What Chris Did Next
Since making his professional debut for Port Vale back in 2001, Chris Birchall has enjoyed a full and varied career that has included representing Trinidad and Tobago at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and partnering David Beckham in LA Galaxy's midfield for three seasons. Now 31, the player is putting preparations in place for the next exciting chapter in his life ahead of him hanging up his boots up, as he explains to Andy Greeves.
11 April, 2016
Since 2013, Chris Birchall has been back where it all began in terms of his football career. Born in Staffordshire on May 5, 1984, the midfielder started training with Port Vale - one of the English county's two professional clubs along with Stoke City - from the tender of eight and went on to make his first-team debut for the club in 2001.
After making nearly 100 appearances for the Valiants, he was sold to Coventry City in 2006 but after spells with St Mirren (loan), Carlisle United (loan), Brighton & Hove Albion, Los Angeles Galaxy and Columbus Crew, he would end up returning to Vale Park three years ago.
"It's great to be back with my first club," reflects Birchall on playing for Port Vale. "I'm a local lad and I owe the club a lot in terms of developing me as a young player, giving me my first-team breakthrough and more recently, re-signing me. It was family reasons that brought me home (from the United States to England), with my little boy about to start school so we thought it was the right time to come back to the UK when we did in 2013."
Birchall turns 32 on May 5th this year and the midfielder believes he has "three or four years left playing", which would give him time to write another chapter in what has already been an incredible career to date. One of his undoubted highlights was playing for Los Angeles Galaxy between 2009 and 2011 where he was a team-mate of David Beckham and won the MLS Cup in his final season with the club.
"I enjoyed the United States hugely," smiles Birchall. "Some players go abroad and miss home, but I was the opposite. I just loved living there and playing my football there. There was a lot less pressure in matches as it wasn't one of the leading sports, being behind basketball, baseball, American football etc. That was good and bad. It was nice not to have the life or death kind of reaction to one result that we have in English football, but equally, the atmosphere was never as good as it is here.
"It's great to think I went out there in the prime of my career. A lot of players go there for the end of their career, but I was privileged to be there between 25 and 29."
Birchall played 66 MLS matches for the Galaxy scoring once and also made 18 league appearances, netting once, for Columbus Crew in 2012. His MLS debut came when he replaced David Beckham as a 70th minute substitute against the New York Red Bulls on July 16, 2009 and he would strike-up a good friendship with 'Becks' during his time in California as well as singer, former That Take member Robbie Williams, who also originates from Staffordshire and supports Port Vale!
"David (Beckham) was fantastic - he's just a lovely guy," comments Birchall on his friendship with Beckham. "When you spend time with him, you quickly forget he is one of the most famous people in the world because he is so down to earth. There are constant demands on him but he takes everything in his stride and deals with all the attention that comes his way brilliantly. He's a proper family man too. I really can't give him enough credit."
Birchall had lined-up against Beckham prior to their time at LA Galaxy as the pair were on international duty. Beckham wore the number seven shirt and skippered England to a 2-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago in a World Cup fixture in Nuremberg on June 15, 2006, with Birchall wearing T&T's number seven.
"The Trinidad and Tobago thing came about very quickly," says Birchall, who won 43 caps and scored four international goals between 2005 and 2013. "At the end of one season at Port Vale, I got approached by them (the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation). I was asked if I'd like to attend a camp with the national team with my mum having been born there.
"It was quite daunting arriving as a youngster in a country I'd never been to before and not knowing anyone. The games started to come thick and fast though, which was great and all of a sudden we had a great run of results that saw us qualify for the World Cup 18 months later. It was a dream being drawn against England in the group stage, as it was for many of our team because we had lots of English-based players. There was Dwight (Yorke), Kenwyne Jones, Carlos Edwards, Dennis Lawrence etc etc. Playing England was almost like a derby in a weird sort of way and it was incredible lining up against them. I don't think it was an experience I fully appreciated until many years later."
Playing professional football remains Birchall's career focus at present, but he also has an eye on the future. He is currently two years into a Batchelor of Arts degree course in Professional Sports Writing and Broadcasting at Staffordshire University.
"When you're 25, you think you'll be playing forever," he explains. "It was only when I became 28, 29 and people started to say 'what are you going to do after football?' That's when I really started to ask myself that. I'd not considered it before. I only signed up for the course a week before it started. Considering a degree takes three years to complete, I feel so fortunate that I had the thought then rather than having to wait another year to start.
"I've really thrown myself into the studies and I'm enjoying it a lot. We had a two week spell last summer when we (fellow students) all went into university and completed mini-projects, like TV packages, learnt how to edit, do voice overs etc. That was fantastic. There are six of us on the course currently and we're all footballers! Some of my course mates include Jack Collison, Blair Adams and Chris Iwelumo. We are very lucky because the PFA (Professional Footballers' Association) fund £14,000 of our £18,000 course fees meaning we only have to pay £4,000 to eventually obtain a degree."
Birchall has future ambitions of making it into television broadcasting, with the aim of being a sports pundit or presenter. And it seems the midfielder is not alone in giving life after playing some serious consideration and planning.
"At Port Vale, we have a lot of experienced pros and there are quite a few players doing similar things to myself, as far as preparing for life after football," confirms Birchall. "We have some lads doing coaching badges or media courses. A few players here are also talking about starting up my course in the summer. I think the last couple of years have seen a real shift in terms of footballers being much more open-minded to studies that will stand them in good stead after their careers end. You are no longer thought of as a geek by your team-mates, more just sensible!"
