Ex-Blackpool and Hull City defender explains why current 14-year career has been right for him after football
Former Blackpool defender Marc Joseph admits his role in the Seasiders’ Community Trust has been the perfect job for him following his retirement from playing.
The 47-year-old was originally at Bloomfield Road as a player between 2006 and 2007, with an initial loan move from Hull City soon becoming permanent.
Since hanging up his playing boots, Joseph has called the Fylde Coast home once again for the last 14 years, during which time he’s enjoyed some similarities to the life of a footballer, as well as taking on new challenges.
“My last professional club was Rotherham, and I made the decision to come back up to the North West because I had a house in Lytham,” he said.
“I always wanted to be involved in football, and most players go down the route of fitness, coaching or teaching - an area where they are comfortable.
“I was lucky that when I came back up, I still had people who I was in contact with at Blackpool. First of all I asked if I could do a football camp for them, and then a couple of other opportunities came about within the football, so it gradually grew.
“It was an environment I was quite comfortable in which made the transition into proper work fairly smooth.
“I’ve always liked being out in the community, even when I was a player I was volunteering. When I was at Hull I spent a bit of time in the local schools, just really getting a feel of what I wanted to be when football finished.
“It was nice to come into this environment, it just felt like it fit. It’s nice that I can still put on a tracksuit and that this place is still my work. I’m not sure I would’ve survived if I was in another office setting.
“Coming into it, initially I wanted to bring the professionalism of playing with me. When it comes down to delivering programmes within schools and having targets to reach, that brings back my competitive side of wanting to do well and doing things right.
“The Trust has grown massively. It’s quite ridiculous really when I came here we were in a small room of eight, and now we’ve got nearly 100 staff, we’ve got a college, and we’ve got university students here. It’s grown tremendously.”
Earlier this year, another responsibility was added to Joseph’s role, as he was named the chairperson of a committee overseeing Blackpool’s ladies and girls teams.
“It’s hard work at the minute but it’s the right thing for us to do as an organisation,” he added.
“It means the standard we expect filters through into the girls’ grassroots, and we offer more support than what they were offered previously. We’ve got more time to support coaches, players and parents.
“There’s lots to do but grassroots football is a weird and wonderful place. We’ve only got six teams at the minute, but we are looking to build on that. We want to see a progression all the way through.
“There’s more girls with the aspirations of wanting to play football combined with the fact there are more opportunities.
“We’re trying to build more partnerships with female coaches, we try to listen to the players, to get an idea of the barriers that have existed in women’s football, and ways we can support them.”