. I’m not saying that it’s necessarily the journalists’ fault because

Liv Cooke

THE FIRST TIME I WENT TO AN EVENT AND SAW A FREESTYLER PERFORM LIVE I WAS BLOWN AWAY.”

they are giving the people what they want. Unfortunately that seems to be more of the negative stuff.

a swimmer. More recently you can ask any kid in the street and they’ll know what it is, even name a few of the freestylers.

world but you don’t just travel there, you are welcomed in every country. Fellow freestylers will want to show you around.

Why did you choose Freestyle over Association Football?

How do you make a living from Freestyle?

What’s been the reaction of men towards a female freestyler?

I loved football. I played with some of the players in the current Manchester City squad. It was never that I couldn’t make it as a footballer. It was more that I picked up a bad back injury. That was getting me so frustrated because I was going backwards. So whilst I was injured I’d have my ball in my garden trying to improve my control, and over time I started to get pretty good at these tricks. The first time I went to an event and saw a freestyler perform live I was blown away. Instantly it just opened up a whole new world and I just fell in love with it. I tried to juggle both freestyle and football for a while, but training in both with such intensity I just kept getting injured. So eventually I had to choose and I went with freestyle.

For me I found it came from social media. So when my videos started to go viral and get millions of views I got a lot of followers. Then the sponsors came on board. They want you at their events and to come and perform for them. Freestyle has allowed you travel the World, where have been your favourite places?

I have been travelling with Uefa as part of their We Play Strong campaign and along the way we stopped off at the top football pitches in Europe. The first one was in Switzerland which was the highest pitch in Europe at the top of the alps - which was crazy. I really loved Croatia, they had some urban style pitches where they filmed Game of Thrones. It was just amazing to me. Outside of Europe I absolutely loved Japan. There was such Is the profile of freestyle growing? a friendly welcome and lots of freestylers A year ago when I told people what I did came out to meet me and give gifts. That’s they’d hear the word freestyle and think I was one thing with freestyle you get to travel the

Some guys are intimidated by it. If I do a show with a male freestyler even though I’m a World Champion with a higher ranking they will still want the public to think they are better because they are a guy. Whereas in reality I’m actually better. The reaction comes from people not expecting it. People still think that girls can’t play football and can’t do tricks and then when they see them doing it they are always quite amazed. Do you think you’ll ever compete against male freestylers?

During the final the commentator kept mentioning that I could compete with the guys because my level was so high. It is interesting. If the opportunity arose I wouldn’t turn it down. It’s just whether I’d be allowed. I would quite like to see how I’d go. www.livcookefreestyle.com

Interview

Harlee Neat Birmingham City defender Harlee Dean talks to Anthony Bunn about his life before football, scoring at Wembley, final day heartache, Play Off heartbreak, promotion, and a new start at a new club

“

see myself a little old skool in some respects. Whilst I love being a defender who gets on the ball and is comfortable on it, I also look at the likes of John Terry, a Vidic, or a Gerrard, and try to lead on the pitch like they did. There’s definitely still a big place for motivating others in football. Perhaps that’s because of my route into football and my time in non-league” Harlee Dean didn’t follow the typical professional footballer’s stereotypical route to the top, and yet has played well over 300 games at the age of just 26. But in his own words “I’ve always been pretty mature for my age”. Bright, hard-working and well behaved at school, Harlee wasn’t spotted by a league club until relatively late in his youth career. Living in Essex, the centre half grew up a devout West Ham fan, but it was at Dagenham & Redbridge where the young Dean started learning his trade. “I suppose I didn’t get into the realms of professional football until quite late. I was at college and ended up training with The Daggers, and from there was loaned out. It was a massive learning curve.” Like many other players who go on to have great professional careers, Dean went out on loan to a number of clubs. It’s something that some young

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players aren’t sometimes overly keen to do, but the player admits it had a big effect on him. “I worked doing silver service in a golf club, and then training and playing. I think that kids these days may have it easy at clubs, as it can all get done for them. But I worked hard, and when you do that you really appreciate the good times. “Yes, I’d definitely say that going out on loan was a big part in the development of me as a player, and it also helped me off the pitch, too”, states the tall defender before adding, “you learn not only about your own game, but what it’s like to face people who have been work all week and yet still play at a high level come Saturday afternoon and then Tuesday or Wednesday evening. It’s a tough and physical environment, but it’s one where you have to think quickly and grow up fast.” Whilst enjoying his time with Dagenham & Redbridge, Dean only made one appearance for the club – setting up an equaliser in their League Division Two game against Port Vale in October 2009, at the age of just 18. At the end of the season he moved to Southampton, after he was contacted by Les Reed. “I was playing in The Conference at Grays Athletic, where Julian Dicks and Kenny Brown were the management team. I did well there, and I knew Les

from my days at Bishop’s Stortford, and he gave me a call and said he’d like me at St Mary’s. He was Head of Football Development there. Obviously, the facilities and set up at Southampton was always going to be on a different level than I’d previously encountered. I loved my time at Dagenham & Redbridge, but going to Southampton saw a step-up in my development as I’d never been down the academy route, especially when it came to the training ground. I was still very young, and although I was at Southampton for a relatively short period I learnt a lot down there”. After joining First Division Brentford on loan in November 2011, Dean made an instant impression. He made his debut just two days after joining the club and played in 26 league games for The Bees that season. He impressed, and it was enough to earn the player a two year deal with the club, which was in his own words “simply massive for me. I now had continuity, and I don’t think it was a coincidence that my form was pretty good whilst I was at Griffin Park”. The 2012/2013 season was to be a huge one for Dean, who was to be eventually voted Players’ Player of the Year by his teammates. Brentford drew with the mighty Chelsea in the FA Cup before going out after a replay, whilst in the league the club were to finish agonisingly in third position – after one of

PHOTO: RICHARD LEE/BPI/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK

Harlee Dean

EVERYTHING IS IN PLACE FOR US TO MOVE FORWARD, AND NOW IT’S A CASE OF DOING IT ON THE PITCH”

the most heartbreaking games in the club’s history. The Bees went into the final day of the season in 3rd place, two points behind Doncaster Rovers, with the clubs meeting at Griffin Park. It was a winner takes all game, with Brentford needing a win to become promoted to The Championship, and Doncaster needing three points to guarantee promotion and potentially win the league. If The Bees won, they would be promoted at Doncaster’s expense. All to play for... A scrappy game headed deep into injury time, when Brentford were awarded a penalty. Amazingly, they hit the bar from the spot kick and Rovers went straight down the other end to score the goal that gave them the league title and consigned Brentford to the Play Off’s. “It was an amazing end to the game”, reflects Dean, “and it was a hard one to take. But take it we did, and we knew we had another shot at promotion in the Play Offs...” That too was to end in heartbreak for Brentford, as they lost 2-1 in the final at Wembley to Yeovil Town. A day of a high followed by a massive low for the intelligent, quietly spoken defender...

“Whilst it was amazing to score a goal at Wembley, it was absolutely gut-wrenching to lose that game. In fairness, we never turned up first half, but we were by far the better team during the second half but just couldn’t find an equaliser. After that final game against Doncaster and now this, you could forgive us for feeling sorry for ourselves. But we didn’t. We had a chat about it in the dressing room and swore that we’d put it right the following season.” And put it right they certainly did. 2013/2014 saw Brentford return to The Championship after an absence of over two decades. They finished second and had secured promotion with three games of the season remaining. It was a superb season for Dean, who despite a couple of injuries played in 32 league games for his club. I asked him if there was one particular key game where he thought that promotion was a real possibility that season... “We were excellent all year, to be honest, but if I had to pick one match out I’d say it was away at Leyton Orient. It was in March 2014, and Orient were up there fighting for promotion with us. We had a men sent

off and really had to dig in to earn a precious 1-0 win - it summed us up that season. We gave everything, and managed to scrape out a win when we probably weren’t at our best. We won the next two games, but it was this game that really gave us extra belief and the momentum for that final promotion push...” The Bees’ momentum carried on into the following season – as did Dean’s! After scoring against his old team, Dagenham & Redbridge in The League Cup, the defender was to play in 40 games for Brentford in a season where they were to come only a game or two from reaching the promised land of The Premier League. “Like a lot of promoted teams, we had momentum and confidence... and we had another great season when we went up into The Championship in 2014/2015. We had a close-knit team and were used to winning and so hit the ground running...” Finishing fifth in The Championship was an exceptional effort by The Bees, but they lost out again in the Play Offs, this time to what Dean describes as “a well drilled Middlesbrough side”. But Brentford consolidated their position in the second tier of English football over the next two seasons, with Dean picking up the Brentford Supporters’ Player of the Year trophy in 2016/2017: something he admits that he was “really proud of, as I had a great rapport with The Bees’ fans over the years”. But the centre half admits that he probably needed a fresh challenge, and during this summer’s transfer window he was snapped up by Birmingham City at the end of August, along with fellow Brentford players Jota and Maxime Colin. And it’s a move that he admits excited him. “The Blues are a big club, and one that could be even bigger if we got into the Premier League. Everything is in place for us to move forward, and now it’s a case of doing it on the pitch”. Since signing, Dean has already played under three different manager, as City have struggled for consistency, and whilst the player has had a short spell out of the team he battled hard for the opportunity to show new boss Steve Cotterill what he can do, and he’s now back in the starting eleven. “Yes, it can be difficult for players when there are new managers and coaches coming in, as everyone has their own styles and methods and we have to be adaptable. It was just a case of me working as hard as I could and grabbing my opportunity with both hands when it arrived, which I hope I have done. We all know football moves quickly, and I’ve showed in the past that I can bounce back when required. There’s no substitute for hard work, I’m enjoying being at St Andrews, and I’m actually moving house tomorrow – so it’s exciting times ahead, on and off the pitch!”

