'Before ADHD diagnosis, I saw my football career as a failure'

"A former professional footballer has spoken out about his adult ADHD diagnosis to raise awareness of the condition. Mark Phillips, who played for Southend United, Millwall, Brentford, and AFC Wimbledon, was diagnosed earlier this year, aged 43. He said he had always known he was "different in some kind of way" and in the past it had "manifested itself negatively"."

"A recent Professional Footballers' Association survey suggested 60% of footballers who have a neurodiversity condition would not feel comfortable telling their club. Phillips agreed that it could be a difficult decision: "As a footballer, as a young footballer, striving to be in a team and trying to cement my career as a solid first-team player, I don't think I would have said it.""

Mark Phillips, a former professional who played for Southend United, Millwall, Brentford and AFC Wimbledon, received an adult ADHD diagnosis at 43. He described lifelong feelings of difference that had sometimes manifested negatively, including comparing himself to others and assuming different personas to fit in. He viewed his career as a failure before diagnosis. A Professional Footballers' Association survey found 60% of neurodivergent footballers would not feel comfortable telling their club. Phillips launched The ND Footballer to encourage openness, citing examples like Lucy Bronze and Safia Middleton-Patel and praising vulnerability shown by women in sport.

Read at www.bbc.com