On Wednesday 24th March, the Jason Roberts Foundation were delighted to welcome former, Leicester, Crystal Palace and Sheffield Wednesday forward, Mark Bright to our ‘The Player, The Man’ series. The evening had a specific focus on not only Mark’s career as a professional footballer but also his time in foster care.
It proved to provide some intriguing discussion points around personal challenges, adaptations, and mindset around day to day and game by game experiences. The evening had an added twist, as Mark and the Foundation were also joined by Paul Egunjobi, who was also brought up in foster care and has just completed his training to become a fully qualified solicitor.
Paul relayed his own experiences of the challenges he has faced on his inspiring journey so far, but also sought greater insight from Mark, around not only his playing career but just as importantly his experiences within foster care.
The event also provided a good opportunity to highlight Mark’s book, in which Mark added; ‘Everyone, quite rightly has a story to tell and I just hope that people will feel uplifted by reading my story. Challenges are there for everybody, but I am happy to tell mine and I hope people will enjoy it.’
‘The Player, The Man’ series has previously featured guests including Michael Thomas, Andrew Cole, and Emile Heskey, all who have recounted their own personal experiences and been asked questions by an invited audience.
Adam Lea, a sports consultant who supports the Foundation with marketing and social media said; ‘If you haven’t seen any of these interviews yet, I really recommend you do so. The diversity of career, experiences and successes demonstrate what a different path we all can tread. Mark’s session was a fascinating insight into someone who has so much to say, but who also really wants to listen. It really is inspiring stuff.’
To watch the interviews back, please click the following link https://vimeo.com/534882941
