FA Cup: Kevin Ellison, salute mentale e il calcio a 47

Kevin Ellison reflects on his football journey, mental health struggles and his continued passion for the game at 47.

FA Cup: Kevin Ellison, mental health and football at 47

According to Bbc.

Context

Kevin Ellison has had a varied path, going from a contract with Leicester City to experiences at various clubs, including non-professional ones. His career, which has seen ups and downs, reflects the difficulties that many players face in the world of football, especially when it comes to transitions between the various categories of the Football League.

Why it matters

Kevin Ellison's career, which recently reached the 1,000 game milestone, is an example of resilience in the world of football. His story highlights the challenges of mental health, an increasingly relevant issue in professional football and among Football League clubs. His experience can inspire other players and fans to talk openly about their difficulties and seek support.

Key points

FA Cup: Kevin Ellison, mental health and football at 47.
Kevin Ellison reflects on his football journey, mental health struggles and his continued passion for the game at 47.
FA Cup: Kevin Ellison on mental health and still playing at 47 - BBC Sport.

Kevin Ellison recently celebrated his 1,000th game in a career spanning 29 years and 18 different clubs. The striker was rejected by his heart club Liverpool and worked on a construction site and as a furniture delivery man, while playing for non-league Altrincham, before landing at a professional club on a £50,000-a-month contract with Leicester 25 years ago. A month later, Ellison, then 22, came on as a late substitute against Manchester United, but lost 2-0. Since that day, however, he has no longer played in the Premier League. In the years that followed, however, depression took over, due to family problems and the fact that he had gone from signing a two-and-a-half-year contract with Leicester to falling through the ranks and having to worry about finances. “The darkest moment was when I was driving on the M6,” Ellison says. “I remember it all like it was yesterday. My thoughts at the time were, 'Would the lives of the people around me be better if I crashed my car into a guardrail at 100 miles an hour?' That's how I felt. Talking to people and asking for help, like therapy, was the only way to overcome those dark clouds that had gathered over me. I'm grateful for what I went through, because it opened my eyes to many things in life.” Today, at 47, Ellison is doing better and feeling happy. Incredibly, he still plays for non-league side Vauxhall Motors in the eighth tier of English football, and if he takes to the field in their FA Cup match against Yorkshire side Thackley next Saturday, he will become one of the oldest players to play in the FA Cup. "Everyone says I should be in a care home," quips Ellison, who has reached the 1,000-game milestone in all eight levels of English professional football. "I've lost count, to be honest, of the games I've played. But I still have that flame inside me and I still feel a little nervous before games. I'm still here, at 47, and I'm grateful for that." Ellison grew up in the suburb of Anfield, a five-minute walk from Liverpool's famous stadium. As a child, he played for Liverpool's youth team, but was never respected by the team, whereas players such as Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen were. "I dreamed of playing for Liverpool, but when they announced that they would no longer take me from the youth team, I thought it was over for me, that I would never have the chance to become a professional footballer again," says Ellison. "But my mother told me to roll up my sleeves and keep working hard, because sooner or later my chance would come. And in fact that's how it works in life: if you work hard, sooner or later you reap the fruits of your labor. And I hadn't worked hard when I was 15. That failure spurred me to prove to everyone that I was strong enough to become a professional footballer." After a period of militancy in amateur teams, Ellison was noticed by Altrincham, a team that played in the fifth division, and who signed him when he was 18 years old. Ellison scored 23 goals in 54 games and his career began to take off. In 1998, aged 21, he moved to Southport, a team in the fourth division, before dropping down a level again to join Chester City. In 2001, much to his surprise, he was signed by Leicester City, who were a Premier League team at the time. "I was offered £650 a week, but my agent asked to increase the offer," Ellison says. "The club said they wanted me to sign straight away, so they came out of the interview with me and said, 'either you sign this offer or you leave'. I said I would sign and asked to increase the offer to £700 a week, and they did. I was brought up as a part-time footballer, because I played and worked at the same time, but for me it was a dream to be able to play professionally." Today Ellison still plays at a semi-professional level and also divides his time with a job at a high school in Liverpool, where he supervises students. "The boys joke with me and say: 'but you only played once in the Premier League'. And I reply: 'yes, but that match was against Manchester United, who were the best team in the world at the time'." His career highlights include promotion to the Championship with Hull City in 2005, appearances in two play-off finals at Wembley with Rotherham United in 2010 and Newport County in 2021, and scoring 124 goals in 553 league games in the Fourth Division, including 81 goals in 352 games for Morecambe from 2011 to 2020. Not bad for someone who at 15 he thought his dream of being a footballer had vanished forever. There were also some dark moments: Ellison was part of Chester City who were relegated from the Football League in 2009, and the club then went bankrupt. Additionally, Ellison's mental health took a severe hit following the deaths of people close to him, and he also faced issues related to his family and job uncertainty. “It was a combination of factors, like my personal life and the fact that when there were six months left until my contract expired, I was increasingly anxious and worried about the fact that I didn't know if I would have another contract,” Ellison explains. "I was afraid that people would judge my life, that they would talk about me, that they would distance themselves from me, just because I'm a person who has a dream job and shouldn't have any problems. But I'm a human being like everyone else and I have feelings like everyone else. And I spent years suffering in silence, when instead I should have spoken up and opened up." In 2020, Ellison took part in a campaign by the English Football Association, which encouraged fans to talk about mental health and not be ashamed of it. “If my story can help even one person, I will be even happier,” Ellison says. "From where I was and who I am now, just opening up and being honest, and admitting that I was vulnerable, it wasn't easy, it was painful and I cried at times. But it was the best thing I could have done."

What happens now

With Ellison still playing at 47, his career offers a unique perspective on the future of football at Football League level. His passion for the game and willingness to face personal challenges could positively influence his current team and young players. His story could also lead to mental health awareness initiatives within football clubs and communities.