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PODCAST

After The Final Whistle

After The Final Whistle is a powerful video podcast hosted by Premier League reporter and Psychology grad Alison Bender, exploring what really happens to footballers when the game ends. Alison speaks to former Premier League and international players about life beyond the pitch — from identity and resilience to mental health, recovery, and purpose. These are the stories we don’t usually hear: raw, reflective and deeply human. A series about what it means to start again. Supported by Samaritans who

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All Episodes

60:54

Thomas Hal Robson-Kanu: Arsenal Rejected Me. Then I...

After The Final Whistle ·

2026/10/09

Thomas Hal Robson-Kanu: Arsenal Rejected Me. Then I Built a Life Beyond Football.At 15, Thomas Hal Robson-Kanu suffered a devastating injury. A few years later, Arsenal released him, a moment he describes as leaving him inconsolable. But that wasn't the end of the story. From being rejected by Arsenal to playing for Wales at a European Championship, Hal opens up about the injuries, pain and pressure he experienced behind the scenes, including the nights when he would cry himself to sleep. He

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51:51

Thomas Hitzlsperger: I Had to Retire Before Coming...

After The Final Whistle ·

2026/10/02

Thomas Hitzlsperger: I Had to Retire Before Coming Out | After The Final WhistleWelcome to After The Final Whistle where we talk about the person, not the player, and ask what happens when the football stops. Thomas Hitzlsperger played at the highest level for Germany, Aston Villa, Stuttgart, West Ham and Everton, and won the Bundesliga with Stuttgart. But his football career also came with a secret. Thomas came out as gay after retiring from football and in this conversation, he talks openly

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55:32

Rickie Lambert: Football Retirement Broke Me

After The Final Whistle ·

2026/09/25

What happens when the football stops?For the first episode of Series 2 of After The Final Whistle, I sit down with former England, Liverpool and Southampton striker Rickie Lambert for one of my most open conversations yet. Rickie’s journey is anything but straightforward. At 15, he was rejected by Liverpool and found himself working in a factory, playing non-league football and wondering whether professional football would ever happen for him. He tells me about the years of graft that followed;

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51:30

Paul Canoville: Racism, Addiction, Cancer, Chelsea &...

After The Final Whistle ·

2026/05/29

In this powerful episode of After The Final Whistle, we sit down with Chelsea legend and trailblazer Paul Canoville for one of the most emotional and inspiring conversations we’ve ever had on the podcast. 🎙️⚽️Paul opens up about: 🔥 Becoming Chelsea’s first Black player 🔥 The horrific racist abuse he suffered during his career 🔥 Recovering from drug addiction 🔥 Losing his baby son after just 10 days 🔥 Surviving one of the worst football injuries he had ever seen 🔥 Mental health, resilience

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54:06

Lianne Sanderson Opens Up On Coming Out, Online Abuse...

After The Final Whistle ·

2026/05/22

In this episode of After The Final Whistle, Alison sits down with former England international and football pundit Lianne Sanderson for an honest, inspiring and powerful conversation. 🎙️⚽️Lianne reflects on an incredible career that saw her win major honours with Arsenal, represent England on the international stage, and play football across the world in the USA, Spain, Italy and beyond. We also discuss:🔥 Becoming the first Lioness to publicly come out as gay🔥 The financial realities of

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77:05

Danny Mills on Pressure, Identity, and Finding...

After The Final Whistle ·

2026/05/14

Former England international Danny Mills joins Alison Bender on After The Final Whistle for an honest conversation about life beyond football.Danny reflects on the injuries that ended his career, retiring at 31, rebuilding his identity after football, and the mentality needed to survive elite sport. He also opens up about family, grief, resilience, criticism, business, and finding purpose after the game. Topics covered: Career-ending injuries and retirement Life after football and

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49:23

Emile Heskey: England Career Cut Too Short

After The Final Whistle ·

2026/05/08

Former England and Liverpool striker Emile Heskey joins After The Final Whistle for a raw and powerful conversation about the realities of life beyond football.In this episode, Emile opens up about the immense pressure of moving to Liverpool at a young age, the coping mechanisms he developed during his career, and the moment he realised he was dealing with depression. He reflects on retiring from international football, growing up in Leicester, and how generational trauma and harmful stereotypes

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49:27

Marvin Sordell: Why I Retired at 28 | Mental Health,...

After The Final Whistle ·

2026/05/01

Former Premier League footballer Marvin Sordell joins Alison Bender on After the Final Whistle to share his powerful and deeply personal story. In this episode, Marvin opens up about: Retiring from football at just 28 His battle with depression and loneliness The reality of life inside professional football Identity, purpose, and life after the game His suicide attempt and the road to recovery Why mental health support in football must improve This is an honest

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00:50:03

Chris Kirkland: Addiction, Rock Bottom & Recovery...

After The Final Whistle ·

2026/04/24

Some of the hardest moments in football don’t happen on the pitch.In my first episode of After The Final Whistle, former Premier League goalkeeper Chris Kirkland opens up about his battle with painkiller addiction, the moment he hit rock bottom, and the long road to recovery.Chris speaks honestly about the pressures of professional football, playing through injury, and the culture of silence around mental health in the game. He shares what addiction really looked like behind the scenes, the reality

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00:01:48

After The Final Whistle Trailer

After The Final Whistle ·

2026/04/17

After The Final Whistle. A new Video Podcast. Everything footballers wanted to talk about whilst they were playing and couldn’t. ⚽️ Thanks to my guests for series 1:Chris Kirkland, Marvin Sordell, Danny Mills, Emile Heskey, Paul Canoville, Leanne Sanderson and thanks to @samaritans for providing me with training so I handle episodes relating to suicide and self harm with care and sensitivity#footballfans #podcast #footballpodcast #footballshow #premierleague #soccer #kirkland #MarvinSordell #Sordell

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00:00:09

After The Final Whistle is here

After The Final Whistle ·

2026/04/13

What happens when football ends suddenly? When the lights go out and the crowds go home, what next? Having interviewed over a thousand Premier League footballers in my job as a Premier League pitchside reporter it's a question I have often wondered about and so I created After The Final Whistle. Real human conversations with ex footballers as I seek to discover The Truth About Life After Football. I'm grateful to have the support of Samaritans as we discuss topics including depression,

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11 results

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