GEOFF Horsfield announced his retirement from football in 2008 after being diagnosed with testicular cancer, but after successful treatment, he resumed his career, signing a six-month contract for Lincoln City in January 2009.
“There’s definitely a stigma about men talking about their health,” he added.
“I was diagnosed with cancer when I was 36 - 14 years have passed and people still don’t want to speak to me about it.
“I’m not embarrassed about that.
“It’s the same with mental health.
“It’s difficult to talk about but with social media it does seem to becoming more open now which is good.”
After his playing career ended, Geoff went on to become a coach at Port Vale.
But he quickly realised that wasn’t for him and he eventually set up the Geoff Horsfield Foundation - a charity which supports vulnerable adults in the Midlands.
“I did my coaching badges at Port Vale but I didn’t really enjoy it.
“I was with a few of my pals one night and I saw a load of homeless people.
“We used to feed the homeless on a Monday night but we can’t do that now - it’s scandalous how much food goes to waste. I just dropped into the charity, really. I’ve got eight houses that we use to support the homeless, those who have just come out of the care system and people with drug issues.
“We house and support each of them and try to get them back into work.
“We just try and help as many people as we can.”
He added: “There’s obviously some real bad stories but there’s some positive ones too.
“It’s really rewarding.”
Visit the Geoff Horsfield Foundation online to find out more about how you can help.
