Jack Storer: The Anger Was Pain, My Battle to Stay in the Game

Most people who watched me play saw a kid with "issues" or "aggression" on the pitch. They saw the different clubs I played for by age 17 and the intensity of my game, but they never saw the chaos happening inside my head. Football was my escape, but it was also where I hid my greatest battles.

The Rise and the Fall

My journey wasn’t a straight line. At 13, I was released from Birmingham City. That rejection hits different when your entire identity is tied to being an athlete. I spent the next four years fighting to get back, moving away from home at 15 and bouncing between different clubs. I eventually found my way back to Birmingham City through Stevenage FC, and at 17, I made my Championship debut. On paper, I was living the dream, but behind the scenes, I was fighting just to stay alive.

The Hidden Opponent

While I was chasing a name I hoped to live up to, I was drowning in thoughts that told me the world would be better off without me. I reached a place so dark I tried to end it all. The "anger" people saw in my football wasn't just about the game; it was pain coming to the surface. I made mistakes, and I knew what people thought of me, but no one knew that my biggest opponent wasn't the team on the other side of the ball—it was my own mind.

To the Athlete Still Fighting

I’m still here at 27, surviving what was meant to break me. If you are an athlete feeling like you have to mask your pain with performance, I want you to know that your story isn’t finished. It wasn't my time to go then, and it isn't yours now. Please stay. 💙