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Interview Dan Gulliver

PREMIER INK Tattoos are part of a footballer’s uniform these days and Brighton & Hove Albion players are displaying their fair share of ink in the Premier League this season. They are fortunate to have one of the country’s leading tattooists, Dan Gulliver, on their doorstep, who also happens to be a big Seagulls fan as Luke Nicoli discovered...

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN AN ALBION FAN, DAN?

My first game was at the old Goldstone Ground, just before it closed. My auntie took me and I remember wearing the full kit. From then on, I was hooked and have supported the club through all the ups and downs. I would go to games at our former home at the Withdean Stadium and, of course, I go to games at the Amex. DO YOU GET TO MANY GAMES THEN?

I’m proud to support the club and the city because they both support me, and whenever I get time off, I’ll watch the lads. Unfortunately, work dictates that I can’t make the Saturday games, but I go to all the midweek games, and I’ve been able to make the Sunday games as well. I went to the Arsenal game at the Emirates, which was a fantastic occasion for the club. We outsung them from start to finish, as we have done at every stadium on our travels this season. HOW DID YOU BECOME A TATTOO ARTIST?

I was at university in Bournemouth, where I was studying architecture, but I wasn’t getting the best out of my creative skill sets. Tattoo art was always something that interested me

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though, so my dad pushed me to make an art portfolio of my tattoo designs. While I was in Bournemouth, the local tattoo studio was advertising for an apprentice and after an interview with the owner, I was taken on. SO WHAT IS INVOLVED AS AN APPRENTICE TATTOOIST?

I’ve always been able to draw, so it was just a case of changing medium, like a sketcher would if he became an outdoor graffiti artist, for example. I started out practicing on a pig skin from the local butcher and then progressed on to small £25 tattoos on people, that would end up taking me three hours to produce! But, like anything, the more you practise, the better you become. HOW DID YOUR ASSOCIATION WITH THE BRIGHTON PLAYERS BEGIN?

Their former player Jake ForsterCaskey [who’s now at Charlton] knew my girlfriend through association and he ended up putting some examples of my work on a group chat. The Albion players then obviously viewed my work and things just snowballed from there. Connor Goldson was the first player I worked on and during one consultation, he brought along Anthony Knockaert and Lewis Dunk, who also became clients. Obviously word then goes around the changing room, they see

“I STARTED OUT PRACTISING ON A PIG SKIN FROM THE LOCAL BUTCHER”

You can see more of Dan’s work at: www.instagram.com/gullytattoo; you can also follow him on Twitter @gullytattoo. For enquiries, please e-mail gullivertattoo@gmail.com

Interview Dan Gulliver

the quality of my work, and I’m now up to six players who I class as clients and friends. YOUR WORK WENT NATIONWIDE IN THE MEDIA WHEN KNOCKAERT HAD A TATTOO OF HIS LATE FATHER EMBLAZONED ON HIS CHEST. HOW HARD WAS THAT TO DO, GIVEN THE EMOTIVE NATURE OF THE SUBJECT MATTER?

It was Connor who first told me that Anthony wanted it done, but I never felt under pressure by it – in fact, I’m at the stage now where no design fazes me. It was, actually, a pleasure to produce it and it’s up there with one of my best portraits. I think it brought the best out of me.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE PIECE OF TATTOO ART YOU’VE DONE ON THE PLAYERS?

I like the tiger I did on Anthony, where he is in the foreground holding his son by the hand. It’s an emotive image and one that has also been visible at the Amex Stadium in the huge picture of Anthony which adorns the outside stadium walls. That knocked me for six, seeing my artwork on such a large scale, but it also made me immensely proud. I also produced a piece of Albion artwork for one of the club’s supporters recently, which captures the essence of the club at the Goldstone. It’s our past encapsulated on one tattoo but very much in the present for the guy who now proudly wears it.

YOU’VE BEEN FEATURED ON SKY SPORTS RECENTLY, HAVEN’T YOU?

Yes, I was featured in one of the Brighton matchday programmes this season and obviously someone from Sky picked up on it and the cameras came down to see me in my studio. It’s great to have national coverage and the feedback I’ve had on social media has been brilliant. I’ve had players from other clubs now expressing an interest and I’m looking into expanding and having a shop in London in 2018. If any players are interested in having a chat, then just get in contact...

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Providing quality future careers and training for professional athletes and their families

The ‘well-being’ and ‘fitness’ industry Everything you could IS going to be the next trillion dollar possibly need to help you industry – you only have to look at the on your journey… gyms, sports conditioning and treatment We have also taken our support one businesses that are thriving to realise step further and offer the ICON FITNESS this is the time to be involved. AGENTS academy. In most careers, the first ICON FITNESS AGENTS is the premier 12-18months can be the most challenging, training provider – designed with trying to establish yourself without the right one purpose in mind – to provide a support can hinder many people. dedicated path for professional athletes Our bespoke academy packages guide and their peers to continue in the graduates through their first 12-18months, industry beyond their current career. detailing business skills, social media Our motto ‘EXCEL WITHIN’ is at the very use and more… whilst also providing core of everything we do and seek to elite further education. This way we can pass it on to both students and clients ensure that you are best prepared to alike. Some of the most respected tutors make the most of your skills but also and assessors in the country represent teach you further essential skills needed the company, so that students can be to thrive in this amazing industry. guaranteed quality and support from the We take our commitment to you very first day to the last. seriously, with our in-house courses With a variety of teaching platforms and we also offer macro balanced catering times, we can fit quality education into options so you can keep on-top of your any athlete’s lifestyle but still ensure that nutrition while you are with us. they are getting the very best service. We will have lengthy consultations with Our courses are also backed up with you, so that your meals with us will be as professional interactive E-Learning enjoyable as the course itself! platforms, manuals all with on and offsite tutor support. When courses are run from selected sites

you will also receive gym membership for the duration of your time with us. Using your love of sport and fitness to progress through our academy as highly qualified sports professional – from Personal Training, to sports massage, from nutrition to strength and conditioning with everything in between. We provide the type of service that professional athletes are used to. From our standard to premium packages we put our clients at the forefront of everything we do so that you can be a successful and respected member of this amazing industry. With a lifetime of contacts and forming partnerships in the fitness industry we are confident we can supply everything you need.

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PowerVision PowerRay Underwater Drone £1,700 This underwater drone can submerge up to 98 feet and records 4K video streamed to your phone, which you use to navigate. Not impressed? OK, with its add-on Fishfinder sonar it can detect fish up to 131 feet away and lures them with a blue light. Still not wowed? PowerVision will be offering VR goggles that allow you to robot around by tilting your head. powervision.me

A bike that connects to the internet, records speed and distance and finds your friends! The Copenhagen Wheel £1515 This is amazing! While you pedal, the wheel captures excess energy when going downhill or braking and then helps get you up steeper climbs and terrains. The wheel can also connect to the Internet, using it to record speed and distance, find friends throughout the city and even notify you if the bike starts to move when you’re not in the seat. Nifty, eh? content.superpedestrian.com

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Neofect Rapael Cost: Dependent on use This is not only cool looking, but practical too for those mega long days, and high stress environments! This immense physiotherapy glove focuses and monitors your rehab by turning it into a game with a handy app, and providing measurable feedback to guide your efforts. neofect.com

Coming Soon Kuri, the robot nanny £530 Okay, so this is essentially a mobile security camera with some smart-home control capabilities, when Kuri ships early next year, it will roam your home checking on your kids and pets when you’re not home. It looks like a robot, though, so it’s awesome just for that. Available: Pre-order heykuri.com

Kuri will check on your kids and pets when you’re not home

Sleep Number 360 Bed £900

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This bed responds to your sleeping position, by making different parts of the mattress softer and firmer. Best yet, it can stop your partner from freakin’ snoring (by moving them slightly), and it’ll even warm your feet if they’re cold. It err, knows when you are sleeping.

This may be the first step on the road to a full-on techno future, but Furrion’s giant exoskeleton is designed for peace, not war. It’s a racing exoskeleton that’s 14 feet, 16 feet wide and weighs over 3.5 tonnes. Massive! Yet, it can run at speeds up to 21 mph, jump 10 feet in the air and run for two hours on a charge. All with you controlling it with body movements. The robots are coming’ for our souls next!

