The Academy Of Football Podcast

Kicking off a new segment for The AOF Podcast, we have 'The Check In', where Kev Slade chats to the man behind the podcast's cameras and mics, Dave 'Legoman' Kidd about anything and everything in life.... basically checking in with each other.The primary aim is to openly discuss how they are feeling about day to day life, the past and the future, with a strong focus on mental health and wellbeing, especially from a man's perspective and sharing their experiences and views together in relation to that.Up for discussion in this episode are a number of topics, including their first experiences of anxiety and depression whilst growing up, the wider impact of trauma suffered by friends and close family members, as well as a smattering of more lighthearted elements along the way, with an occasional nod to West Ham United to!#mentalhealth#mensmentalhealth#westham#westhamunited

In this episode of The Academy Of Football Podcast, Kev is joined by former footballer, professional boxer and now BKFC bare knuckle fighter George 'Hit Hard' Hillyard. George reveals all about his past, from when he was having trials at West Ham United at 13, eventually choosing boxing over football, turning professional and signing a 15 million pound deal with boxing promoter Barry Hearn, nearly beating Mike Tyson's record of the fastest ever pro debut knockout, his upcoming documentary and autobiography and much much more.On the flip side, George also talks candidly about the pitfalls and low points both in his domestic life and professional career that at one point saw him stray off the rails to seek solace in drink, all of which makes George's story a compelling watch from start to finish!Check out his full exclusive interview on @theaof_podcast!CONNECT WITH US ON OUR SOCIAL LINKS HERE :-Twitter/ X : @theaof_podcastInstagram : @theaof_podcast#teamhillyard#bareknuckle#bareknuckleboxing #bkfc#conormcgregor#westham #westhamunited#podcast#theacademyoffootball#footballacademy

Ex-West Ham United Academy graduate Rob Hall joins TAOF Podcast's Kev to talk about his time at the club, having joined at the age of 7 in 2001 and coming up through the ranks, finally to making his Premier League debut in February 2013 against Fulham.Rob spent his time as an academy player whilst under a wide scope of West Ham managers : Glenn Roeder, Alan Pardew, Alan Curbishley, Gianfranco Zola, Avram Grant and Sam Allardyce and goes into the details of his multiple heated clashes with Allardyce's assistant coach Neil McDonald, what it was like to train with and play alongside the troubled footballing genius that is Ravel Morrison and also his fond memories of fellow academy graduate Dylan Tombides, who sadly succumbed to testicular cancer in 2014.Check out his full exclusive interview on @theaof_podcast!If you or anyone else you know is affected by testicular cancer head over to www.dt38.org for lots of useful information. Please consider donating to DT38 via the link below to help raise awareness and support the fight against testicular cancer. Every contribution no matter how small makes a difference.https://gofund.me/03902f234CONNECT WITH US ON OUR SOCIAL LINKS HERE :-Twitter/ X : @theaof_podcastInstagram : @theaof_podcast#westham#westhamunited #podcast#ravelmorrison#jermaindefoe#gianfrancozola#samallardyce#theacademyoffootball#footballacademy #dt38

In this episode TAOF's Kev has a chat with West Ham Fan TV's co-founder Ryan Archer, where he reveals the origins of WHFTV's You Tube channel, the story behind his unwarranted stadium ban by West Ham United, the subsequent police prosecution that was thrown out of court and the effect all that had on him, plus his cameo as a detective in the upcoming cinema release 'Rise Of The Foot Soldier: Ibiza' and his aspirations to make more appearances on the big screen and much more in-between!Check out his full exclusive interview on @theaof_podcast!If you're struggling with any mental health issues, never suffer alone, head to https://www.uok.org.uk/resource/mens-mental-health/ for links to lots of support groups and more.#westham#westhamunited#westhamfantv#whftv#ryanarcher#londonstadium#riseofthefootsoldier#riseofthefootsolider2#riseofthefootsoldieribiza#greenstreet#theacademyoffootball#mensmentalhealth

Ex-TOWIE star Ricky Rayment chats to The Academy Of Football Podcast's Kev about his obessesion with all things West Ham United, the highs and lows of the 2006 FA Cup & 2023 UEFA Conference League cup finals, the buzz of coming up with the Taty Castellanos terrace chant, what it was like to suffer alopecia, losing four close family members within the space of a couple of years along with his breakup with Katie McGlynn and much more. Check out his full exclusive interview on @theaof_podcast!If you're struggling with any mental health issues, never suffer alone, head to https://www.uok.org.uk/resource/mens-mental-health/ for links to lots of support groups and more.CONNECT WITH US ON OUR SOCIAL LINKS HERE :-Twitter/ X : @theaof_podcastInstagram : @theaof_podcast#rickyrayment#towie#westham#westhamunited #footballsongs#tatycastellanos #alopecia #bereavementsupport#theacademyoffootball#mensmentalhealth#dt38

This time round TAOF's Kev chats to musician Joseph J. Jones about his latest single 'You'll Never Take The East End', which he says is less of an anthem and more of a love letter to West Ham United.Joseph also shares his story of being a West Ham fan and how much the club means to him, whether the club will survive relegation from the Premier League to the Sky Bet Championship at the end of the 25-26 season, as well as his aims to help promote the DT38 Foundation who themselves are raising awareness and championing the fight against testicular cancer.Joseph also performs an exclusive live version of 'You Never Take The East End' for The Academy Of Football Podcast which you can't miss!Please consider donating to DT38 via the link below to help raise awareness and support the fight against testicular cancer. Every contribution no matter how small makes a difference.https://gofund.me/03902f234Check out Joseph's website here - https://josephjjonesmusic.com/#westham #westhamunited #mensmentalhealth #academyfootball #footballpodcast #soccerpodcast #football #soccerPlease follow all of our socials for more content:YOUTUBE : @theaof_podcastINSTAGRAM: @theaof_podcastX: @theaof_podcast

In this episode Kevin is joined by Tracy Tombides to talk about her West Ham Academy star son, Dylan. Tracy speaks from the heart about many subjects she holds so close to her, including Dylan’s courage and zest for life he showed during his battle with Testicular cancer, his love for the game, her journey towards spirituality, and her passion & new purpose; spreading awareness for testicular cancer through the charity her and Taylor (Dylan's brother) founded - The DT38 foundation.#westham #westhamunited #DT38 #footballpodcast #soccerpodcast #testicularcancerPlease follow all of our socials for more content:YOUTUBE : @theaof_podcastINSTAGRAM: @theaof_podcastX: @theaof_podcast

Part 2 of Darren Blewitt’s explosive story!Released by West Ham, struggling to come to terms with life after Mark Noble’s testimonial, Addiction, Suicide attempts, suicide notes, and his long road to recovery!#westham #westhamunited #mensmentalhealth #academyfootball #footballpodcast #soccerpodcast #football #soccerPlease follow all of our socials for more content:YOUTUBE : @theaof_podcastINSTAGRAM: @theaof_podcastX: @theaof_podcast

Part one of an exclusive two part episode, TOAF Podcast's Kevin Slade chats in depth with ex-West Ham United Academy graduate Darren Blewitt about his childhood, signing for the club and living the dream as a life long West Ham fan, his mental health and drug/alcohol addiction battles, and much much more!#westham #westhamunited #mensmentalhealth #academyfootball #footballpodcast #soccerpodcast #football #soccerPlease follow all of our socials for more content:YOUTUBE : @theaof_podcastINSTAGRAM: @theaof_podcastX: @theaof_podcast