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In-depth conversations with the voices shaping culture, calcio, and society. Explore unique perspectives, personal stories, and inspiring journeys from around the world.
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All words and images by Jonas Zöller
There’s something about Buenos Aires that pulls you in through its football. Every night seems to offer another game, another neighbourhood, another story. After two whirlwind matches across the city, I find myself heading west on a Monday evening — tired, sunburned, but completely hooked. This time it’s Vélez Sarsfield, a club that might not make international headlines, but in this city, every stadium tells its own tale.
When the third match in four days still feels like the first love of football.
Early Monday evening. Vélez Sarsfield. After the first two big ones, I’m excited for a game that probably isn’t on many European radars. To be honest, the third match in four days is starting to leave its marks. When my Uber driver asks who’s playing tonight, I just mumble something that roughly translates to “no idea.”
Still, I can’t wait. The area around the stadium is wide and full of murals and bars. As I arrive, the first buses pull up, blue and white flags waving from the windows. Accompanied by the first trumpet chants, I go looking for someone selling Fernet—and boy, I’m ready for football.
Finding Fernet and Football
After a couple of Fernet-Cokes in a small backyard bar—where I’m undoubtedly the palest guest of the season—I make my way to the stadium. It’s an absolute beauty: floodlights rising high above the blue outer shell. The belly of the ground leans against a highway, beneath which several five-a-side pitches are tucked away. The noise and movement around them blend perfectly with the energy that’s building inside the stadium.
Inside, hot dogs and drinks are sold, youth teams are playing near the narrow railing. The match isn’t sold out, but when the smoke from the pre-match fireworks catches in the floodlights, I feel it.
“This is exactly the kind of football I fell in love with.”
The curva is loud and cheerful, and the trumpet guy must have lungs of steel. Vélez turn the early deficit before halftime and end up winning 3–1.
Another Night, Another City
For the rest of the game, I just listen to the chants and feel a strange calm settle over me. The beer after the match tastes like a well-earned one after work, and right there I decide to stay another week in Buenos Aires.
I just need to see more football.
And to be fair, after all these stadium visits, I’ve somehow managed to completely skip seeing the city itself.
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For Kate Carter-Larg, the Cheesy Toast Shack is a story of love, risk, hustling, triumph, tribulations, early mornings and late nights. It represents a dream that was worth putting everything on the line for. “We’d put all our savings into it, so failing was not an option,” Kate explains. “We hustled, we worked every day, we went to every event that was viable for us. We didn’t take on any staff until we were a few years in, we posted on social media every day, multiple times a day, and we shouted about our business and made people listen.”
Born in Dorset, in the South of England, the adventure of a lifetime would begin for Kate when she found herself travelling to Bali, in South East Asia. It was there she would meet Sam, her future husband and business partner.
“After a fleeting holiday romance, where we never thought we’d see each other again, he followed me down to Brighton (where I was living at the time). He decided he couldn’t live down there (distinct lack of surf) so got me to visit him in Scotland. I fell in love with it straight away, and pretty much decided to just not leave.
We had another year of travelling around a bit, including heading back to Bali to spend a few months of more beaches and surfing, before heading back to Scotland together with the idea of starting our own business.”
With only a small amount of savings between them, they knew that any kind of fixed cafe would be out of the question. “It just seemed so obvious, everyone loves a toastie, but not some dry, thin crappy Costa-style one. Instead, we wanted to do big, filthy, oozing with cheese-level toasties, with fillings that you don’t get just anywhere.”
With that idea, the wheels were set in motion. Scared, but with an unrelenting desire and determination to succeed, Kate and Sam put their life savings into everything and set off in search of their dream.
That dream would become a reality and take them all across the UK, to events, festivals and Glastonbury. They would be crowned Street Vendor of the Year, and earn the accolade of Scottish Street
Finalist. They would establish two sites, receiving visitors from all over the globe and go viral across social media. Renowned food critic, Jay Rayner, would give his seal of approval. Celebrities would come far and wide to taste their manchego with chorizo, red pepper and jalapeno chutney, or delight in their New Yorker made with sliced Swiss, pastrami, American mustard and sauerkraut. It would become a place that is now part of the family, with Kate, Sam and their two wonderful children.
It is a story that not even in her wildest of dreams could she have imagined. But it all happened. It really did. And it was a pleasure to sit down with Kate and talk about the journey she’s been on, her biggest challenges, being her own biggest critic and her proudest achievements.