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The Narrative Clip Camera £173

Taclim VR Shoes £1140

This teeny camera called the Narrative Clip attaches to a jacket or shirt, and records high-resolution geo-tagged images every 30 seconds without prompting. You can now track every moment of your day, which is creepy in some ways, but a sure fire way to make sure you never miss any “special” moments.

One of the big problems with the current state of the VR art is that it really doesn’t fully engage your senses, but this goes erm, one foot further. Taclim’s has developed these chunky looking’, but incredible shoes that let you feel it as you’re virtually tiptoeing through the tulips and wading on the shore. taclim.cerevo.com

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This tiny camera will track every moment of your day

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+44 (0) 1872 487 500 www.keycurrency.co.uk

Don’t be caught offside by HMRC As fans flock back to the terraces and players take to the pitch for a new season, financial matters and tax affairs are not the top priority for many professional footballers. But sporting careers are exhilarating and need complete focus, so it’s crucial to know your financial affairs are in safe hands. Now’s the perfect time to talk to Price Bailey about meeting your tax obligations and staying onside with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).

Filing your tax return More people have to submit a tax return each year – and even if HMRC don’t send you a tax return form, it’s your responsibility to check if you need to complete one. If you are unsure, contact us as soon as possible. The UK tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April; returns must be filed and any tax owing must be paid by the end of January the following year. For example, for the tax year that ended on 5 April 2017, tax returns must be filed and any tax paid by 31 January 2018. If you are late filing your tax return or paying any tax you owe, you will face financial penalties. January is one of the busiest months in the football calendar, so it’s best to prepare and submit your return now. This gives you more time to prepare for paying your tax by January 31.

Record keeping

Benefits-in-kind

Your wages are normally taxed ‘at source’ by your club, so it’s

If your club pays expenses on your behalf, or provides you with use

important to keep your payslips and your annual P60 form, which you will

of something, it’s likely that tax will be payable. These are known as

need when completing your tax return.

‘benefits-in-kind’, and can lead to significant and unexpected amounts of tax to pay via your tax return.

Any special or unusual payments you receive – such as signing on fees, reward bonuses, or a share of transfer fees – might not be taxed at

Typical examples include where the club pays agent fees on your behalf,

source, so you will have to pay tax on these via your tax return.

provides you with accommodation free of charge, or supplies you with a car to use. Any other perks provided by the club, such as healthcare,

Some of the costs you incur as a player may be deductible for

first-class flights and holidays, or private security, could also lead to a

tax purposes. If you incur travelling costs when going to club

tax charge.

functions or public appearances, keep a record, as the costs may be tax deductible. You may also be able to claim any travel costs you incur while on loan to another club – but the costs of travelling from your home to your own club’s stadium or training ground cannot normally be claimed.

Property If you own property in the UK that you are renting out, you will have to pay tax each year on any profit you make. If you receive annual rent of more than £2,500, you will have to file a tax return.

Visit: theprofessionalplayer.co.uk

Unsure? Take advice Tax is a complicated financial area, and without good advice it’s easy to let things slip or find yourself facing a sizeable and unexpected bill. At Price Bailey we have a wealth of experience in looking after the tax affairs of individuals just like you. If you have any queries in relation to any of the issues covered here – or other areas of financial concern – please call one of team, and we would be happy to help.

Profits are calculated by taking the rental income you receive and deducting expenses you have incurred, such as letting agent fees, insurance and repair costs. The interest paid on any mortgage on the property is also normally deductible (although the way tax relief is given is changing). The same principles apply to any property you own outside the UK. If tax is paid in the country where the property is located, this tax will most likely be deducted from any UK tax charge. When you sell a property that has not been your main home for the whole time you have owned it, there may also be capital gains tax to pay.

Contact Aaron Widdows, Partner 01603 709330 aaron.widdows@pricebailey.co.uk pricebailey.co.uk 99

Interview

When football is

more than just a sport In 2015, Mike Tudor, a Stoke City supporter living in The United States, became involved as a Board Member with a football-related charity. Here, he talks to Anthony Bunn about Kick4life, a charity that works to improve the lives of disadvantaged kids in Lesotho, Southern Africa.

ick4Life is a football-based charity which operates Men’s and Women’s teams in the Lesotho Premier League, as well as a hotel and restaurant in Maseru, the capital city. The charity began primarily with HIV/AIDS education and awareness (over 25% of Lesotho’s population has HIV) and now looks to help lead Lesotho youngsters towards high quality education and eventually football scholarships attending U.S. universities. And Mike is hands-on, too. He was fortunate enough to fly over from his Houston home to visit Lesotho and help deliver the AIDS education

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curriculum and play football against local teams (“no small feat at my age”). I asked Mike - can football really make a difference in society and be a catalyst for social change? And secondly, can this change be lasting? Both his answers were a resounding “yes!!!!!”. Recently, Juan Mata – a previous cover star and interviewee in Professional Player, stated that “Football generates a lot of money but there has to be social responsibility that goes with that. It can positively affect people’s lives. It can help and that helps football too.” This is something that immediately struck a chord with Mike who concurs

Mike Tudor

that “We are fully aligned with this at Kick4Life - The Beautiful Game really can be even more beautiful.” He continues, “Lesotho is a land-locked country surrounded by South Africa with just over two million people”, yet adding “one in four of Lesotho’s population has HIV/AIDS and 40% of the population lives below the internationallyrecognized poverty line. The country has significant issues with orphaned children, disadvantaged and disjointed families.” Yet the mountainous country in Lesotho is beautiful and as Mike states, “the people are amazingly friendly, positive, eager to learn and improve... and they love football!” Kick4Life was started in 2005 by two brothers from the south of England, Steve and Pete Fleming. After dribbling a football for 250 miles across Malawi to raise funds for an orphanage, the experience inspired the Flemings to found Kick4Life. I asked Mike what impact the charity has had in the last twelve years, and the list below shows just some of the positives the charity has brought about in that time:

Kick4Life has: • Tested over 25,000 Lesotho youth for HIV and referred over 600 young people living with HIV to medical treatment and support • Trained over 50,000 young people in a football-based health education and life-skills curriculum and 250 young people as health education and life-skills coaches • Helped over 1,000 out-of-school youth attain key skills standards in literacy, numeracy and I.T. through a partnership with UNICEF • Reached over 500 vulnerable young people with mentoring and referrals covering health, education, shelter, protection, nutrition and psychosocial support • Provided over 500 people with job-skills training with over 55 being referred to full-time external employment

Which sounds absolutely brilliant, but I finished by asking Mike if Kick4Life has a long-term vision. “Well, in summary the vision is to be a social enterprise football club dedicated to making positive change in the Lesotho community. How much we can accomplish and how quickly is a function of funding, but Kick4Life has become increasingly focused on change that is sustainable long term. A consistent, lasting source of funds would be infinitely valuable to provide necessary support and help us get closer to the vision. The program to provide high quality education and football coaching through a long-term Academy system will develop Lesotho youngsters who can benefit from the recently established pathway to U.S. University football scholarships.” Kick4Life raises funds through This is the world of football personal and corporate donations, with many different having a direct influence and together fund-raising events. Juan Mata’s recently announced Common Goal effect on youngster’s lives” (www.common-goal.org) initiative aims to have players, clubs and football associations As Mike states with a huge smile on his face, contribute 1% of earnings and revenue to charitable “this is the world of football having a direct influence and effect on youngster’s lives, and we causes. This would be directed to Streetfootballworld (www.streetfootballworld.org), and then be channeled hope this continues for a long time to come!” Kick4Life has already made huge positive changes into numerous organizations like Kick4Life. Kick4Life is a game-changer and a life-changer, and in the lives of many young people in Lesotho, when these youngsters graduate from university and so I asked Mike how the worlds of business and either obtain great jobs or play football professionally football could help further with the charity... “Well, as an example, a leading broadsheet recently they then serve as tremendous role models back in Lesotho such that every young football-playing kid suggested that football player foundations could will aspire to be like them and gradually interest in be far more effective by partnering with alreadyopportunities and the desire to progress will increase. established charities. So, if a player or anyone else The challenge for Kick4Life and for the world of wanted to invest in sustainable organisations football and business is to provide the funding and making a difference in Africa, they could partner opportunities to make all this happen: but with with groups such as Kick4Life, the world’s first well over a decade of measurable positive impact on football club exclusively devoted to social change, the lives of youngsters already, then it’s clear that or Tackle Africa, which provides HIV education through football coaching.” football really is more than just a sport! Colleges and there’s more great news: Kick4Life’s first two students, Lesia Thetsane and Mako Makoanyane, are now in their second year at State Farm Community College in Sedalia, Missouri, and the charity’s second group of two students, Morapeli Lesoetsa and Senate Letsie, are in their first year at Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey, Illinois. And Senate was also recently asked to speak at a panel discussion organized by Streetfootballworld in California on the subject of “How can soccer be a force for good in the community?” Her discussion focused on her experiences with Kick4Life and in the United States, together with how Kick4Life has been a force for positive social change in Lesotho.

