Meet the former footballer turned musician helping those in need

• Phil Fitzgerald is a former footballer who played for Arsenal and Irish clubs such as Dundalk, Shelbourne and Drogheda United
• The Irishman retired from professional football at 28 and later became a songwriter and musician
• A percentage of all monetary returns from his latest album is going to the Irish Professional Footballers Benevolent Association, supporting former players suffering from health problems

Phil Fitzgerald was just 15 when he left Dublin, Ireland, in the mid-1970s to pursue his dream of becoming a professional footballer with English giants Arsenal.

Internationals such as Liam Brady, David O’Leary and Frank Stapleton had helped forge a route across the Irish Sea for promising youngsters such as Fitzgerald, who arrived in north London around the same time as future Irish international John Devine.

Though pursuing one passion, he was soon to discover another: after morning training with Arsenal, Fitzgerald would spend afternoons and evenings honing his guitar skills and listening to the likes of Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Santana.

" I was in digs with Frank [Stapleton] and John [Devine] and it was John who bought a guitar and started picking out a few chords," Fitzgerald reflects. "Eventually he stopped playing and that was when I started to pick it up.

"I remember going by a shop one day in London after training and there was a cheap guitar and a book on chords. That’s how it started."

After a couple of years at Arsenal, Fitzgerald would return home at 17 to play in the League of Ireland for Dundalk, bringing with him his guitar and a new-found love of blues music.

"I loved my time at Arsenal – there were some fantastic players there – but looking back I was very young, probably naïve.

"When I came home, I started writing songs and playing music with friends, but football was still my main passion."

Fitzgerald would play for 11 years in the League of Ireland until he was forced to retire in his late twenties due to a knee injury. After hanging up his boots, he made a living coaching as well as being a rhythm guitarist, vocalist and setting up local bands. A passion for charity fundraising via organised music gigs soon developed.

"Over the years I’ve organised gigs for the homeless and other charitable causes, but I wanted to do something to help former footballers in Ireland.

"When I played in the 1980s, there was little money in the game here and many of my former team-mates and opponents are suffering ill health; one recently had a stroke and is barely there, another has dementia.

"They’re just two of many former players who are going through a tough time, and I wanted to do something to help."

A percentage of sales from Fitzgerald’s latest album will support the Irish Professional Footballers Benevolent Association (IPFBA), who have served as the charity partner for PFA Ireland’s annual awards.

Formed in 2023 and led by former player Martin Lawlor, IPFBA’s aim is to provide support for the welfare of ex-professional footballers in Ireland.

 ”When Martin, a close friend and former team-mate, told me how many former players from 20 and 30 plus years ago were struggling, I offered my support to the IPFBA.

"The fundraising through the singles and album sales is still in its infancy, but when people realise it’s being done for the association, and the reasons behind it such as helping former players in their sixties and seventies with medical bills, they’re keen to support.

"As players, we never know how quickly our career and life path may change due to aging, injury or mental health issues brought on by the stress of playing professional football. If just a small percentage of players and supporters were to purchase or stream the album, it would go a long way to helping former players who find themselves in difficult situations."

PFA Ireland General Secretary Stephen McGuinness said: "PFA Ireland is pleased to see the great work being done by the IPFBA to support former players. Phil's charitable contribution through his album is a great initiative that will hopefully go a long way in assisting former players when they need it most.

"PFA Ireland played a part in the formation of the IPFBA in 2023, and it is great to see the body continue to grow. Support for former players later in life is hugely important, and we will continue to assist the IPFBA in their mission where we can."

To purchase Phil Fitzgerald's album Making My Stand and help former players in Ireland, head HERE.