We knew we wanted to be self-employed…we understood it’d be high risk and high stress, but we wanted to have a lifestyle where we could spend time together, and not have to answer to anyone else (we’ve always been quite headstrong and neither of us like being told what to do by someone else!)
We only had a small amount of savings between us, so we knew any kind of fixed cafe etc would be out of the question, so that immediately put us in the market for a food trailer. We just jumped on Gumtree and found a practically new trailer near Glasgow. A guy had bought it and then decided to not bother pursuing his burger van career, so we grabbed it and towed it back over to Fife.
We’d been looking at what was available street food-wise in Scotland, and the scene was starting to blow up. So many great options and traders, but no cheese toasties! It just seemed so obvious, everyone loves a toastie, but not some dry, thin crappy Costa-style one. Instead, we wanted to do big, filthy, oozing with cheese-level toasties, with fillings that you don’t get just anywhere.
Sam and I worked on the trailer, whilst getting everything else set up, and within a couple of months, we were good to go. We secured a pitch at a local beach and then would tow the trailer to events all over Scotland in between working Kingsbarns beach, to get the word out there about our brand and our business.
This did us wonders, as within our first year of trading we managed to secure a pitch at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where we got named the Best Place To Eat at The Fringe by The Scotsman newspaper.
Off the back of the popularity we experienced from being at such a huge event, we were in a position to apply for a pitch at the next Glastonbury Festival in Somerset. After doing this, our following took a massive jump, and we found we had people reaching out to us from all over the UK, saying they’d tried us and couldn’t stop thinking about our toasties.
During this time we were also doing every other event: street food markets, food competitions, music festivals, weddings….anything we could get our hands on. This eventually led to us then being offered the lease on our now main hub, in St Andrews. So at this point, we had our Kingsbarns pitch, our St Andrews kiosk, as well as multiple street food setups, allowing us to have 5 pitches across the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for the years running up to Covid, making us the biggest independent traders across the city for the Fringe.
Covid was a huge challenge at first. There were grants for some hospitality businesses, however, because we sublet our kiosk we didn’t pay rates, and we weren’t entitled to the first few rounds of grants. So trying to keep our heads above water really was a challenge, bearing in mind we had staff to think about, and at that stage, a 1 year old as well.
As initial lockdown measures eased, we were able to open up shop again, and thankfully, the rules dictated by the Scottish Government just so happened to mean we didn’t need to change much about our operational setup. We were always a takeout unit, from a hatch. We just needed to work with fewer staff on shift at once to keep numbers down, but it was good for us that people were allowed to go for a walk and meet a friend outdoors, as that matched the description of what people did anyway when they’d come to one of our beaches.
It did, however, have a massive impact on the events industry, meaning it was the first time since we started that we weren’t doing any street food at all, or weddings. This obviously meant the income of the business took a massive hit, which was certainly a negative. However, in hindsight, it made us re-evaluate how lucky we were to still have the pitches we were able to trade from.
When the grants that we did qualify for eventually came out, we used that money to invest in the business, by upgrading our equipment. We bought a decent coffee machine, a soft-serve ice cream machine, and high-quality grills. We felt if we could get our products out at a much faster speed and even better quality, then we were utilising what we could, given the restrictions put upon us by the pandemic. And just to make things that little bit extra stressful, we decided it was a good time to have our second baby.
Our biggest achievement would have to be the Glastonbury Festival. We loaded up our campervan and towed our trailer all the way from Scotland. We were located at Worthy View which is the “posh” campsite at the top of the farm, with the pre-erected tents (not that we were allowed to stay in those).
We were only allowed the bare minimum of staff passes (the cost of a ticket per staff member is factored into your pitch fee so we couldn’t afford many). We got a few friends to come down with us to work, thinking we’d get to spend a decent chunk of the festival watching music and enjoying the festival…how wrong we were! We were mobbed from the minute we opened the hatch in the morning, doing breakfast toasties to the hungover masses, all the way through the day, with a small window where it quietened off when the headlining acts were on, and then went crazy busy again through to the early hours. We came back to Scotland exhausted but with an amazing feeling of pride and achievement.
Another of those pinch-me moments was when Jay Rayner, the famous food critic who writes for The Guardian / The Observer, came to visit us. He left a glowing review and then featured us in the Guardian’s best-value places to eat around the coast of the
Abi, who’s our manager at the St Andrews shop actually asked me the other day if I ever think how wild it is that people drive so far to come to our shack and hold it in such high regard. And that this is all for something that we have created. It really made me stop and think how cool that is. We’re so well received, and people really do make huge trips just to come and try our food. It’s very humbling, although I do still find myself being my biggest critic. If I know a famous person is coming down, I panic, and worry that they’ll just think “What’s all the fuss about?” However, that has not actually happened yet!
