Ledley King back in training
The finest centre-back of his generation and the best centre-back Thiery Henry ever played against, Ledley King, is back in training.
The Tottenham Hotspur legend needs to get himself fit ahead of his final game for the club which promises to be a fun night. Forced to retire in 2012 through a constant knee injury that prevented him training the 33 year-old former skipper has little time to get back in shape for his testimonial, just a month. Shouldn't be a problem, towards the end of his playing career he didn't even train at all!
On May 12th he will once more grace White Hart Lane against the current first team in aid of charity. Ledley has spent 2 years as a club ambassador and working with the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation. His role there sees him working with all five departments, Community Development, Health and Wellbeing, Education, Equalities and Inclusion and Sports Development.
Having working in that field myself I can tell you it is enjoyable, if you have a helping others character. The difference you can make to peoples lives is immense and when you see what you may consider a small step but is in actual fact a massive mental step for them, their unbridled joy is an uplifting. That may be as simple as, simple to you that is, someone who has had a mental breakdown and become largely housebound going out and into a big supermarket to buy a couple of items.
An achievement like that for them is like climbing Mount Everest and gives them hope that they can achieve more. Slowly it's then breaking down each barrier as it appears which is incredibly stressful. Ledley King will be doing his bit and his very presence will give some people a huge lift.
A lot of work goes into co-ordinating community involvement, far more than people realise. It is a constant battle to raise funds for many through government iniatives, grants and trusts while European Union funds are under used.
Ledley will have to return to his old friends in the physio room to have an assessment and then have a training program created for him.
I'll have to give the knee a good workout to get myself in shape to play.
“It’s not just a case of going out there and playing - I will have to put a bit in just to get out onto the pitch, and that starts with the knee and making sure it’s strong enough for the game.
“We’ve got great facilities that I’ll be able to use and I’ve spent many years working with the physios here – I think they’re enjoying me not being around these days to be honest. But I’ll obviously get a programme from them and go from there.
“Day-to-day it’s better than when I was playing - it used to always be swollen. It’s when I try to do activities that I get real problems, but I’ll be trying to get in the best position to play the game.
“It should be a great occasion for the fans and for me to come out one more time and say thank you with some old faces from the past.
“It will be emotional and a chance for me to say thanks for the support I’ve had over the years, and that I continue to receive.
“The difficulty will be picking the starting 11 – I might not make it in on current form. It will all be former players - it’s a real in-house thing, so I think the fans will really enjoy it."
Ledley doesn't yet know whether management is for him feeling it takes a special type, he decided to take his coaching badges and see how he felt about it.
“At the moment I’m continuing to work with the foundation and as an ambassador, which allows me to do my coaching badges at the same time. It’s something I’ll assess in a year or two.
“Coaching is something I’m curious about and it’s important I take the opportunity to see how I really feel about it. If I enjoy it I’ll throw myself into it and give it 100 per cent.
“For me it’s important to get the qualifications and see what opportunities there are but it would be good to see some more black managers in the league.”
The Tottenham Hotspur legend needs to get himself fit ahead of his final game for the club which promises to be a fun night. Forced to retire in 2012 through a constant knee injury that prevented him training the 33 year-old former skipper has little time to get back in shape for his testimonial, just a month. Shouldn't be a problem, towards the end of his playing career he didn't even train at all!
On May 12th he will once more grace White Hart Lane against the current first team in aid of charity. Ledley has spent 2 years as a club ambassador and working with the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation. His role there sees him working with all five departments, Community Development, Health and Wellbeing, Education, Equalities and Inclusion and Sports Development.
Having working in that field myself I can tell you it is enjoyable, if you have a helping others character. The difference you can make to peoples lives is immense and when you see what you may consider a small step but is in actual fact a massive mental step for them, their unbridled joy is an uplifting. That may be as simple as, simple to you that is, someone who has had a mental breakdown and become largely housebound going out and into a big supermarket to buy a couple of items.
An achievement like that for them is like climbing Mount Everest and gives them hope that they can achieve more. Slowly it's then breaking down each barrier as it appears which is incredibly stressful. Ledley King will be doing his bit and his very presence will give some people a huge lift.
A lot of work goes into co-ordinating community involvement, far more than people realise. It is a constant battle to raise funds for many through government iniatives, grants and trusts while European Union funds are under used.
Ledley will have to return to his old friends in the physio room to have an assessment and then have a training program created for him.
I'll have to give the knee a good workout to get myself in shape to play.
“It’s not just a case of going out there and playing - I will have to put a bit in just to get out onto the pitch, and that starts with the knee and making sure it’s strong enough for the game.
“We’ve got great facilities that I’ll be able to use and I’ve spent many years working with the physios here – I think they’re enjoying me not being around these days to be honest. But I’ll obviously get a programme from them and go from there.
“Day-to-day it’s better than when I was playing - it used to always be swollen. It’s when I try to do activities that I get real problems, but I’ll be trying to get in the best position to play the game.
“It should be a great occasion for the fans and for me to come out one more time and say thank you with some old faces from the past.
“It will be emotional and a chance for me to say thanks for the support I’ve had over the years, and that I continue to receive.
“The difficulty will be picking the starting 11 – I might not make it in on current form. It will all be former players - it’s a real in-house thing, so I think the fans will really enjoy it."
Ledley doesn't yet know whether management is for him feeling it takes a special type, he decided to take his coaching badges and see how he felt about it.
“At the moment I’m continuing to work with the foundation and as an ambassador, which allows me to do my coaching badges at the same time. It’s something I’ll assess in a year or two.
“Coaching is something I’m curious about and it’s important I take the opportunity to see how I really feel about it. If I enjoy it I’ll throw myself into it and give it 100 per cent.
“For me it’s important to get the qualifications and see what opportunities there are but it would be good to see some more black managers in the league.”
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