When I finally decided to hang up my boots last year after 19 years as a professional footballer in the UK, it?s fair to say that I went into retirement not really knowing what to expect.

I had a few options available to me other than retiring. There was even the possibility of playing on for one last season in the US at the New England Revolution. I?d often thought that I would enjoy a year living and playing in America, but after careful consideration, an honest assessment of the state of my body and lots of chats with my family, I knew it was time to bring my playing days to an end.

When you?re so used to getting up virtually every morning and heading to the training ground, or preparing yourself both mentally and physically for games, it?s almost inevitable I suppose that slipping back into a more ?normal? lifestyle is going to take some getting used to.

For a lot of professional sportsmen forced to change direction after a long playing career, this can often be a pretty painful process ? as they cast around for new ways to fill the hours in the day!

Luckily for me, however, my life since that emotional afternoon of farewells when Southend clinched promotion to the Championship has been choc-a-bloc with activity: settling in back at home after almost two decades overseas, book tours across the UK promoting my autobiography as well as establishing the Island?s new United States Soccer League (USL) team, the Bermuda Hogges, along with my good friends Kyle Lightbourne and Paul Scope. I?d like to use the opportunity presented to me in the first instalment of my new column to thank everybody who supported my book. It was a real pleasure to meet so many people at the signings I had in Bermuda, to listen to their kind words and answer the many questions they had for me.

Coming home to Bermuda after such a long time in England has required some adjustment ? which is understandable I guess when I remember that I have spent a larger slice of my life across the other side of the pond than I have done here.

I made some incredible friends during my time in England, people who I will always be close to and in contact with. But I have to admit I?m now really enjoying being back, mainly because I?m so excited about being involved in the development of local football in the years ahead.

I still get a lot of requests to visit schools and attend functions which I am more than happy to do ? particularly if it involves kids because I?m keen to try and make a positive difference to the lives of Bermuda?s young people. But the demands on my time are making this more and more difficult.

Perhaps understandably though, my main focus is and will continue to be football.

In my opinion, these are exciting times for the local game.

Kyle and Paul did extremely well to take the team through to the playoffs for the finals of the Digicel Cup, which when you consider they had very little to work with in terms of adequate training time and practice matches, was a fantastic achievement.

Now though, with Government hopefully about to invest a large amount of money in the game and with added exposure to higher quality football that our participation in the USL will bring, we should be in a position to make some significant progress.

The USL project has been hugely enjoyable for me personally because I have had to learn quickly about the way business works. I also have a tremendous opportunity to grow and develop as a person through the new challenges set before me. My days are now full of long meetings with several CEO?s, presidents and marketing teams who have all been extremely supportive as you will see and hear in the coming weeks.

Although we are a completely separate enterprise, I am pleased to announce we have had the full support of the Bermuda Football Association and would like to thank all at the BFA for their blessing. They are the governing body of football in this country and they are doing what is in the best interests of the development of the game ? long may it continue!

Over the course of the coming weeks, I?ll be tackling a number of different issues in my column, from my impressions of the current state of local football compared to when I was youngster through to the progress of the Hogges as we set off on this new adventure.

I would like to encourage the public to interact with me as well. I want as much feedback as possible and anybody wishing to ask me any questions or to respond to the things I write need only contact and I will get back to them.

In the meantime though, suffice to say that I?m thrilled to be back, my life is full of exciting new challenges, my family is safe and happy and I?m looking forward to a new chapter in what so far has been a very fulfilling life.