We love how, generally, everything is received really well on social media. We know we post a lot, but it’s paid off. Every single day we get at least one customer coming down to the hatch, to say they’ve come because they’ve seen our silly/cheesy videos online and it’s made them want to visit. We get the occasional troll which always blows my mind, but I just need to remind myself that our socials are free marketing, and it’s obviously working, because we get customers and followers from all over the world. Just this week alone, I’ve posted t-shirts and hoodies to New York, and Philadelphia
Our followers and likes have taken a huge surge in the last year since we’ve really picked up our efforts online. We find now that simply posting a photo of a toastie doesn’t get the same levels of interaction as when we post videos, so it’s just about continuing to follow trends and posting videos, and just trying to make our page something a bit silly and fun.
I would advise anyone looking to set up their own business, to just go for it. We always get people asking us “Weren’t we scared it wouldn’t work?” Of course we were, we’d put all our savings into it, so failing was not an option.
We hustled, we worked every day, we went to every event that was viable for us. We didn’t take on any staff until we were a few years in, we posted every day, multiple times a day, and we shouted about our business and made people listen.
I honestly don’t know if I’d have it in me now to hustle as hard as we did back at the beginning, but I’ve also got 2 small children now who I love spending time with, so I couldn’t be towing trailers back from Edinburgh at 1 am, as I love that I can be present for them and be the one that does every bedtime and that I get to see them every morning.
If I’m not working, I try to start the day off by getting to the gym. A couple of years ago, after having my youngest daughter, I got into CrossFit, which I just fell in love with. I’m still not very good at it but it helps my headspace as well as my physical fitness.
Sam and I try and get out for a walk together; our favourite place being Tensmuir Forest, where we love to stop for a crepe from Salt and Pine. We may have to answer a few emails/go and film some videos for the pages, and before we know it 3 o’clock rolls around and it’s time to grab our girls from school/playgroup
If they’ve not got after-school clubs then they may ask us to take them to the skatepark to practice their skateboarding. If it’s not a school day then we try and get them for a surf at West Sands (if there is any) followed by live music at Dook and a few Aperol Spritz’ for us. Whatever we do, it’s hugely family-oriented. With 7 cousins living close by, and 3 sets of aunties and uncles, as well as Sam’s parents, we’re invariably hanging out with other Largs.
Every Christmas we have raclette on the menu, which is raclette cheese, served over garlic potatoes with charcuterie meats and dressed salad. You basically scrape the melted cheese over the potatoes, and it’s just amazing. It’s such a treat, and can’t help but make you feel festive.
For the year ahead, we want to keep concentrating on giving the best possible products to our customers. We feel that we’re on a really positive trajectory at the moment. Our team’s collective hard work is getting more and more recognised, with a greater following online and more customers coming to the shops. We want to concentrate on keeping this at a high level, and who knows, if the market is right, maybe even opening up some more locations.
With all our thanks to Kate Carter-Larg
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“There’s something about that place that awakens a love for football in Espírito Santo.”
Founded in 1963, Desportiva Ferroviária carries a timeless tradition. Supporting “Tiva” is something that transcends generations — it’s passed down from father to son.
“Supporting the ‘Tiva’ is timeless,” says journalist Camila Müller. “It’s something handed down through family. I’m not a supporter of the Locomotiva Grená myself, but I am passionate about football in Espírito Santo, and it was my father, a former player, who helped me discover that love.”
Camila’s story, like so many in Brazilian football, begins with a ball at her feet. “I started playing football when I was very young, with the only dream of becoming a player,” she recalls. “Unfortunately, that didn’t work out. But I found another way to stay close to my dream — through sports journalism — and that’s the path I’ve been following ever since.”
The Energy of Araripe
Much has been said about the atmosphere at Estádio Engenheiro Araripe, and Camila insists its reputation is well earned. “Whether for the home team or the visitors, the energy is unique,” she says. “There’s something about that place that awakens a love for football in Espírito Santo and, inevitably, for Desportiva’s fans.”
One match in particular stands out in her memory — the 4th round of the 2025 Copa ES, when Desportiva faced their biggest rival, Rio Branco AC.
