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    I’m a former Premier League star and TNT Sports pundit – I’m doing ‘really well’ in lucrative side hustle after football

    STEVE SIDWELL has switched football kits for kitting out office spaces in a lucrative side hustle.The 41-year-old played for the likes of Chelsea, Aston Villa, Fulham and Brighton.Steve Sidwell has invested in a commercial fit out businessCredit: Action Images – ReutersHe balances his time with his work as a pundit and a podcasterCredit: That Peter Crouch PodcastHe hung up his boots in 2018 and has since become a pundit for TNT Sports.Sidwell is also a regular on That Peter Crouch Podcast where he revealed that he has invested in a friend’s commercial fit out venture called Box3 Projects.The business constructs and designs office spaces ready to be rented out or sold.He is registered as a director at the company.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLSidwell explained: “It’s doing really well.”Me and my best friend, we do commercial office fit outs in town.”He worked for two of the biggest companies in Europe probably, and he’s gone alone now and he asked me to get on board.”We can do anything you want. Most read in FootballHOW TO GET FREE BETS ON FOOTBALL”If you find an empty space that you want offices in or partitions in – we can do stripping out – whatever you need.”Crouch and co-host Chris Stark were left in stitches as they demanded he wink down the camera and sell his business idea.’Lock in and listen out’ – Peter Crouch speechless after finding out about Premier League stars’ Babestation phone callThe trio were later left giggling over Sidwell’s Babestation prank on former Reading team-mate Glen Little.Box3 Projects isn’t Sids’ first business move after previously launching a kid’s clothing company with his wife. More

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    I worked in McDonald’s after leaving uni – now I make six-figure salary after turning football side hustle into my job

    OLLIE JENKS has come up trumps after turning his love of football nostalgia into a lucrative career selling player cards.Rather than get his stickers in a twist during the Covid lockdown, he used the extra time online to collect them and become a TikTok phenomenon.
    Cards for players like Beckham and Messi fetch huge sumsCredit: TikTok @paolo.panini
    Ollie Jenks’ finds from around the world go back six decadesCredit: TikTok @paolo.panini
    The former University of Surrey media student, 32, has unearthed a David Beckham Rookie card from 1996 worth £7,000 and also sold a Grade 10 signed Lionel Messi card for £3k.
    Ollie, from Devon, worked in McDonalds when he had little idea what career to pursue.
    But then his addiction to footie facts and figures took him back to the future – via vintage cards and stickers.
    Ollie fronts told card-breaking channel Paolo Panini, whose posts include a four-hour live stream on Friday that averages 35,000 viewers.
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    He told SPORTbible: “We grew quite rapidly over the first six months… in the first year, our sales were around the £300,000 mark.”
    And he revealed how his obsession set in at school where he beat all the teachers in the Fantasy Football Leagues – eventually emerging as a vocation where he searches for tiny pictures from the past.
    Ollie said: “My earliest memory is going to a swap shop at Exeter’s Westpoint Arena for the 1998 Premier League sticker album
    “It was a bit of a weird experience as it was in a giant cowshed. The idea of the event was to swap your duplicates for ones you need, but it stank of cow c**p, to be honest.
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    “I also fell in love with the story arcs of a player’s ups and downs throughout their career, especially in the ’90s or ’00s, when it felt like anything could happen.”
    He finally settled in Dublin, working with foreign students – only for Covid to force him into new ideas.
    He said: “I wanted to combine my love of storytelling and what I knew about ’00s football, so Team Of Our Lives was born – a niche 2000s-based football podcast.”
    In particular, Ollie switched from making short football documentaries on YouTube to an even more popular form of social media in 2020.
    He said: “I uploaded a few of those vintage pack-opening videos from the podcast to TikTok and it blew up.
    “Seeing so many people interested in football nostalgia was huge, and with some modern rare cards going for big money I attempted to make a living out of it.”
    Ollie now calls himself a Football Treasure Hunter and explained: “Some of the greatest players such as Pele have football cards that could be worth as much as $1.3million (about £1m).
    “So there is real value to be had in finding rare packs that have been sealed for 50 years and potentially finding some footballing history – that’s why I love it so much.”

    He reckons the most expensive packs currently in circulation are from the 1970 World Cup – including late legends Sir Bobby Charlton, Eusebio and Pele, plus Franz Beckenbauer.
    A complete album from that tournament in Mexico recently sold at auction for more than £2k. More

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    I’m a former Premier League winner who set up side hustle at 18 and it’s now worth millions – I was dubbed ‘Mr Monopoly’

