Following his forced retirement from professional football, former Gillingham footballer Olly Lee sat down with James & Owen from The ME7 Podcast. They discuss his career and the medical condition that has forced him to retire at just 31 years old.
Back in February 2023 Olly Lee announced that after battling Psoriatic Arthritis & Raynaud’s Condition, he had been forced to retire from professional football. A glittering career and a true professional, a big loss to the game.
Although, we haven’t lost him completely, since his retirement Olly has put his focus into coaching and as you’ll find out below, he has big plans for his coaching career. He has also started the Lee Football Academy, Olly’s personal project which welcomes all ages and abilities.
Olly is of course, one of ex England midfielder Rob Lee’s two sons. His younger brother Elliot is also a professional footballer, who currently plays for National League outfit Wrexham. There is clearly something in the water at the Lee household.
Lee’s career started at West Ham in their academy system, although he was never able to break into the first team, he would go on to play 365 senior games across the EFL & Scotland.
The majority of his games came during his spells with Gillingham and Luton where he made, 113 and 124 appearances respectively.
But it was at Gillingham where Olly had to make the painstaking decision to call it a day on his career, which is something he still struggles with now.
The Struggle To Call It A Day At Gillingham
“Then you’re getting to the point where I can’t do this, I can’t just keep trying to keep on but not doing myself any justice, not doing the lads any justice, not doing the club any justice.”
“So I had to make the decision that, I’m still struggling to accept at the minute, to be honest. Because you have days where the body feels ok maybe I can come back, maybe I can do it. You can’t.”
“I tried to go for a run this morning and I couldn’t feel my feet, so it’s like I can’t do the normal things that used to be so easy. It does hurt, it has been a really painful journey”
Mental Health
I think one of the things that go under the radar is the mental side of what Olly has gone through, we will of course come onto the physical side. But that mental side is something that is often not discussed.
“I was just dealing with the mental turmoil of it. A lot of the medications, some of the side effects were like depression and things like that.”
“I had a really tough period before Christmas where it was hard, I didn’t want to get out of bed, I didn’t want to do certain things. I haven’t really spoken about it before”
“I was taking all this medication just to be out there, I’m quite a proud person like, I wanted to be the man, I wanted to show yeah I’m really good for League Two, I know I’m good for this level I know what I can do. I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t do what was so easy for me what I’ve been doing since I was a kid. It drives me mad and I think mentally it drained me.”
Psoriatic Arthritis and Raynaud’s Condition
For those that don’t know the conditions that Olly suffers from are called Psoriatic Arthritis and Raynaud’s Condition, click on the names to find out more about these conditions.
Olly goes on to speak about how the condition affected him and the struggles that he has gone through over the last year.
“So about a year ago, just around the time that the gaffer came in, I’d had bits and bobs going on. It got to a point where I’d have to soak my feet in hot water before every game just to get some feeling in them, you know the hand warmers that you can like scrunch up in your hands, I was playing with them in my boots”
“Pre-season, I felt terrible I was just getting through. I remember the Crystal Palace game obviously I scored two, but at halftime, I wanted to come off, I was desperate to come off.”
“I knew I felt terrible, I couldn’t get close to people I couldn’t run around. I thought oh maybe they’re Premier League players like they’re quicker, faster, stronger anyways. Then you play other games and I’m like there are young lads in training running past me and I’m like nah that’s not it.”
Charlton Away
“Remember we played Charlton away in the Papa Johns, I’ve never wanted to come off a pitch more in my whole career. The gaffer took me off after 60 minutes, I was delighted and that’s never been me, I’m usually raging coming off. There was a moment in the first half and I can remember it so clearly that they’d attacked us, don’t know who he was young lad for Charlton in midfield he ran off me that way (points behind). Then we counter-attacked, I saw the ball going wide, that would be my moment yeah I’m getting in the box, I just remembered going (puffs out cheeks) I can’t make that run, I can’t do it. I think I must have got to the edge of the box and then the rest of the game just pasted me by after that”
Heads In The Clouds
Olly was subbed off in that game, after the match Olly was given a dressing down by the manager who said to the midfielder “Your heads in the clouds”.
“The next day, I was first in the training ground and I pulled him and said gaffer you’re completely right my head is in the clouds, but it’s not because of what you think it is. It’s because my body is just breaking down at the minute, my body’s not doing what I want to do, and I’m not moving how I want to move. I can’t do the things that were so easy to me before.”
Determination To Return
From that point, his condition only got worse but Olly was determined to get back and show what he had to offer but his body just wouldn’t let him.
“So I had two weeks off, I had a bit of time go my medication right, so then I was taking injections every week and then I was taking six tablets a day trying to get through training and that’s all I was doing just getting through.”
Not only was he having to deal with the effects of his conditions and the side effects of the medications. He also had a heart scare which until now had never been public knowledge.
“I actually had a heart scare that nobody knows about, we were training, the lads that hadn’t played doing a five aside. I sprinted and I just had to fall over basically on the side of the pitch”
“Couldn’t catch my breath, my heart was racing out of my chest, I had my watch on and my watch was going crazy in BPM, so I went to A&E.”
“Basically because I was on steroids at the time, one of the tablets. A virus had found its way into my heart, so it could have been quite dangerous but it wasn’t I was fine, I had all the tests and everything.”
Children
The interview finishes with Olly sharing a touching message to his two young kids and discussing his plans moving forward, while also thanking fans for their messages following his announcement.
“It’s something that I want to build into, having the confidence and the courage to talk about these things and talk about the days I didn’t want to get out of bed.”
“I couldn’t and you know I’ve got two young kids and I didn’t want to get out of bed. They got me through it, they are getting me through it, because I don’t want to let them down, I want to be someone they’re proud of.”
Gratitude
“I’m so grateful for all the messages I got, when I put the statement out, they blew me away to be honest it wasn’t expected. People don’t say enough to people as you’re doing it, I wish someone would have said during my career what a great player you were, what a great person you are, because you don’t say it enough to people.”
“I look back at the messages all the time, because it gives you that little boost you need when you’re feeling a bit down.”
“Thankfully I took up coaching more seriously two years ago before this all started and sort of fell in love with it and found my passion with it, that’s been brilliant to keep me going”
Where Next?
“I wanna be a manager one day, my goal is to be a Premier League manager, I always set my goal very high and try to go after it, so who knows what will happen”
Writers View
I won’t lie, I had to take a moment to compose myself after writing the body of this, such an emotional story and I take my hat off to Olly for being so open.
One part I’ve left out of the body of the text is this quote here “Who knows in five years’ time this might be the best thing that’s ever happened to me” What an unbelievable mindset to have.
Dealt one of the worst hands you could be dealt as a footballer and still looking ahead and playing the hand that has been dealt to him. Simply incredible.
As a Gillingham fan, I’ve had the pleasure of watching Olly live & I will never forget those memories. But I think what really sticks out for me now is just how good he still was even going through this.
Having watched him at the back end of last season and the start of this season, I don’t think anyone would disagree that he still gave everything for this club. Looking back I think you could tell something was going on but you’d have never imagined it was anything like this.
I could sit here all day and write about the different emotions this article has put me through, but I’ll keep them to myself for now.
I’d like to sign off by saying Olly thank you for being so open with your story, and thank you for the countless memories you’ve given me watching you from the stands. You were a true professional, a true gent and I hope to see you in the dugout soon. But before then, I hope to see you at Priestfield as a fan, the first one is on me.