“A 4–0 win at home,” Camila smiles. “The fans’ celebration was beautiful — energy, singing, and pure passion — a living tribute to the football of Espírito Santo.”
A State Rediscovering Its Football
Camila believes that football in Espírito Santo is slowly reclaiming its space on the national stage.
“In 2025, with clubs like Rio Branco AC, Rio Branco VN, and Porto Vitória FC gaining national recognition, the state is proving that it hasn’t been forgotten, as many tend to believe,” she explains.
At the heart of that revival stands Desportiva Ferroviária, already qualified for the 2026 Copa do Brasil. For Camila, the club remains a symbol of tradition, resilience, and the deep passion that football ignites in the hearts of the people of Espírito Santo.
More Than Just a Club
“Supporting a club from Espírito Santo goes far beyond simply choosing a team and showing love for it,” Camila says. “It means having the strength and perseverance to support a kind of football that still needs to be seen — even by its own state.”
For her, that’s what makes Desportiva Ferroviária so special: a club that embodies not just a sporting identity, but a cultural one. One that continues to remind its people — and the rest of Brazil — that the heartbeat of football doesn’t only echo from Rio or São Paulo, but from every corner of the country where the game still feels like home.
All our thanks to Camila Müller
All images by Camila Müller
Story and images, by Gregorio Gastaldi
Spain’s top flight loves its big headlines, Madrid’s glare, Barça’s grand gestures, Atleti’s grit. But look a little closer and you’ll find a club that’s been doing big things in a small town for years. Villarreal CF, tucked away in Castellón, continue to play like a heavyweight in a bantamweight’s suit. As of this week, they’re sitting 3rd in LaLiga, once again jabbing above their weight and smiling about it.
Founded in 1923, Villarreal spent decades wandering the lower leagues before bursting onto the scene around the turn of the century. Since then, the Yellow Submarine have turned persistence into a personality trait: European nights, smart recruitment, a stadium that hums, and a badge that somehow makes yellow feel like a superpower.
The Europa League crown in 2021 didn’t arrive by accident; neither did that Champions League semi-final run that made the continent pay attention. Villarreal’s trick is simple: trust the structure, back the coach, and build teams that look greater than the sum of their parts.
Speaking of parts — and parts that click — Estadio de la Cerámica remains one of Spain’s most distinctive stages. It’s compact, loud, and intensely local, the kind of ground where a one-goal lead feels like two once the crowd leans in. That intimacy mirrors the town itself: a community project masquerading as a European regular.
And the schedule doesn’t let up. Tonight, Villarreal head to Cyprus to face Pafos in the Champions League league phase — a trip that says everything about where this club lives now: on airplanes, on prime-time kickoffs, on those European midweeks they once only dreamed about. The tie’s set for Alphamega Stadium in Limassol; another chance to prove that the Submarine travels well.
If you’re looking for a neat storyline, Villarreal keep handing them out: a provincial club that plans like a giant, recruits like a spreadsheet whisperer, and keeps turning “nice little club” into “nasty little away day.” Third in the table, passports stamped, and that same old yellow glow. The Submarine doesn’t make waves with noise — it does it with results. And lately, there have been plenty of those.
Story and images, by Gregorio Gastaldi
Words and images by Gonzalo Alfaro
Family, food, and football in the heart of Emilia-Romagna.
On an autumn Sunday afternoon, I made my way to Parma’s home game — a pilgrimage of sorts to one of Italy’s most understated football cities. Parma isn’t loud or chaotic; it’s calm, graceful, and steeped in history. Yet beneath that quiet surface lies a football culture full of pride, resilience, and devotion.
The best way to sum up a matchday in Parma is through your first impressions as soon as you arrive in the stadium area: families, a quiet neighbourhood embracing the Tardini, and a huge street closed off as fans arrive, with a roundabout connecting all the roads leading to the stadium arch.
When it comes to atmosphere, this is where you begin to see a half-hidden side of Parma beneath its traditional façade. Non-stop chants, flags waving all match long, and above all, a proud curva filled with tifosi who look out for their own.
Parma is, hands down, one of the biggest cult-classic teams of the ’90s. Despite not being a big club, it made serious history — winning not only domestically (’91–’92 and ’98–’99) but also in Europe (’92–’93, ’93, ’94–’95, and ’98–’99) — with a star-studded team built not just through big signings but by creating stars. Buffon, Thuram, Cannavaro, Verón, Crespo, Chiesa, Dino Baggio, and Asprilla are names worthy of carrying on your back with pride — especially if it’s from the team where they first made their mark.