• Built and launched a top-class Restaurant and Hotel/ Conference Centre in Lesotho’s capital city, Maseru, which provides sustainable income for Kick4Life and training/employment for young people • Formed Men’s and Women’s football teams that now play in their respective Lesotho Premier Leagues (finishing 4th and 2nd respectively last season) as a means to increase awareness and tap into the potential for players as role models • Launched a football-based educational academy that takes vulnerable youth from 12-18 years who are also talented footballers and transitions these students to athlete scholarships at U.S. Schools and Anyone wishing to donate to Kick4Life or learn more about what they do can go to www.kick4life.org If you’d like to speak to someone directly regarding supporting Kick4Life, please contact Pete Fleming at pete@kick4life.org

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WATSUP? Professional Player’s take on who’s saying what in football’s world of social media

Hanging With Heroes Andrew Cole This morning found myself a new gym partner . Sergio Aguero Del Piero!

Cold Calling Theo Walcott Dr. Freezing in the cryo with @dannywelbeck Jill Scott Recovery today! Cryo Chamber..... @carlytelford1

Mission Possible Steven Davis Huge honour to receive my MBE from Prince William this morning, an incredible experience I’ll never forget. David Haye This day, 8 years ago David defeated Goliath. So remember, regardless of the odds, every great achievement was once deemed impossible

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Michael Owen Lifetime ambition. Can’t believe it! #HoleInOne

Mark Noble Dropped tickets to some real life heroes yesterday!!! billy sharp Nice to meet u jimmy thanks for the photo @jimmywhite147

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Wilfried Zaha Back with the legend @10Ronaldinho Juan Mata García Find someone who looks at you the way @D_DeGea looks at me. Harry Kane An honour to meet one of the best of all time. Hopefully he enjoyed our performance as well! John Terry Congratulations on an incredible career @andreapirlo21. Unbelievable player, and a LEGEND both on and off the pitch . Good Luck my friend

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Tune In, Tune Out Peter Crouch Yes me and Nelson had the best view of @U2 at Trafalgar Square tonight x

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Daniel Sturridge This @xxxtentacion album is a deep one. Really dark album full of emotion. Thought provoking tings... Reply Retweet Favourite More

Gimmee More More More Radio Gaga What a Character! Fran Kirby When you have to stop everything you’re doing to queue up for a picture with Woody but @MarenMjelde wouldn’t go on my favourite ride #WhereIsTheFairness? #Disney Morgan Schneiderlin Had fun celebrating my 28’s with family and friends. Thanks everyone for your birthday’s wishes #myqueen @ camille_schneiderlin

Jack Collision Good fun doing Wales v Panama with this mob.... @jasonmohammad @ JohnHartson10 @helenwardie10 Daniel Sturridge Talking big business @ko_tj_ #dudleyroadrecords AC Milan Thank you @Twitter, now we can finally write in one tweet all the trophies we’ve won! 7 #UCL 5 #UEFASuperCup 2 Cup Winners’ Cups 3 Intercontinental Cups 1 FIFA Club World Cup 18 Scudetto titles 5 Italian Cups 7 Italian Super Cups #280characters

Animal Antics

Gladbach Dear @Twitter. Thank you for giving us all #280characters. Our club name can finally be expressed in its full glory. Yours sincerely, Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 Mönchengladbach e.V.

Juan Mata García The horse whisperer.

Harry Maguire Halloween party... Ghostbusters @_fernhawkins Eden Hazard I got to meet a new friend this week, wonder who his favourite team is?! #disneylandparis25 #blue #cfc

Jack Butland why settle for being a bath rubber duck when you can roam the oceans? #BluePlanet2 Andy Carroll Wolf Nine Carroll You Have Stole Our Hearts 15-11-17 #BabyBoy #Wolfie #MyLittleChubbyCub

Shaun Dooley You lot don’t know your born!!! Back when I was lad we had to fit all our thinking into 140 characters!!! 280? (Shakes head!) You’ve got it bloody easy I’m telling ya! Don’t know you’re bleeding born! Reply Retweet Favourite More

For updates on the world of football and our exclusive partnerships, follow us: Reply Retweet Favourite

Twitter: @proplayermag Facebook: facebook.com/theprofessionalplay er More Instagram: @proplayermag

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Fashion

A Fine Balance With a proud history of over a century of producing top quality and iconic footwear and sportswear, New Balance are forging a similar reputation in the world of football. With clubs such as Liverpool FC, FC Porto, Sevilla, and Celtic and a number of key outstanding players such as Jesús Navas and Kevin Mirallas on board, it’s an exciting time for the company. Here, Anthony Bunn showcases some of their latest and greatest products – for the game, the training ground, or the street.

Furon 3.0

What’s New (Balance)

: Football Boots As stated before, New Balance are major players on the world footballing stage; and their stunning boots have been given a 2017 remix whilst focusing on what made them simply superb in the first place! New Balance have taken excellence and moved it several rungs up the ladder by recently unveiling striking new versions of the Furon 3.0 and Visaro 2.0 football boot collections. These are visually striking and superbly constructed boots for footballers who ‘Dictate the play’ or ‘Devastate the defence’, and as Global Brand Manager of New Balance Football Kenny McCallum states, “We’re really excited about our new, bold colour range of Visaro and Furon, they really stand out on the pitch.

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We can’t wait to see players around the world, park and pro alike, creating chances and scoring goals which define the game in these boots.”

The Furon 3.0 Made with acceleration in mind,

The Furon features a stunning aesthetic of Bolt and Royal Blue, with Energy Red accents across the upper and studs. It’s a boot for those that like to stand out from everyone on the pitchout look, and a boot for those who want to make headlines during the game and be remembered long after the game. The Furon is a lightweight-engineered hybrid mesh with zonal support frame – allowing for a cleaner strike for deadly finishing, and a lightweight TPU/Polyester mesh upper, Fantom Fit selective melt process and a data designed REVlite foam insert come as standard. If you’re seeking a football boot that makes the difference when you’re looking to devastate defences, then look no further than the Furon.

The Visaro 2.0 football boots have been updated with a

subtle Black finish to the upper, with Bolt Blue highlights on the laces soleplate and studs. Put simply: a classy, stylish football boot for the classy, stylish football player – as stated previously, one who likes to dictate the play. For those who change the game with their movement, passing accuracy and creativity, the Visaro should be your football boot of choice. You want proof? Okay, here’s the science bit... the likes of data driven Hexaprene control and strikes zones, a one-piece form fitting moccasin construction, data driven multi-directional stud placement, and an engineered soleplate with lightweight chassis, and fresh foam midsole, ensures that this is a football boot that will be craved by those who seek comfort, design, and outstanding dynamic manoeuvrability. New Balance have a superb footwear offering which differentiates them from their competitors – football boots to wear if you want to stand out from the crowd and stand out on the pitch!

New Balance

NEW BALANCE AUDAZO 2.0 PRO IN A DATADRIVEN INSERT HELPS DELIVER DIRECTIONAL TRACTION FOR CUTTING MOVEMENTS

What’s New (Balance)

: Iconic Trainers

: Futsal Trainers Little did he know when he started the game in 1930 that Juan Carlos Ceriani, a teacher in Uruguay, would create a sport that in 87 years’ time would need footwear quite as brilliant as the New Balance Audazo 2.0 Pro IN. Ceriani devised Futsal: a version of indoor football that is growing in popularity at a massive rate. Played indoors, it’s a five-a-side game played on a hard surface using a smaller, heavier ball - and it’s a game that is now utilised by many professional football clubs and academies as part of their training programmer as it has an emphasis on skill and creativity, innovation and technique.

NEW BALANCE 1500 THESE ARE THE SNEAKERS TO BE SEEN IN OVER THE COMING MONTHS.

And you can now add the Modern Gentlemen Pack to the squad. This pack consists of the New Balance 991, New Balance 770, and the New Balance 1500 training shoes, with all three new releases having an understated elegance that is pure luxe. From classic to contemporary, this is one pack you’ll want to run with. Using premium leather and fabrics, all three have classic silhouettes and look great with tracksuit bottoms, crisp jeans or chinos, or some top quality selvedge denim...... indeed with anything!

Futsal is a game based on ball control and passing in small, tight spaces, and so you’ll need footwear that is supremely fit-for-purpose, as well as being aesthetically striking.

But I’m going to focus on the 1500’s.

The New Balance Audazo 2.0 Pro IN indoor shoes are designed with comfort and traction firmly in mind. They boast a lightweight synthetic leather upper for optimum ball control and feel, whilst the high abrasion toe cap and heel counter gives you superior durability. You want more? Well, a data-driven insert helps deliver directional traction for cutting movements - ideal for the hard surfaces the sport is played on.

