Waterlooville, England, United Kingdom
After 40+ years in and around professional sport, from professional player, player management to mentoring, one thing has become clear to me. We prepare athletes for the start of their careers, but rarely for the end. Too many players, coaches, and professionals find themselves lost when the structure, identity, and community of sport suddenly stop. And for years, I’ve seen that story play out…..quietly, painfully, and unnecessarily. That’s why I co-founded Our Equilibrium - a purpose-led, athlete-built community designed to support professional athletes throughout and beyond their sporting careers. Our Equilibrium isn’t just an App, it’s a community for athletes to reconnect, reflect, and rebuild their sense of identity, purpose, and direction. It combines mentorship, practical tools, and real stories from people who have walked the same path. Helping athletes at every stage of their career, plan and prepare for life beyond the game, with clarity, confidence, and purpose. My focus now is simple: - To change how the sporting world approaches transition. - To make thriving beyond sport the norm, not the exception. - To build and facilitate a community that connects athletes with the right people, resources, mentoring, coaching and support at the right time. This isn’t a business built from theory - it’s built from lived experience. From years of listening to athletes who have said: “Mark, I wish someone had told me this sooner.” So that’s what we’re doing. Telling the stories, building the tools, growing the community and connecting the people who can make a difference. If you are working in sport, a professional athlete, a mentor, or someone who believes in supporting athletes and want to be part of this change, I’d love to connect.
Our Equilibrium was founded to address one of the most overlooked challenges in professional sport....how athletes prepare for and manage change throughout their careers. Built from over 40 years in elite football, both on and off the pitch, I created Our Equilibrium as a trusted, athlete-led community and free app that helps sports professionals build the mindset, structure, and support they need to thrive. Not just when their careers end, but at every stage of their journey. Whether an athlete is just starting out, at the peak of their career, or approaching retirement, Our Equilibrium helps them reflect, plan ahead, and take control of their next steps with confidence and purpose. Key focus areas: - Supporting athletes at every stage of their career - from development to when it all stops. - Building proactive career and wellbeing plans early, not reactively. - Mentorship, mindset, and identity beyond performance. - Connecting athletes to trusted networks, opportunities, mentors and guidance.
Myself and two of our company directors were forced to retire from professional sport in their 20’s, with little or no safety net to help guide us through those treacherous situations. As a result, we have come together to form, Empower Sports Management, a player agency designed to empower you to take control with support and guidance. Within Empower Sports Management we have also created a first of its kind education platform, Empower Sports Education Academy (ESEA). A personal one-year development programme, designed and structured to run alongside your chosen sporting career. Run by ex-professional athletes across a variety of sports, who have gone on to have extremely successful careers, after retiring from their own chosen sports. We strongly believe that all sports people should start to prepare for the second phase of their lives during their playing careers. We want to build a sporting community, that looks after the interests of its members. We will all know someone whose career would have been cut short for one reason or another, or simply their sporting careers have come to a natural end. It is critical that you start to explore other ways to find meaning in your life alongside your sporting profession.
Mentoring the management staff of Southern District Football Club in Hong Kong. Creating and implementing structures and strategies to enhance performance of the team.
Returning to the Football Club in very different circumstances, tasked with rebuilding the Academy, after the club had fallen to the bottom tier of the English professional football framework following multiple administrations and near financial ruin before being bought out by the fans. My job has been to produce assets for the football club (on a very limited budget) to either use in the first team or to sell on to bigger football clubs. During this period, we have produced many players who represented/still represent the club or went on to play at a higher level. The Academy has also created a revenue stream which exceeded the expectations of the Board of Directors and played a big role in the financial survival of the club at the time. Under new ownership (Michael Eisner and family) the Academy has continued to produce playing assets for the football club.
Working as a radio commentator for the BBC, commentating on all Portsmouth Matches throughout the season.