The first thing you hear about Parma is the food. Parmigiano Reggiano is the obvious star, but the city’s identity goes far beyond that. Cold cuts like Prosciutto di Parma and a long tradition of food science — the city hosts the European Food Safety Authority — have shaped its global reputation. Beyond food, Parma’s cultural life spans theatre, music, puppetry, literature, and year-round festivals. Cross the river to Oltretorrente and you’ll find a more rebellious soul, tied to the partigiani and the city’s barricade history — books, wine, and countercultural spaces. Parma blends tradition and contrast: city life and the rural rhythms of the Po Valley, university students and bohemian currents — slow, quiet, and full of stories.
Exploring the city and speaking with locals, you can tell that, despite not being the noisiest fan base, Parma is filled with stories of strong, deep connections between the club, its staff, and its players. I heard stories from people my age who, as children, would knock on Crespo’s door just to say hello to their idol; fans who know exactly where to find Asprilla whenever he returns to visit old friends; and older tifosi who still insist they’ve never seen a foot like Verón’s on the pitch again.
For a club that’s been rattled by financial troubles, the idea of that glorious 1990s era gives fans hope — hope for a brighter future ahead.
All Words and images by Gonzalo Alfaro
Founded back in 1904, the story of its name alone is a perfect slice of Argentine football myth-making. Some say it came from an earthquake that hit Atlanta, Georgia. Others claim it was borrowed from a U.S. Navy ship that docked in Buenos Aires the same year. Either way, what began as a group of friends in the capital would become one of Argentina’s most beloved, wandering institutions.
The club’s iconic yellow and blue came straight from the striped awnings of Villa Crespo’s old shops — bright, proud, unmistakable. And that sense of colour, of character, has never left Atlanta since. Their first pitch was in Villa Luro, but the club rarely stayed put for long. They bounced from ground to ground, pitch to pitch — earning them the nickname that’s still sung proudly today: Los Bohemios.
From those early years, Atlanta’s story has been full of charm, chaos, and character. In 1907, they won their first title — the third division championship — thrashing Gimnasia y Esgrima 4–1 and, most famously, beating Independiente 21–1. Yes, twenty-one. A scoreline that still lives in Argentine football folklore. By 1908, they’d already won the Copa Bullrich, their first national cup, and cemented themselves as one of the country’s up-and-coming clubs.
Over the decades, Atlanta have lived a life of promotion, relegation, and resurrection. Titles in 1956, 1983, 1995, and 2011 tell the story of a team that has never stopped fighting its way back. Their home — the Estadio Don León Kolbovsky — is an icon of Villa Crespo. Once made of wood and affectionately dubbed El Monumental de Madera (The Wooden Monumental), it stands as a living piece of Buenos Aires football history.
Of course, no Buenos Aires club story is complete without a rivalry, and for Atlanta, it’s one of the fiercest: Chacarita Juniors. The two clubs were neighbours once upon a time, separated by little more than a few streets, and though Chacarita moved away decades ago, the animosity never did. When Atlanta play Chaca, it’s more than a match — it’s a street war written in chants and memories.
But the beauty of Atlanta goes beyond the pitch. The club’s home in Villa Crespo has long been tied to the Jewish community, and Atlanta has always been a reflection of that cultural mix — inclusive, diverse, and proudly local. The stands are filled with families, lifelong fans, and old-timers who’ve seen it all. There’s a sense of belonging that goes far beyond results.
And then there’s Napoleón, the dog. A legend in his own right. Adopted by players in the 1930s, he became Atlanta’s lucky charm — performing tricks before matches, barking at rivals, and following every ball that rolled across the pitch. When he died in 1938, newspapers wrote obituaries. His story, like Atlanta’s, lives on — quirky, passionate, unforgettable.
Today, Atlanta continues to fight in the Primera Nacional, Argentina’s second division. The results come and go, but the spirit of Los Bohemios endures. Their fans don’t just follow a club — they carry a story, a neighbourhood, a way of life.
All images by the excellent Dincolodestadion
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The Speed Sock has been created by Ivy Ellis, and we are honoured to partner with them and @calmzone on a cause that’s deeply close to our hearts.
Through this collaboration, Ivy Ellis continues their incredible work in raising awareness around suicide prevention and mental health within the football community — and together, we hope to keep that conversation alive.
100% of profits from the Speed Sock collection will be donated to CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably), supporting their mission to stand against suicide and help anyone who feels hopeless or alone.