Why? I’ll be honest and selfish here – they are one of the great training shoes, and are also one of my personal favourites, too! Crafted in the UK, the men’s 1500 Modern Gentleman sneakers consist of leather uppers fused with premium suedes in rich colours. All that sits atop an ENCAP® midsole technology providing support and maximum durability, and a rubber outsole, meaning that these are the sneakers to be seen in over the coming months.

It’s exactly what you want from an indoor trainer. And then some!

Visaro 2.0

New Balance have a track record of producing iconic, legendary training shoes. They are also getting a right name for themselves with their brilliant Pack releases, too.

What’s New (Balance)

: Jacket

The Beautiful Game doesn’t always experience the most beautiful of weather, does it? So, you’ll need a jacket that doesn’t give in to the elements, just as you don’t give in to the opposition. The Tech Training Best Woven Jacket is a superb all-rounder that not only looks fantastic, it gives you the protection you want, need, and deserve, too. A jacket that goes far beyond the ninety minutes, the Best Woven Jacket kicks the cold and rain into the stands and gives you the comfort and protection you need through its fleece neck, water-resistant finish, storm cuffs and a storm hood that helps to block the elements. Whether you’re heading to or from training or a game, or performing the warm up/cool down: this 100% polyester woven jacket is your sanctuary against the weather, looks the business, and it also has a back vent that keeps air flowing through to help you stay dry and comfortable.

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Interview

The Art of Passing With a background and career in law, Rachel Hill’s pathway into offering bespoke, personalised educational tuition to youngsters isn’t an obvious or stereotypical one. But her track record in improving those who she tutors for the 11+ examination speaks for itself. Here she talks to Anthony Bunn about her passion for improving youngsters’ educational standards and her aim to expand her new vocation even further.

n a football and football lifestyle magazine, you’d expect there to be pages devoted to outstanding passing, wouldn’t you? But it’s away from the football pitch where North Westbased Rachel Hill has an outstanding reputation for producing passes of a very different nature... Rachel’s role, offering bespoke educational tuition, is one that is becoming ever important for families and parents when they are looking for their children to reach their full potential at school. Because as we all know, in every form of life, going that extra mile really does pay dividends. And when it’s your children’s education, it’s something that needs careful consideration. In her own words Rachel is “someone who is extremely familiar with private and grammar schools and has experience of all the 11+ exam formats across the UK”. With a plethora of educational qualifications, over a decade of experience as a solicitor, and having previously worked in the electronics’ industry, Rachel has the educational and life skills to make a difference to the educational needs of your youngster. I asked her why did she make the move from law to education. “Well, I’m a litigation solicitor with my own department, but I am now looking to transition out of law with a view to making the tuition work my full time occupation. Like law, it’s the chance to make a real difference, and it’s something I’m very

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passionate about, too”. Originally moving into private tutoring when a family friend asked her to assist her child with the 11+ preparation, Rachel admits she “loves a real challenge”, and she was immediately interested in the various components of the 11+ test. After that, word got out about the superb service that she was offering - “and the rest is history!” So, why concentrate tutoring the 11+? “Well, it’s because many primary schools [i.e. those that are not the ‘feeder’ schools to local private/ grammar schools] don’t teach certain aspects of the test such as verbal and non verbal reasoning which can be quite daunting for a child. I also noticed that a child sitting the 11+ needs to know the ‘shortcuts’ and I have observed over time that primary schools are often advised to teach quite long-winded mathematics’ methods which eat up massive amounts of time. Very often, a child only has one minute per question when it comes to maths, so drawing multiplication grids or moving numbers instead of the decimal point are not conducive to a child passing the 11+.” The 11+ exam is the only exam you cannot sit more than once, so it’s a tough, pressurised situation – but one you want your child to be confident in tackling and hopefully be successful in. The preliminary preparations are vital as the tests are difficult and the child is young plus they are working ahead of the syllabus. It’s a tricky combination and that’s why

I HAVE TRAWLED AND SPOTTED FOR COMMON THEMES, AS PART OF THE 11+ TEST IS VERY MUCH WHAT THE EXAM SETTERS DO NOT TELL YOU.” Rachel is adamant that the right balance has to be struck which is why she stresses that a child must also live a child’s life. “Parents often ask me if they should stop all of their hobbies to which I reply with a resounding ‘NO’! I encourage hobbies, but I also stress that children can learn through play and being encouraged to take on responsibilities in a way that does not feel like learning. My ultimate goal is to give the child the skills and ability to think and work for themselves because at the end of the day, a child will have to sit the test alone [something they often forget!]. I give them the tools they need to do their ‘job’ which is to pass the 11+ with confidence and an awareness that belies their years. I try to arm them with the skills that will not just get

Rachel Hill

through the 11+ but also help them to transition into their secondary school environment so that they can ‘ride high’ in Year 7 feeling confident and happy.” Key to Rachel’s success has been acquiring a vast back catalogue of genuine past papers, ranging in difficulty – Rachel has literally ‘sat’ hundreds of 11+ tests – literally practising what she preaches. It’s this attention to detail that ensures success... “So far, I have created my own database of practice material including what I call the ‘Foundation Knowledge Checklists’ which is intended to get a child ‘rock solid’ on the basics required to pass the 11+”, states Rachel before continuing, “I have trawled and spotted for common themes, as part of the 11+ test is very much what the exam setters do not tell you. I am often amazed by what children do not know and so this is my way of setting their foundations as rock solid!” Tutoring professionally since 2012, Rachel’s work is predominantly online as this means that geography is no restriction to what she does, however, she can also work in-house if needs be, as she offers a fully bespoke service from her base in the heart of the country. Her website www.starturntuition.co.uk features a range of thank you’s and recommendations from immensely satisfied clients, giving clear evidence of the esteem her work is held in. I asked her, what is it about her role as a bespoke tutor that she loves so much? “I know it sounds a cliché, but I really enjoy working with children who are, after all, our country’s future. I love the process of taking a child from nervous and uncertain to someone who is well versed in all aspects of the 11+ test”. Rachel’s work is very necessary too, as children have to work ahead of their school syllabus as the 11+ takes place either in the September or January of Year 6; so she has to show them many different aspects of the Year 6 [and indeed Year 7] syllabus well in advance of their school syllabus. “Yes, a big part of what I do is gaining a child’s trust very quickly and giving them reassurance that we will work through it together, as children often find the experience quite frustrating. The 11+ questions are vastly different to what they experience at school, and it is often hard for a child who is used to getting ‘all their sums right’ to understand that if they achieve 50% in a mathematics’ paper that is a huge achievement as schools are often looking for potential not just a perfect score.” Whilst school class sizes can often be high, the oneto-one experience that Rachel offers is very special and unique. Her personalised style of educational advancement means that she can learn very quickly

how to deal with a particular child, how to make them “On a number of occasions, I have been told by comfortable, and more importantly, confident enough families that I am their second or third tutor as their child simply hasn’t settled with anyone else. I’ve also to work with speed and accuracy under pressure. been told that I have been the only tutor who has It’s all based on 100% focus on the cracked a particular question that child during the session... has defeated many other tutors “Yes, I do not just sit there and or parents who themselves have wait for a child to work their way Maths A level for example and are through a paper. I am there with that even professionals such as doctors! child throughout the whole process, Strangely, the 11+ has been compared talking and dissecting issues as we to GCSE difficulty as the presentation go along. Sometimes a child does of the questions and the level of require a more ‘hands on’ approach.” difficulty [weighed against the age of Rachel’s development of her own the child] is unique and as such, many resources are often used in conjunction highly educated people still struggle with past papers to build a bespoke with the rigors of the test. programme to take a child through In a nutshell, my experience, the 11+ process, ensuring that when common sense and intelligence have she tutors a child she is looking for the 100% reliable, trustworthy been acquired over a long time and and discreet, Rachel also ‘holes’ in their knowledge and helps to I feel I have only improved as I have expects 100% dedication fill them in using techniques that work seen the 11+ evolve and change from the child and family for that child. over the years. I love a challenge too, and that’s also why and I have always been expected to “I know I use the word a lot, but the she has written a SATS solve problems whether at school, service I offer is truly bespoke. I don’t preparation book. It’s a book university or in my career.” assume that a child knows something that contains all Rachel’s and I ensure that I ‘track’ what a child best hints, tips and advice As parents, we all understand the from someone who has has covered and if necessary what value of an excellent education. But “lived and breathed the 11+ needs to be revisited.” don’t we also want and need to show for a long time”. The book a child how to think for themselves Which leads me to ask Rachel why that was borne out of a and solve problems, and be resilient she feels her tuition would be craved desire for her to “give back” so that they stand out in the right by high net worth individuals and to those people out there way? Rachel seeks those she tutors families for their children? who needed to go it alone “to be a truly bespoke individual, as they could not afford “Good question, but one that’s quite private tuition. who can diversify, then this will give easy for me to answer”, she replies, them the true survival skills they will Link to my 11+ book: before continuing “...and unlike need not just at school but for the http://amzn.to/2hFmvNJ many tutors who seem to ‘fly by the rest of their lives.” seat of their pants’ I have created Rachel is keen to highlight that her tuition does a service that is unique due to the materials I have not just begin and end with her tutoring sessions. in my possession but also my own capabilities too. Dependent on how long a family allows for the 11+ In her own words, Rachel states “Tuition is a holistic experience and so I do expect a child and their family preparation, I work to my own system that ranges to realise that tuition is not a magic bullet: they must in difficulty from ‘easy’ through to intermediate, difficult and then extremely challenging dependent be fully on board with the process too.” on the child’s abilities.” You may ask just why Rachel Hill’s tutoring is truly bespoke? It’s because every child is different And there aren’t many tutors with experience physically, socially, emotionally, and educationally in furthering a child in a range of subjects, too, – and every child matters. After all, one-size-fits-all such as Mathematics, English isn’t always the case in life, is it? Comprehension, English Creative Writing [including continuous prose], Verbal Reasoning and Non-verbal Reasoning. Web: starturntuition.co.uk | Tel: 07407 643547 So, what sets Rachel Facebook: facebook.com/Starturntuition apart from others in her Twitter: twitter.com/StarTurnTuition/@StarTurnTuition new career?

