Childhood is this special time when you’re still figuring things out, making new friends, finding out what you really like, and delving into exciting activities like sports. While some kids try sports and find out it’s not their thing, for others, it’s like opening the door to a bunch of awesome things and making memories that stick with them forever.
It is like a big adventure, where playing isn’t just fun for a little while but a significant part of your lifetime.
Team sports build community. This is where Richard Lee steps in. He owns multiple GK Icon Goalkeeper Coaching centers around the UK where players aged six to sixteen can play, train, and learn the art of goalkeeping and football.
Lee played professional football for Watford, Blackburn, Fulham, and Brentford over 15 years. If anyone knows the intricacies of the game, it is him. The typical age of retirement is 35 for professional football players. 35 is young as more people than ever are living to nearly the age of 100.
Knowing that he had to do something else, Lee may have retired as a football goalkeeper, but he decided to continue a career focused on football. He had to figure out how, but not as a player.
Being such a large industry provides people with many opportunities to stay involved with football, even if they are not on the field. Many former football players become coaches, game announcers, or talent managers.
Having spent so long as a player, Lee saw that something was missing. He never felt that the agents he worked with were honest or transparent with him. And that was a big problem.
Refuel Performance Management (RPM) is the football agency he established with former teammate Scott Barron in 2012—an agency dedicated to providing football players with an honest and transparent service.
Their combined experience is invaluable to these aspiring goalkeepers and football players. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, the centers host training sessions. As well as partnering with local schools to give the children an opportunity to participate, they offer open days featuring special goalkeeper guests. These special guests are given the chance to choose the charity of their choice in collaboration with The Goalkeepers’ Union – the podcast that Lee hosts weekly – to donate to.
The training sessions include professional football players who can provide one-on-one training to the attendees. This support for the next generation of football players and goalkeepers creates a promising, bright future. Anyone who is interested can participate in one free training session.
Students who train at these coaching centers learn more than just the physical requirements of the game. The mental aspect of a professional sport cannot be ignored. Lee is honest about his struggles as an experienced goalkeeper and how that led him to study Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and eventually become a Master Practitioner.
The crux of NLP is paying attention to and understanding how thoughts impact behavior. Thinking positively and behaving accordingly will affect overall quality of life and success. Lee saw how implementing this practice in his everyday life was instrumental in his achievements.
Football is a game anyone at any age can fall in love with. At GK Icon Centers, children ages six to sixteen can learn the necessary football skills, connect with their community, and foster their lifelong love of football. If you live in the UK, check them out.
For more information, visit the GK Icon Goalkeeper Coaching Centers website or follow them on Instagram. Connect with Richard Lee and Refuel Performance Management on Instagram.
