The Moment with Kelly Cates and Geoff Thomas

Troy Townsend on the death of his son Kurtis and learning to deal with grief

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.

May 24, 2022

52 min

Rebuilding Sean Highdale - surviving a coma and making it to the Paralympics

As a 17-year-old Sean Highdale had signed professional terms with Liverpool and looked set to follow in the footsteps of Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher into the first team, but in 2008 a car crash changed everything, sending him into a coma and killing two of his friends. This is the story of his journey back from life threatening injuries including a broken neck, a shattered knee and a kidney removal, to once again playing football as a professional and how in 2016 he unexpectedly found himself representing Paralympics GB at the 2016 games in Rio. --- 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.

May 17, 2022

43 min

Paul Stewart on the sexual abuse he suffered as a youth player

In 2016 former Tottenham, Liverpool and England midfielder Paul Stewart made the decision to open up about the sexual abuse he suffered from a youth-team coach when he was a young footballer. For more than 40 years, Paul had done whatever he could to suppress or even erase the thoughts and images that haunted him. In this episode, Paul discusses how it has impacted his life and how he's trying to prevent it happening again. Before you begin this podcast we want to let you know that this episode contains detailed discussion of child sexual abuse and trauma. If you’re a victim of sexual abuse of or have been affected by it and would like to talk to someone confidentially you can call 0808 800 5000,

May 10, 2022

55 min

Sol Bamba - from cancer diagnosis to Cardiff return in five months

Former Cardiff and current Middlesbrough defender Sol Bamba was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in January 2021 Still at Cardiff at the time, he quickly underwent gruelling chemotherapy but managed to come through it and make his return to the pitch in the final minutes of the 2020/21 season - this conversation is the story of that journey and how it has changed his outlook on life for the better. --- 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.

May 3, 2022

40 min

Gary Lineker on his son's battle with leukaemia

In the first of a new series Kelly Cates and Geoff Thomas are joined by Gary Lineker who opens up about his son George's battle with leukaemia as a very young baby, and reflects upon those days spent with George in hospital in 1992 and the lasting impact they made... ... 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.

April 26, 2022

36 min

Introducing The Moment with Kelly Cates and Geoff Thomas

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. We'll hear inspiring stories from the likes of Gary Lineker, Sol Bamba, Paul Stewart, Luke Chadwick, Troy Townsend and more.

April 22, 2022

3 min

Euro Stories: 2016

On the eve of England's first ever Euro final, we look back at their darkest day in the tournament when Roy Hodgson's side crashed out to Iceland at France 2016. Oh, how we laughed at the time. Elsewhere, Wales made history, Italy and Germany participated in the worst penalty shoot out of all time, and Portugal and Ronaldo had a shot at redemption. It's Euro 2016, it's brought to you by those who were there from across the continent, and it's right here. Your experts in this episode: Stefan Augustsson for Iceland, Rafa Honigstein for Germany, Lynsey Hooper for England, James Horncastle for Italy, Tom Kundert for Portugal, Julien Laurens for France, Kristof Terreur for Belgium, and Tom Williams for Wales Your charming host is Iain Macintosh and your ace producer is Abi Paterson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

July 9, 2021

48 min

Euro Stories: 2012

It's the year the world was supposedly destined to end, but thankfully the Mayan calendar wasn't synced with ours and 2012 carried on meaning we could enjoy Euro 2012! Four years after tiki taka graced our pitches, it's back and ready for more - but are we? This is the tournament that brought two groups of death, Andy Carroll, and a lot of spying. It's Euro 2012, it's brought to you by those who were there from across the continent, and it's right here. Teams: Group A: Czech Republic, Greece, Poland Russia Group B: Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, Portugal Group C: Croatia, Ireland, Italy, Spain Group D: England, France, Sweden, Ukraine Voices: Host: Iain Macintosh Guests: Elko Born, Sasha Guryunov Rafael Honigstein, Lynsey Hooper, James Horncastle, Themis Kesaris, Tom Kundert, Julien Laurens, Alvaro Romeo Notes Get yourself an Athletic subscription here for just £1 a month for six months! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

July 7, 2021