The Athletic FC Presents...

Troy Townsend, head of development at Kick It Out, sits down with Kelly Cates and Geoff Thomas to discuss the death of his son Kurtis in a car accident in 2001 and how he and his family coped with the tragedy.

Troy is father to six children, including Kurtis and current Everton midfielder Andros, and in this conversation he speaks honestly and emotionally about his relationships with them, and how over twenty years later he is still learning to deal with grief.

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Luke Chadwick broke into the Manchester United first team in 1999 aged just 19, he was the latest fledging talent from the United academy production line, but despite his promising impact on the pitch he quickly found himself the butt of a series of cruel jokes about his appearance

In this episode Luke talks to Kelly Cates and Geoff Thomas about why it took him twenty years to speak openly about how this affected him and how important it is to speak up and be open about your mental health.

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In 2003, former Crystal Palace and England midfielder Geoff Thomas was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia and given three months to live.

After a stem cell transplant he overcame the disease and has spent the last twenty years raising money for vital research and funding.

In this series Kelly Cates and Geoff Thomas talk to footballers who have also overcome life-changing moments of adversity.

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Former Crystal Palace, Wolves and England midfielder Geoff Thomas was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia in 2003 and was given just three months to live - this is the story of how he overcame that diagnosis and dedicated his life to raising vital money to raise awareness of and help find a cure for the disease.

This conversation with Kelly Cates details Geoff's amazing story, from how that moment changed his life forever, how a crucial stem cell transplant saved him, and how he now rides the entire Tour de France every year in aid of raising funds and awareness.

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