Former Trinidad and Tobago 2006 World Cup squad member Ian Cox is no longer involved in football as he sets about on having a greater impact on the future of underprivileged youngsters in Britain.
Cox, a former captain at Bournemouth AFC quit playing in 2008 and now works in an assessment centre, where he helps decide whether youngsters are placed into one of the organisation’s main houses or into a foster placement. “I am enjoying what I am doing now,” said the 40-year-old, who lives in Kent.
“I always wanted to work with kids and young people who had been a little bit unfortunate through whatever circumstances, trying to make a little bit of a difference in their lives, whether that be through me being there as a career or worker, or just being a support mechanism for them.
“I finished in professional football in 2008 at Gillingham. In 2008, I kind of lost my appetite. I picked up a few injuries and it was the right time for me to move on,” said Cox who played was a second half substitute in T&T’s 1-0 victory over Bahrain in Manama to seal its qualification to Germany.
He reflected on the entire experience last week, saying : “The only downside—if you can call it a downside—was that I didn’t get any playing time. But that aside, the whole experience of being fortunate enough to go to the World Cup was the highlight of my career.”