    MICAH RICHARDS was a savvy defender on the pitch and has revealed that he has been savvy off it too.The former Manchester City and Aston Villa defender has a side hustle that is worth millions.
    Micah Richards has a successful side hustleCredit: Alamy
    Richards, 35, started the company when he was 18 as a fallback should his football career not work out.
    He has a portfolio of properties in places such as Leeds, Harrogate and Manchester.
    Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, he said: “When football’s finished, you’ve got nothing to fall back on.
    “There is [a lot of life after football].
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    “I started a property company when I was 18. When things weren’t going right, or even when things were going right, I had a distraction from football 24/7.
    “I was building up my property portfolio, I started doing developments around the Leeds and Manchester area. It just gave me a purpose after football.
    “I didn’t know I was going to be a pundit after football.
    “The way my career ended, I didn’t want to be anywhere near football.
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    “But having that other thing to turn to, in my case property, it really did help in terms of having a schedule and giving me that work balance.
    “It was really good for me.”
    The Daily Star has reported that the company is worth up to £5million and that Richards was dubbed ‘Mr Monopoly’ by his friends.
    The source revealed: “Micah has been investing in property for years and some of the places he bought years ago went for a song.
    “He’s always been smart with his cash. People joke he’s got more addresses than a Monopoly board.”
    Richards has also previously admitted that one of his houses was rented by Leeds star Ilian Meslier.
    The former Premier League winner also works as a pundit on broadcasters such as Sky, BBC and CBS.
    He admitted that he works so widely because he rejected a massive contract offer from Manchester City during his career. More

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    I quit my job to play Football Manager full time and sit in my room all day – now I make DOUBLE my old salary

    A YOUTUBER who ditched his old job to play Football Manager says he has doubled his salary since making the switch.Tom Kelsey, 26, from Lincoln, sacked off his old job as a business support assistant at Lincolnshire County Council to play the simulation video game full-time.
    Tom Kelsey quit his old job to play Football Manager full-timeCredit: TomFM/YouTube
    The YouTuber claims to have doubled his salary since making the switchCredit: TomFM/YouTube
    The gamer had started a YouTube channel dedicated to the popular game while studying at Nottingham Trent University.
    He now runs operations from his bedroom at his parents’ house.
    “It’s the freedom that I get from it, that’s what I love,” Tom told the BBC.
    Football Manager allows players to take charge of their favourite football team and manage them all the way to glory.
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    Since its release, the gaming community has expanded rapidly, with last year’s game played by six million people.
    “As [the channel] got more popular and more people started watching it, you start to earn money from the adverts that you see,” he said.
    “Suddenly this became an idea – that I could do this as a job one day.
    “In terms of the money I make now, it’s double what I was earning in my full-time job before I did YouTube.
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    “For me to be able to earn that money whilst also being my own boss and having my own choices and not work for someone else is the best part of it.”
    The former council worker earned around £25,000 for his previous position, meaning his new passion project sees him rake in a significantly higher £50,000 annually.
    The savvy YouTuber’s channel boasts nearly 120,000 subscribers and attracts around one million views per month.
    “I can easily spend 50 to 60 hours a week playing Football Manager, which may sound like it would drive some people crazy but it’s a dream for me,” he continued.
    “It’s a very unusual career path when you say you’re going to play video games for my job.
    “It keeps growing year on year, month on month, so I’ll try and do this for as long as I can.”
    Elsewhere, a woman who was bullied over her love for gaming now has turned her passion into a full-time job – earning a staggering £7k a month.
    Natalie Barnes, from Greater Manchester, started her career playing video games for hours from the comfort of her bedroom in Wigan.
    The 20-year-old ditched her law degree at the University of Liverpool after forking thousands each year.
    Tom has 120,000 subscribers and attracts around one million views per monthCredit: TomFM/YouTube More

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    Football fans are only just realising easy side hustle can earn them extra £15k & they don’t have to lift a finger

    FOOTBALL fans who live close to sports stadiums could be earning an extra £15,000 by simply renting out their driveways to supporters.Brits are raking in wads of cash by setting up a makeshift car park on their property during matches when spaces are full up.
    You could earn an extra £15,000 by renting your driveway to footie fansCredit: Getty
    Brits who live close to stadiums are raking in big bucksCredit: Alamy
    As many fans risk running late while searching for a place to leave their car, homeowners have come up with the perfect solution.
    Residents can score some extra money by listing their driveways on parking platforms for sports fans to rent.
    Sites such as YourParkingSpace allow drivers to find and reserve their perfect parking spot – making life a lot easier on match days.
    Locals who live near Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium have earned nearly £300,000 by renting out their driveway to footie fans.
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    Their earnings topped the parking league table, as residents pocketed a total of £280,751 since first listing their spare spots.
    One homeowner based near Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium in North London has made nearly £15,000 after registering her space in 2017.
    Those living near local rivals Chelsea bagged £200,000 for letting people park on their driveways during matches at Stamford Bridge.
    Residents close to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium have also enjoyed a nice earner and made £175,000.
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    Homeowners whose property is within reach of West Ham’s London Stadium were quids in too and scooped £170,000 with the rental scheme.
    Queen’s Park Rangers supporters have splashed the cash the most, shelling out more than £200,000 to get a spot close to Loftus Road.
    And locals who live on the doorstep of Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium earned £150,000 for their services.
    Brannan Coady, CEO of YourParkingSpace said renting your driveway is a prosperous way for Brits to earn some extra cash.
    He explained: “The Premier League is the greatest league in the world – fans come from across the globe to come see teams play.
    “And empty driveways near stadiums offer homeowners a great opportunity to score some extra money.
    “But it’s not just Premiership grounds – if you drop down into the Championship, earnings can be just as impressive, and sometimes better, than some teams in the Premiership.” More