London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

Ipswich Town player Lewis Reed, from Swansea, 'endured living hell'

Ipswich Town player Lewis Reed, from Swansea, 'endured living hell'

A footballer endured a "living hell" at a football academy he joined aged 16 that left him suicidal, he revealed.

Lewis Reed, from Swansea, wants better support for young players after his experiences at Ipswich Town FC.

Now aged 19, the Covid pandemic led to Mr Reed's contract not being renewed, but his time away from the game has given him "the confidence" to speak up.

Ipswich Town said it was "disappointed" to hear of his concerns and was seeking a meeting with Mr Reed to discuss them.

The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) has said it was "saddened to read Lewis Reed's account of his experience within football and applaud him for speaking out so candidly".

'Was loving life'


Midfielder Mr Reed said he went from "such a high" to "feeling so low" at the club, in a matter of months.

He told the BBC it hit his parents "really hard" especially, because they had been used to seeing their son every day as someone who was "absolutely loving life as everything was going his way".

"[But then they had gone to] not seeing him and in that time of not seeing him for his life to become a living hell.

Lewis Reed joined Ipswich Town's academy at the age of 16

"[My mum would] come off the phone and say to my dad that would be the last time she'd speak to her son… they were concerned suicide might have been on my mind, and at times it was."

Mr Reed described feeling "invisible" to coaching staff and disappointed that he "didn't get the opportunity to play" more frequently at the club.

And after struggling with "extreme pain" from an in-growing toenail, Mr Reed said he was told to "man-up".

"Every time my parents rang they thought it might be the last time they would speak to me," he said.

His family decided to approach the club for help and Mr Reed later attended a counselling session.

But he declined the offer of more as he didn't feel like it had helped.

"I actually got more support from the security guard on the gate," Mr Reed continued.

"Me and him would have a chat for 30-40 minutes and I felt he was more supportive than some of the coaches at the club."

When his contract was not renewed last year, he said he received no communication from the club.

"We are 16, 17, 18 out of school straight into a tough environment, it's all we've known, football, football and more football, there's no guidance on what the next step is going to be," he said.

The PFA said it had contacted Mr Reed to offer him support.

"We know that a career in football can be challenging for all players and their families, but particularly young players," it said in a statement.

"Over the past decade, the players' union has led the way in putting mental health firmly on football's agenda, providing 24/7 wellbeing support and encouraging personal development."

'Academy highly regarded'


Mr Reed, who is now interning at his family's business, is calling for a change in the academy system with more support for young players away from home, and on release from contract.

In a statement, Ipswich Town said they were "obviously very disappointed" to hear of Mr Reed's comments and were currently arranging a meeting with him.

"Our Academy is very highly regarded and we have been assured by all the authorities including the PFA that we have met and exceeded all the protocols around player welfare," the club said.

"We will be issuing a much broader statement in due course but if there are any lessons to be learnt from speaking to Lewis, we want to take them on board."


Lewis Reed says he wants better support for young players


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
×