Rachel A Hill

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GUCCI WEB TRIM BEANIE HAT £160

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SAINT LAURENT OPYUM 110 ANKLE BOOTS £1,110

GUCCI SYLVIE MINI CHAIN BAG £1,290

GUCCI MARMONT ZIP PURSE £450

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VALENTINO LOVE BLADE EMBROIDERED CHAIN BAG £2,150

MAX ET MOI CHEVRON FUR GILET £345

PIERRE BALMAIN EMBELLISHED BLAZER £810

VALENTINO ROCKSTUD STRAP STILETTO HEELS £615

GUCCI FRAME PRINT LEATHER TOP HANDLE BAG £3,230 AGENT PROVOCATEUR DALIAH BRA £110

AGENT PROVOCATEUR DALIAH THONG £65

AVAILABLE FROM FLANNELS IN STORE AND ONLINE AT WWW.FLANNELS.COM

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Fashion Top 5 Perfume

MCM INCENSE PERFUME 100ML £95

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O ST

P 5 PERFUME •W

P 5 PERFUME

O ST N E

P 5 PERF

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TOP

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5 P 5 PERFUME

HERMES FAUBOURG EAU DE PARFUM 100ML £114.99

SHANGHAI TANG GOLD LILY EAU DE PARFUM 60ML £109.99

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AMOUAGE BLOSSOM LOVE EAU DE PARFUM 100ML £260.00

O ST N E

TOM FORD NOIR POUR FEMME EAU DE PARFUM 100ML £109.99

The Other Half FASHION • BEAUTY • WEDDINGS • HOLIDAYS • JEWELLERY

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here is a faint sound of jingle bells as I am sat in the crisp cold, sipping on a luscious mulled wine. It’s true, Christmas has arrived and with such an exciting time of year for so many of us, it is also a little hectic as the football season is in full swing. Here at The Professional Player, we have truly been enjoying preparing for this issue, not only because it’s our fantastic 20th edition issue but because we truly have everything you need to get ahead and in control of the gorgeous festive season. Let’s talk party style with Harriet and her Top 5 Party Season must haves, keeping you in season with true sparkle and nothing but the best for the festive celebrations. We excitingly announce our new partnership with Flannels, the season’s finest fashion which is absolutely to die for, luxury at it’s true finest. We have Rheagan talking to us about how 3 easy steps can help take the craze out of Christmas for a busy footballing family. Bobbi Brown showcasing their luxury products you most definitely want to have hiding under the Christmas tree. With an exciting 2018 ahead of us, we would love to welcome any luxury brands or services to our female readers out there. Please get in touch with rheagan@theprofessionalplayer.co.uk fore more information. Wherever you are and whatever your doing this Christmas we are wishing you the absolute most magical time from the us all here at The Other Half and The Professional Player. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram @ProPlayerMag. We wish you a very Merry Christmas ladies and a very Happy New Year. Best wishes

Rheagan x Professional Player

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Christmas is a funny old time for a footballing family. I remember it all too well and the schedule of the other half as he heads off to training on Christmas morning is a bittersweet moment in the excitement for the traditional Boxing Day game, but mostly because as a child I was way too impatient to wait on Dad coming home to open my presents...

craze Rheagan is taking the

out of Christmas

owever, the awe I had for my mother as she would pull off the sharpest Christmas Day operation was magical. I soon found these magical ways and how with 4 kids she would be on true form, looking incredible with every bit of the festivities taken care of. This was a lady to take tips from and I am going to absolutely share with you these perfect ways. The festivities do not have to be stressful, nor crazy or time consuming but usually we all find ourselves there one way or another at some time or another during Christmas losing our baubles. Can I really take the craze out of Christmas you may ask? Oh absolutely.

your Christmas dinner. All freshly prepared for you and your party size, you can thoroughly enjoy a sense of luxury and be able to relax for Christmas Dinner. Ok so maybe you have the dishes to be done? And if for you that’s worse than the preparation then why not head out and enjoy being wined and dined. After all, it is one of the biggest celebrations of the year. This year it will be me and my Dad Colin for eats, so we’ve opted for a winter warming luxury dinner in one of the local restaurants to us, and I’m looking forward to enjoying the Christmas Cocktails.

One of the most time-consuming parts of the day is preparing Christmas dinner and we all want to be sat watching the excitement of the morning unravel instead of slaving away in the kitchen. The best way to be truly prepared is to cater in

Christmas comes with its craziness every year, but football doesn’t stop for it and I hope that my top tips for you can help take the craze out of Christmas. And on the note, I wish you all very Merry Christmas and very Happy New Year.

Now this is something that my Mum never did, but I think if she had caught on the Here is where we start – For your Christmas idea, it would have been totally lapped up. Shopping done all in one swoop, you need As you make your way to the Boxing Day the luxury and 5-star service from Flannels game, why not hire someone to come on in and give the house a good tidy up after Personal Shopping. Although, the luxury the Christmas madness, presents get put and service doesn’t just stop there, they away instead of being left aside until next will even attend to your home. Imagine having a day of stunning gifts all available to Spring, and it means you can keep on top of everything. You can now relax and enjoy you under your own roof. You can contact Flannels Personal Shopping at Manchester your celebrations truly begin after the fulltime whistle. Spinningfields on 03443325787.

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Party Season EIGHT PART Y SEA S ON E SSENTIALS

BY HARRIET BYC ZOK

The party season is fast approaching! I am sure most of you will be spending hours online, partaking in several shopping trips and doing weekly fashion shows for your other half leading up to your christmas parties. Whether its festive drinks with pals, a work party or family gatherings over the holiday season we have a few ideas of how to bring the christmas cheer into your wardrobe.

Glitter Boots

If you are hoping to get ahead on trends then glitter boots are a must have for your wardrobe. With sequins and glitter making an massive appearance at shows for spring summer 18 and Saint Laurents glitter boots quickly becoming a street style favourite why not make your glitter debut this season with these Giuseppe Zanotti ankle boots. These are a great way to ease into the biggest trend of 2018.

GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI BIMBA GLITTER SOCK HEELED BOOTS £570.00

Thigh High Boots With designers and high street stores continuously producing thigh high boots season after season its time to finally give in to the trend thats going nowhere. A few shoppers were investing in them last winter but with their popularity on the rise there is no avoiding them. At first they may seem a bit daunting but they are a more glamorous alternative to biker boots and chelsea boots that have been re-invented every winter. The beautiful thing about these boots is they not only make every outfit look sexy and sophisticated they work as a legging so we can finally ditch the tights and show a bit of leg even in the colder months.

A celebrity favourite and making a massive appearance on street style blogs during Fashion weeks its proven they can be paired with anything. Mini dress’, mini skirts, with a long pencil skirt Victoria Beckham style or if you’re still a bit cautious they even look great over a pair of jeans as spotting on Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. My personal favourite way to make the transition from a day time look to a christmas party look is to wear them under a sheer dress. The reason I particularly love these Giuseppe Zanotti thigh highs is because the slight glitter effect on the boot adds a festive edge for the christmas season. GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI THIGH HIGH BOOTS £840.00

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Harriet Byczok is a London based stylist for Red Carpet, Editorial, Advertising and Film. Previously a freelance assistant Harriet had worked for Vogue Italia, Elle and Vogue Russia. Her career break came when she was asked to style A-list celebrities. Her name quickly gained notoriety within the fashion and celebrity industries with her clients being featured on numerous best dressed lists. Harriet has gone onto style celebrities for BAFTAS, Golden Globes and the Emmys. With nine years in the industry Harriet has received worldwide recognition being interviewed with publications such as the telegraph, whowhatwear.com and doing a live interview with the Daily mail. Harriet has a strong vision for both menswear and womenswear. With the years in the industry and a regular at London Fashion Week she has a wealth of fashion knowledge and an experienced eye for styles that work. With a background in both red carpet and editorials she has an ability to recognise what trends are relevant and the pieces you should invest in that will last seasons.

