The Keeper
One thought worth keeping. The central line of the edition, said once and said plainly.
A weekly newsletter
The shirt is temporary.
The person has to last.
Football can shape a life. It should never become the whole of one. Every week I write honestly about what sits around the game: identity, pressure, rejection, injury, money, asking for help, and what happens when the shirt comes off.
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Who's writing
Matt Piper
I came through an academy at eight, made it to the first team, and spent the next chapter as a professional footballer. My career took me to Leicester City and Sunderland in the Premier League, and later into coaching, commentary, business and writing.
- Joined the academy at 8 and made the first team
- Former Leicester City and Sunderland Premier League footballer
- Leicester City academy coach
- Owner of the FSD Football Academy
- BBC radio commentator for 10+ years
- Entrepreneur and podcaster
- Author of Out of the Darkness
I am not writing motivation. I am writing the things I wish someone had said out loud.
Buy my first bookYour welcome gift
More Than the Shirt: 29 lessons I wish somebody had given me at fifteen
29 honest lessons from a football journey through academy and Premier League football, injury, recovery and coaching. Written for grassroots and academy players, those chasing the professional game, current and former pros, and the parents and coaches supporting them.
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The 4-3-3. A complete team, picked every week.
My free weekly football newsletter. Every edition follows the same shape. Short enough to read in three minutes, honest enough to stay with you for the week.
The Back Four
Four thoughts from experience. Football, pressure, identity, injury, parenting, starting again.
The Midfield Three
Three voices worth hearing, from players, books and conversations, with one line on why each matters.
The Front Three
Three questions to take forward. The kind worth discussing on the drive home from training.
Who it's for
- Grassroots players developing their game and enjoying football
- Academy players working towards the professional game
- Parents and carers of ambitious 13-18 year old players
- Grassroots and academy coaches supporting players' development
- Current professionals navigating the demands and decisions of a football career
- Former professionals finding their way after playing
- Anyone whose work or life is closely connected to a player's football journey
“Football is the context. The person is the subject.”
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