The three socks are available now at ivy-ellis.co.uk and pay tribute to Gary Speed and his time playing for Leeds United, Newcastle United, and, of course, Wales.
Learn more about prevention against suicide at 11speed.org.uk.
The Legacy of Gary Speed
There are footballers you respect — and then there are footballers you feel you know, even if you only ever saw them from the terraces. Gary Speed was very much in the second category for so many of us.
From Flintshire to Football Fame
Imagine a lad from Mancot, Flintshire — working as a paperboy, playing school football, just a kid with a simple dream: to play the game he loved. And then, unbelievably, he lives it.
He became the kind of footballer who meant something. Dependable. Tireless. Humble. The kind of player you’d always want on your team.
A Career of Consistency and Class
Gary won the old First Division title with Leeds United in 1992, just before the Premier League began. He went on to make an incredible 841 senior club appearances in a career that spanned more than two decades.
He earned 85 caps for Wales and was one of the first men in the Premier League to reach 500 appearances.
Those numbers aren’t just statistics — they tell the story of a man who turned up, week after week, season after season, ready to give everything he had. In an age of big money and bigger egos, Gary Speed kept his head down and his game high.
The Heartbeat of Every Team
What made Gary truly special wasn’t just what he achieved, but how he went about it. Wherever he played — Leeds, Everton, Newcastle, Bolton, or Sheffield United — he did the hard yards.
He was the heartbeat of every side he represented, timing his runs perfectly, defending when he had to, attacking when it mattered, and leading by example. He wasn’t the loudest man in the dressing room, but he was often the one everyone listened to.
Leadership Beyond the Pitch
Off the pitch, he was exactly the same. He treated everyone — fans, young players, staff — with quiet respect. There was no arrogance, no ego. Just a man who loved football and carried himself with decency.
When he took on the role of Wales manager, it felt like everything had come full circle. He loved his country, and his vision for Welsh football was clear — he was building something bigger than himself, instilling belief, professionalism, and a sense of pride that laid the foundations for the success that followed.
The Man Everyone Loved
Former teammate Chris Coleman once said:
“I was just drawn to him. The bond had been made. We had that sense of excitement — maybe we’ll be lucky enough to have a career in football.”
And Gordon Strachan, who knew him as a teenager at Leeds, said:
“When I first knew him, he was 17 and ordinary. He made himself a top player. My wife Lesley loved him too.”
That’s the thing about Gary Speed — people didn’t just respect him; they loved him.
Professionalism, Passion, Humility
His story is full of moments that stay with you. A young midfielder, barely 21, helping Leeds United lift the title. The roar of St James’ Park when he wore Newcastle black and white. The pride of standing on the touchline as Wales manager, shaping a team in his image.
Each chapter of his career told the same story: professionalism, passion, and humility.
Gary once said:
“I had a lot of times with Wales when we were getting beaten — and beaten well — and you learn to deal with it. You learn that next time it happens, you roll your sleeves up and give everything for the team.”
That quote sums him up perfectly. No excuses. No self-pity. Just quiet determination.
Remembering Gary
His death at 42 was devastating. The outpouring of emotion from teammates, fans, and even players he’d never met said everything about the man.
But when we think of Gary Speed, we shouldn’t only think of the tragedy. We should remember him in his prime — sleeves rolled up, head held high, giving everything for the badge on his shirt.
If we had to describe him in one sentence, it would be this:
Gary Speed was someone whose presence made everything around him better — his teams, is country, and his sport.
He didn’t shout about it; he lived it. And because of that, he’ll always matter.
A Reminder to Keep Talking
As much as Gary’s story inspires, it also reminds us that we never truly know what someone else might be going through. Behind the smiles, the professionalism, the strength — there can be struggles we don’t see.
That’s why it’s so important to keep talking, keep checking in, and keep reminding one another that it’s okay to ask for help.
This piece is written in partnership with Ivy Ellis and CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) — a leading movement against suicide that stands up against feeling hopeless, isolated, or alone.
CALM runs a free, confidential helpline and webchat, open every day from 5pm to midnight, offering support to anyone who needs to talk.
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can reach CALM at 0800 58 58 58 or visit thecalmzone.net for more information.
Because if Gary’s life and legacy have taught us anything, it’s this:
Strength isn’t about staying silent — it’s about speaking up, reaching out, and knowing that help is always there.
Please support this incredible campaign by Ivy Ellis by visiting here