Fashion Essentials

must haves

Chandelier Earrings Chandelier earrings are probably the most glamorous accessory ever. Worn by hollywood super stars to every major awards ceremony for generations its definitely stood the test of time. If you’re not quite ready for the glitter accessory trend that doesn’t mean you can’t shine and sparkle. These Apple and Figs earrings are a colourful twist on probably the most seductive accessory of all time. APPLES AND FIGS CHANDELIER EARRINGS £256.00

Bulgari Handbag This bag is possibly the most fashionable christmas accessory. Its red, shiny and has stars on it but incredibly chic. Perfect to debut during the christmas season but still suitable all year round. This bag would add a bit of fun to your little black dress matched with a red lip stick or red shoes to tie the outfit together. If you’re like me and have tons of stuff to tote around even to a party then this is a great alternative to the party clutch. BULGARI HANDBAG £370.00

Balmain Blazer

With celebrities keeping Balmain blazers in rotation everyone wants to be part of the Balmain army. These blazers clench in the waist giving a perfect hourglass silhouette, who knew blazers could be so sexy? This green velvet blazer is an excellent choice for a winter party paired with a black cigarette pant and nothing underneath. Nobody likes wearing a party dress twice so investing in this blazer for such an occasion can mean once you’ve worn it to your christmas night out you can wear it with a pair of jeans and a tee for a daytime look. Definitely an investment piece worth splashing out for. PIERRE BALMAIN VELVET BLAZER £720.00

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Fashion Essentials

PART Y SEA S ON MUST HAVE S

Choker Last year there wasn’t a stylish woman without a choker, although born in the 90’s like all major trends they are constantly evolving like this Luv AJ Triple Fever choker. Perfect for the party season there are lots of glamorous options to chose from. The choker is now a fixed member of all jewellery collections and with more sophisticated alternatives then the over worn thick black choker we can now hold onto one of the most popular trends. LUVAJ CHOKER £150.00

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BY HARRIET BYC ZOK

Clutch Bag Nobody wants to bring out their over used bulky tote bag when they’ve just splurged on a fab dress, a strap bag can ruin a glamorous evening outfit and also just be a bit of a pain when you’re having a night of dancing. I love this Jimmy Choo Candy glitter clutch bag! If you are not a sparkley dress girl, but maybe more of a little black dress kind of lady this adds an extra something to your outfit for the christmas season. This clutch is also surprisingly roomy and comes in lots of different colours. I love the gold version because it goes with almost anything.

JIMMY CHOO CANDY METALLIC BAG £550.00

Leather Trousers

If you’re sat there worrying about whether you can get away with wearing your black skinny jeans to a christmas party its time to try these PVC trousers. With Gisele and Bella Hadid giving us a style lesson after being spotted in they’re very own pairs its a must have for every cool girl. Gisele proves these trousers can be a statement without much work pairing it with a grey jumper and heels. These trousers have already stood the test of time, creeping onto the catwalk since SS16 with designers such as Chanel doing their own versions there is no need to be scared to finally try them out. Not only are they incredibly stylish and on trend, but there is no worrying about spilling your drink once you get a bit tipsy, they are waterproof! TOMMY X GIGI HADID LEATHER BIKER JEGGINGS £575.00

PA R T Y R E A D Y Makeup and skin specialists Bobbi Brown give Professional Player their top picks for makeup must-haves that were made to party

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PARTY READY It’s party season, and we’ve got the perfect plus one: The Bobbi Brown Caviar & Rubies Collection. This year’s celebratory look is decidedly decadent, with lavishly burnished lids, va-va-voom lashes, incandescent skin, and - for those who dare - a life-of-the-party red lip. This beautifully edited collection includes luxurious eye, lip, cheek and skin essentials makeup must-haves that were made to party.

LIMITED EDITION

2 LUXE LIP COLOR £27.00 To complete the holiday look, swipe on a festive red or natural nude lip with Luxe Lip Color. The formula deeply moisturizing, pigment-rich formula delivers bold, statement color in just one swipe—the perfect party pout.

LIMITED EDITION

4 NEW LONG-WEAR LIQUID LINER £24.00 Bobbi Brown introduces a new shade and finish of our fan-favourite LongWear Liquid Liner. The ultimate way to accessorize any eye look, new matte black is an everyday essential. This high-impact, high-performance formula takes eye lining to a new level with a comfortable, long-wear finish.

3 LIMITED EDITION EXTRA ILLUMINATING MOISTURE BALM £95.00 The revolutionary skin-boosting moisture balm is now available in a limited edition deluxe jar. Get the ultimate glow with this dream cream—infused with energizing Lychee extract and light-reflective pearls, it gives skin the perfect, lit-from-within finish.

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LIMITED EDITION 4

5 LIMITED EDITION HIGHLIGHTING POWDER £36.00 Introducing cult-favourite Highlighting Powder in a new, limited edition shade: Moon Glow. The glam, gold shade delivers a radiant natural glow that perfectly complements the party-ready polish of the collection. In a limited edition, red-hot compact.

OPULENT PRESENT 1 LIMITED EDITION CAVIAR & RUBIES EYE SHADOW PALETTE £55.00 The centerpiece of the collection is our luxe Caviar & Rubies Eye Shadow Palette. With 9 shades inspired by rich jewel tones and burnished metallics—including Gilded, a new diamond dust Eye Shadow formula - this shimmering, sultry holiday statement piece is a party clutch essential. In a limited edition, ruby and gold toned compact.

9 BEAUTY CASE £99.00 This uber chic train case comfortably fits all beauty essentials, with smartly designed and accessible compartments.

6 9

6 SOFT SMOKEY SHADOW & MASCARA PALETTE £29.50 This all-in-one eye shadow palette features Cream, Birch and Espresso Eye Shadow shades, a Mini Smokey Eye Mascara and a Mini Dual- Ended Eye Shadow/Eye Liner Brush. It’s an everyday essential and a perfect travel companion for a holiday getaway.

7 PARTY OF FOUR MINI LIP GLOSS SET £28.00 This versatile lip gloss set offers essential shades to complement a variety of holiday looks. Shades include Buff, Nude, Rose Sugar and Kir Sugar.

8 INSTANT GLAM SET £59.00 Get party-ready in an instant with these glam essentials: a Sunset Pink Shimmer Brick for a photo-ready glow, plus an Ink Liner, Eye Opening Mascara and a Neutral Rose Luxe Lip Color.

GREAT

STOCKING FILLER

WWW.BOBBIBROWN.CO.UK FOLLOW BOBBI BROWN @BOBBIBROWNUK

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Wedding Planner Emma Marygold

WEDDING RULES:

THERE ARE NO RULES “

eddings aren’t what they were – in the old days, the big day was beset by rules,” says wedding planner Emma Marygold. “Today my brides enjoy having fun finding something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue - but apart from that, they want a wedding completely unique to themselves and their partner. Traditional wedding days can offer a rough framework, but once couples start to work with me they realise absolutely anything is possible. Every wedding I create is about wowing the couple and the guests with the freshest and most exquisite visuals throughout the most perfectly flowing, joyful day.” It always makes sense to hire a wedding planner – a wedding is a production and it needs a director. What makes Marygold weddings different is that they don’t feel like someone else has taken over – they feel absolutely embedded in the values and aesthetic of the individual couple. What unites Emma’s jaw-dropping portfolio is the flawless planning, organisation and delivery of each event - and the delighted client testimonies that arrive straight after. How does she get it so right every time? Because she absolutely adores what she does: “Weddings are my true passion. I love meeting new couples, finding out the ingredients for their dream day, and making it all happen.” Emma’s ideas come from upcoming trends in fashion and interiors, travel abroad, trips to inspiring international stores - even visits to exceptional gardens: “Nature offers so many moods and of course it plays a huge role in weddings,” she says. Trees are current favourite: “ I created

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a Maytime wedding for Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill which was an absolute delight - we adorned the reception with blossom trees in full bloom. I took a great deal of time sourcing the perfect trees and installing them in the luxury venue. Researching and acquiring such items is one of my favourite parts of the planning process.” What’s always impressed us here at ProPlayer is Emma’s combination of creative and organisational skills. Working with couples, she creates and plans their perfect day, and runs the whole event with a calm, even hand. Anyone attending a Marygold wedding is seriously impressed by the thoughtful and clever details, stunned by the totally seamless flow of the day, and blown away by the exquisite overall look of the event – hiring Emma Marygold guarantees a wow moment around every corner. “I’m always on the lookout for the key details that will give us building blocks for the look and feel of the whole day from morning til night,” she says. “But these things aren’t just visual – with each couple we are creating not just a look but a feel – atmosphere is what makes a wedding.” Ah yes, atmosphere! It’s the most important thing, and the thing that gets the least press, because you can’t point to it on a picture or buy it in a bottle. But atmosphere is what Marygold does best. When your wedding is organised by the best in the business, with every element of the day perfectly curated and coordinated, the bride and groom can relax and have the best day of their lives with their guests, feeling the love, joy and celebration that abounds.

