Lee Carsley who raised son with Down’s Syndrome and continues second job alongside England
LEE CARSLEY does not intend to put his life on hold after becoming interim England manager.
The Three Lions boss oversaw wins over the Republic of Ireland and Finland in his first two games in charge, and has received growing support to take the job on full-time. But Carsley, described as a “special man” by SunSport columnist Troy Deeney, is far more than just an international coach.
He is a loving father who takes his son, Connor, to training for the Solihull Moors Foundation’s Down’s Syndrome team regularly on Friday evenings.
In an interview with the Daily Mail last year, Carsley opened up on how the birth of his second son in 1999 saw him turn the leaf from being a “selfish” Premier League player.
Carsley has three children with wife Louisa.
His second son, Connor, was born with Down’s Snydrome, a condition which increases the risk of health complications such as heart disorders, hearing problems, thyroid issues and recurrent infections.
He said: “It affected the whole family. I was quite selfish as a player. I didn’t know anything about special needs because it didn’t affect me.
“I was quite sheltered in terms of if you went to hospital (for an injury), you went to a specialist. A car took you in, waited, you went straight in, back in the car and away.
“We went from that to, ‘No, this is the real world, if you want a speech therapist you have to get in the queue with everyone else’.
“That probably doesn’t sound right but it was different from what we’d always done.
“It made me a lot more aware of the bigger picture, the bigger world, more aware of how much support families need. Money is obviously important but it didn’t help us.”
Carsley also revealed how Connor, now 25, would take up around 80 per cent of his and his wife’s time when growing up compared to siblings Callum and Lois.
His own fundraising efforts for the foundation led to extra support being made available for other families.
When moving to Everton in 2002 he became vice-president of the club’s Disabled Supporters’ Association, while his influence led to further donations to the Down’s Syndrome Association from team-mates.
The late Sven-Goran Eriksson was said to be among those to contribute.
Carsley, 50, also has the second job of coaching weekly sessions for young footballers aged between 16 and 21 at the Strachan Football Foundation in Warwick.
On his role at the team, he said: “I still find a way to coach which gives me the chance to practise what I’m going to do with any teams I’m working with.
“I could potentially be practising for two months on what I’m going to try, rather than a day when you’ve got two games in an international window.
“It gives me a chance to experiment and then hopefully deliver it when the (England) players are live.
“I was there in Warwick last Friday (Aug 23). I’ve been doing that for maybe three years. It’s like an education and coaching centre.
“The biggest thing you notice when you first come and work internationally is that you stop coaching and I was adamant that wasn’t going to happen to me.
“My biggest strength is coaching so that is one of the things I didn’t want to stop.
“I have other priorities within the job as well. I have to be creative and make sure I have got a couple of hours every week on a Friday morning that I’m able to get out there and try things and get it wrong!”
England’s next games will come in October against Greece and Finland.
