Posts tagged football

Danny Mills and David Beckham celebrate after victory over Argentina in a 2002 World Cup group match

Defender Danny Mills is better known for crunching tackles than his charity work.

But the loss of his son, and an early end to his playing days, have driven the former Leeds, Manchester City and England star in an entirely new direction.

We meet at Wembley – ironic really, given Mills never played here for England. Indeed all of his 19 caps were won away from English football’s iconic home.

But Danny is not here for football, but for a board meeting of a disabled supporters charity. This is his new life.

Wembley Way

He arrives in a wheelchair, hauling himself up Wembley Way. It’s all part of his preparations for this month’s Brighton Marathon, which he will try to complete on wheels to raise money for research into spina bifida.

He has good cause. In 2002, he lost his son Archie to the condition. Danny and his wife were told the diagnosis during the pregnancy.

“When we were first told, we didn’t really know what spina bifida was,” he says. “But then we were told it was so severe, there would be no chance of survival.” (more…)