DRESS COURTESY OF CAROLINE CASTIGLIANO

How to create the perfect big day, your way - with ProPlayer’s recommended wedding planner, Emma Marygold

Planning a wedding? Get in touch with Emma Marygold 07801 848485 - 01943 604159 emma@marygoldweddings.com marygoldweddings.com

THE BEST LOOKING WEDDINGS FOR 2018/19: DRESS COURTESY OF SUZANNE NEVILLE

WHAT’S ON EMMA MARYGOLD’S DESIGN RADAR:

AN ALL WHITE WEDDING:

A WEDDING OF UNPARALLELED LUXURY:

A DELIGHTFUL BRITISH SUMMER WEDDING:

SIMPLY STUNNING

HOLLYWOOD GLAMOUR

MAGICAL PRETTINESS

THE VISION:

“I love to use white in the weddings I create – it’s timeless and works at any point during the year. Here, I’m envisaging guests entering through a silky white walkway adorned with pearls – the heavenly scent of jasmine floats in the air. In your all-white marquee, floral walls of gypsophila installed by my fantastic floral team are romantically backlit - creating a dreamy space. There are soft romantic voile drapes, perspex tables filled with white petals lit entirely by candles and fairy lights, oysters served in shells with edible pearls and a champagne tower backdrop.”

“Let’s go glam and then some – we’ll take your guests straight into a scene of pure Hollywood glamour: Arrive in the style of the Great Gatsby to a venue filled with lavish, deliciously scented floral arrangements, silver place settings, serious lighting, an orchestra playing,... Guests will be welcomed by tailcoated waiting staff and lead down to an art deco bar where they’ll be served your very own signature cocktail. You’ll dance the night away under the stars.”

THE DETAILS:

“Brides who love the Hollywood heyday look should check out the smooth-silhouetted gowns from Reem Acra’s spring 2018 collection. Reem adorned her gorgeous, sleek dresses with exquisite jewels from Tiffany & Co. When I saw these looks they just blew me away - I could see this jewellery inspiring an entire wedding on its own!” A dash of black can really accentuate wedding glamour. A dark sash around the waist, as styled by Carolina Herrera, adds extra definition; large flower corsages shown by Vera Wang also work with this theme. For grooms seeking to channel the silver screen, Versace is doing some stunning vertical stripes, and Alexander McQueen has sharp suiting in the blackest of blacks,” says Emma.

“Your guest’s first sense that this will be a super special wedding is when their bespoke invitation arrives. It isn’t made of paper at all – it’s a beautiful glass terrarium encapsulating a miniature forest. On the day itself, we’ll create another world – a beautiful petal-strewn trail leads towards the venue, where the entrance is bedecked with flowers and topiary. Inside, your guests look up to a hanging garden. Each table is set beneath its own magical tree complete with hanging surprises. A sumptuous feast is served, followed by the cutting of the enormous, enchanting Choccywoccydoodah cake … delight and entertainment abounds…”

With such a bold scheme there is only one place for the men to go – Hugo can dress you head to toe in white. Brides should take a look at Caroline Castigliano’s 2018 stunning spring collection - it celebrates romance, with classic lines and beautiful fabrics.

THE DETAILS:

THE DETAILS: “Brides who want to channel this really pretty, whimsical wedding vibe will love Suzanne Neville’s 2018 Posey dress from her Belle Epoque collection. Covered in petals with a full skirt that feels modern and fun, it’s a magical delight. Grooms should consider gorgeous blush hues – Fendi is doing some gorgeous pale pink suits right now. I think men look wonderful in pink - gentlemen, be brave!”

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SPRING SUMMER2018

Flannels presents the women’s Spring/Summer selection

What’s Hot Whilst the cold weather has only just set in, we’re already looking forward to Spring, and a host of new hues, soft shades and floaty fabrics. We’re dreaming of warmer weather already…

1 1. VALENTINO ROCKSTUD ANKLE STRAP COURT HEELS £640 2. ZIMMERMANN PRIMA DRESS £835

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3. VALENTINO BEDFORD HOBO BAG £1,800

4. FENDI KAN I STUDDED SHOULDER BAG £2,090

5. GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI PYTHON EMBOSSED MAY TRAINERS £485

Fashion Trend Report

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6. MONCLER ALMANDIN JACKET £615

7. GUCCI BLOOMS PRINT HEADBAND £220

8. VALENTINO CASHMERE LOGO KNITTED JUMPER £795 9. VALENTINO LOGO LIPSTICK T SHIRT £315

AVAILABLE FROM FLANNELS IN STORE AND ONLINE AT WWW.FLANNELS.COM

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Baby, it’s cold outside Be inspired by Flannels beautiful new arrivals for girls

from our luxury designers, including Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry and more. As the cold weather sets in, keep girls snug in our outerwear essentials, featuring cosy coats, snuggly scarfs, warm knitted hats and more.

4 1. GUCCI CHILDREN GIRLS SEQUIN SWEATSHIRT £240 2. FENDI CHILDREN GIRLS SLIP ON TRAINERS £345 3. BURBERRY BRIT BURWOOD JACKET £385 4. BURBERRY CHILDREN GIRLS SANDRINGHAM COAT £595

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Fashion Trend Report

6. GUCCI CHILDREN GIRLS GG SUPREME VELCRO PUMPS £180

7. GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI CHILDREN UNISEX GLITTER NATALIE TRAINERS £355

5. DOLCE AND GABBANA CHILDREN GIRLS AMORE SHIFT DRESS £415

8. MARC JACOBS CHILDREN GIRLS SWAN BOMBER JACKET £124

9. BURBERRY BRIT CHILD GIRLS YAXLEY PUMPS £165 10. FENDI CHILDREN GIRLS TULLE DRESS £430

AVAILABLE FROM FLANNELS IN STORE AND ONLINE AT WWW.FLANNELS.COM

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P RO F E S S I O N A L P L AY E R

•

A M ATC H M A D E I N H E AV E N

A Match

Made in Heaven

Nothing compliments the perfect party outfit like the must have designer arm piece and killer matching heels. Here is just what you need for drop dead gorgeous style this Winter with our matching must-haves.

SHOES

VALENTINO ROCKSTUD ANKLE STRAP HEELS £599 THE PERFECT MATCH

VALENTINO ROCKSTUD CLUTCH PURSE £450

SHOES

GUCCI MARMONT SUEDE ANKLE BOOTS £710 THE PERFECT MATCH

GUCCI VELVET GG PATCH SHOULDER BAG £1,790 SHOES

VALENTINO MINK ROCKSTUD TRAINERS £795 THE PERFECT MATCH

VALENTINO MINK FUR ROCKSTUD CHAIN BAG £2,485

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VALENTINO

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SAINT LAURENT

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GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI

•

Fashion Trend Report

GUCCI

SHOES

SAINT LAURENT OPYUM COURT HEELS £770 THE PERFECT MATCH

SAINT LAURENT SAC DU JOUR BAG £2,250

SHOES

GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI BIMBA GLITTER SOCK HEELED BOOTS £570 THE PERFECT MATCH

GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI GLITTERED CLUTCH BAG £450

AVAILABLE FROM FLANNELS IN STORE AND ONLINE AT WWW.FLANNELS.COM

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I’ve been a professional photographer since starting out as a photo-journalist straight from university in 1998.  In the early naughties I spent eight years as ITV’s in-house photographer, working daily on programmes such as Emmerdale, Heartbeat and A Touch of Frost. In November 2007 I went freelance, partly to expand my photographic horizons, and partly allowing me to train full-time as a triathlete. After representing Great Britain as an age-grouper at the 2008 World Triathlon Championships, and completing my fourth Ironman event in 2009, I hung up my athletic boots and focused on starting a family. Fast-forward to today and my husband and I live in Harrogate, are blessed with two supercool kids, and maintain a strong parkrun habit.  I’m fortunate to have enjoyed a wide variety of photographic challenges over the last 20-orso-years and I’m really looking forward to combining my love of sport with my love of portraiture photography with Professional Player Magazine. To view more of my work or to contact me go to www.helentwilliams.com

Ashley Banjo, Dancer

Email: helen@helentwilliams.com Twitter: @HelenTWilliams Instagram: helentwilliams Mobile: 07720 543993

Alistair Brownlee, Olympian

Phillip Graves, Ironman

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S E E N T H E # N E W RO S S O Y E T ?

R O S S O R E S TA U R A N T & B A R Manchester 43 Spring Gardens, Manchester M2 2BG Book a Table - 0161 832 1400

www.rossorestaurants.com

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Contact: Paul Augey, General Sales Leader Mercedes-Benz of Leeds 07866 539263 www.mercedes-benzofleeds.co.uk 141

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Newman Oro Limited to 15 Pieces

titanblack.co.uk | flannels.com TBlack is an independent Bespoke Watch Specialist and not in any way connected with Rolex SA

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