Extra Time – Ep.4: Tony Kelly

Extra Time – Ep.4: Tony Kelly

All I ever wanted to be, was a professional footballer, so from the age of 8 years old, I knew what my dream was, and what my passion was, especially after watching the 1974 Brazil side, with the likes of Revellino and Jarzhino!

Growing up in Coventry was tough, particularly in the late seventies and early eighties, when racism was at its height, and opportunities to break into professional football were very limited.

There was no doubt that as a young black teenager in the late seventies many doors were closed to progression in the game, and I had to accept that maybe my dream won’t come true.

Although opportunities were limited for me, and barriers and obstacles were in my way in terms of progression, I had a feeling that I would get a break at some point, mainly because I was playing at a high level for COVENTRY SCHOOL BOYS at under 15 level, and my mates kept saying how good I was! My school teachers too!

My break came when I left school at 16 and my older brother Errington Kelly managed to get me a trial at Bristol city. This was due to the fact he was already a pro at Bristol rovers, so he had connections at both clubs! Lucky me!

My football journey had started, and my development was rapid, Becoming the youngest player to play for Bristol City first team at 16, 244 days!

Although I was still an apprentice, just the joy of going to Ashton gate every day, and training on the MASSIVE pitch, looking at the huge stands, was something I will never forget. All I kept thinking was, this is the life for me!

Unfortunately for me, although I made 8 first team appearances as a 16/17-year-old, my attitude stunk! I have since learnt that you can not rely on just talent alone to get you to where you want to be, and it was a lesson I had to learn the hard way, culminating in me getting released from Bristol City 6 months before my 18th birthday, which meant I did not get a professional contract!

That was a crushing blow, going back to Coventry to face family and friends was very difficult. I think this is where I grew up, and where I became resilient in the face of any adversity or any set back.

I accepted what had happened, decided to move to London with my twin brother Mel, and start again. I joined a very well-known and respected non-league football club, Dulwich Hamlet FC, and this is where my non-league career really started.

It takes a lot of commitment and mental strength to play in the non-league sector, mainly because most players have day time jobs, just like myself, and have to drag themselves to training twice a week after a gruelling 9/10 hour day at work! That’s the commitment, but I loved football, and moving into the non-league arena meant I was in the shop window , so to speak, and sure enough it wasn’t long before my next big move came, albeit to SWEDEN! I moved to GIMONAIS CK in second division of Swedish football at 20 years old, and although it was not really what I had hoped for, it was professional football, day to day training, FREE VOLVO, and tax free wages!

After 9 months in Sweden, I returned to my then new non-league club St Albans City, and within a few months all the scouts came sniffing!

Above Tony playing for Stoke City.

My DREAM DID COME TRUE eventually, when in January 1990, aged 22, I was scouted by Alan Ball [ex England] playing for St Albans city, and was offered a 3-year contract to sign for Stoke City! One minute I was playing for St Albans against Stevenage Borough in the Ryman league on a wet horrible Tuesday night, the next I was playing in front of 25,000 fans in the potteries derby at Vale park against Port Vale! All within a week! It was strange going from being a postman and playing in non-league sector, to all of a sudden playing second division football as a professional for Stoke city! A real world wind, and the £20,000 signing on fee was a BIG SURPRISE TOO! So, I had finally made the big time so to speak, but little did I know what was lurking round the corner, or what the next 8/9 years would look like!

I had 8/9 years as a professional, playing for Stoke, Cardiff City, Bury, Leyton Orient, Hull City, Colchester united, and Falkirk, but it was the gambling addiction that cut my career short, finishing professional football at 30.

Above Tony training with Stoke City.

I started when I signed for Dulwich at 18, and with a bookmakers across the road, it seemed inevitable!

Over the next 4 years before I signed for Stoke City, the gambling started to become a problem, and I was borrowing money from work colleagues and family, a definite warning sign!

Above Tony playing for Stoke City.

By the time I had finished my professional football career, which was 6/7 years too early by the way, I was over £200,000 in debt, and was on the verge of losing my house.

I could not shake the addiction, it had consumed me by now and I became dependent on it, another warning sign! I exhausted all avenues of borrowing, so much so that I accumulated £192,000 in creditor debts, and that included 32 creditors, such as pay day loans, log book loans, pawn brokers, credit cards, etc etc etc! This is an evil addiction that rips the life out of you, but also impacts those close to you, such as my partner and my brothers and sisters. They had to go on the journey with me, often bailing me out and unintentionally enabling my gambling.

So, I had lost over £500,000 after 20 years plus gambling, and this include my house in Stoke and my flat in Coventry, but I was not broken!

The first step was to declare bankruptcy, and so in 2009 I walked into the high court in London with a £192,000 bankruptcy file, and walked out a very stress free, relieved man, only because I did not have to deal with all the creditors, bailiffs, letters, phone calls etc etc anymore! Although I had been relieved of the huge debt, there are negatives to bankruptcy, namely the fact it stays on your credit file for 6 years, and then there are long term issues, in terms of applying for a mortgage or a job, that question will often pop up- HAVE YOU EVER BEEN DECLARED BANKRUPT!

We must recover at some point, and we all find different ways of recovery, although sadly, some don’t get to that point, and we must respect that. Once I acknowledged and accepted I had a problem, it was a case of OWNING MY ADDICTION, and that opportunity came when I went on BBC BREAKFAST in 2013.

The one thing that interview on the red sofa taught me was I am not alone, and that is when my eyes were really opened to the scale of problem gambling in the UK.

Fast forward a couple years and my book RED CARD had now been published, and my company
RED CARD GAMBLING SUPPORT PROJECT CIC were now up and running! I wanted to go down the education and awareness route, so we built the company on lived experience model, and we are dedicated to raising awareness of gambling harms for all.

Above Tony playing for Stoke City.

My story is one of resilience, faith and hope, and so it was no secret when I decided to get baptised on June 7th, 2017, in my local church in Enfield, North London. I mentioned how we all recover differently, and not one size fits all, well my Christian faith is a big part of my sustained recovery, and coupled with some counselling in 2016, and my family support network, I have managed to beat my demons and come out the other side.

Above Tony with Jamie Lenton of Bedworth Utd.

I am testament that anybody can recover from adversity and trauma, and still go on to live a healthy and sustainable lifestyle, but you have to WANT to recover.

Above Tony with Frank Bruno.

My final book MY REDEMPTION was released in January 2025, and so my story is complete. I travel the UK sharing my testimony, and I am a respected gambling harms advocate, which has made me so proud and blessed. I will now continue to help RED CARD grow as an organization, and continue to raise awareness of gambling harms by sharing my story on various platforms, giving people hope that all is not lost, no matter how dark things get!

Tony

Read more about Tony's organisation Red Card - Gambling Education & Support

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