Today's Feature
- webbworks333
- Dec 31, 2023
- 3 min read
December 31st
Part II: Paul Canonville
Later Career
He moved down to non-league football, making appearances for Enfield, Maidenhead United and Burnham. He also played 12 league and cup games for Northwood in the 1992–93 season. He later played for Egham Town despite suffering from drug addiction.
Style of play
Canoville had pace, good crossing ability and contributed goals from the left-wing.
Personal life
Back then, a self-proclaimed womanizer, Canoville eventually became a father to eleven children, with various women. His encounters with these women primarily occurred within the vibrant and energetic London rave and acid house party scene. Despite the unconventional circumstances surrounding his relationships, he has managed to navigate the complexities of fatherhood with each of his children.
Unfortunately, amidst the joy and challenges of his unconventional family life, tragedy struck when the life of his child, Tye Paul, who was born on the 20th of December, 1995, was cut short due to a heart defect, leaving Paul devastated by the loss of his infant son. This heartbreaking event served as a reminder of the fragility of life and the profound impact it can have on even the most unorthodox of families.
By 1989 he had begun taking crack cocaine, and within a few years he became an addict. He had built a good career as a DJ after retiring as a footballer, but sold his records and equipment to pay for crack. He spent most of 1996 in rehab.
In 1996, he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, an aggressive form of cancer which attacks the immune system. He underwent a course of chemotherapy for the illness and made a full recovery. In 1999, he moved to the Caribbean island of Saint Martin, but soon began taking crack on the island and returned to London.
In 2004, he entered rehab for a second time, at which point his cancer returned; by March 2005 he was again free of drugs and his cancer was in remission.
After two years working as a driver for disabled children, he became a classroom assistant in November 2007. Canoville's memoir, Black And Blue, (co-written with Rick Glanvill) was published in March 2008. It won a number of awards include Best Autobiography in the National Sporting Club's 2009 Book Awards, and Best Autobiography in the 2009 British Sports Book Awards. In March 2015 Sky Sports aired a documentary film chronicling his life story entitled Black & Blue: The Paul Canoville Story. In July 2018 it was the subject of discussion on BBC Radio 4's A Good Read.
The Paul Canoville Foundation was founded in 2015 by ex-professional footballer Paul Canoville, to support young people facing adversity.
Our Charitable Foundation now works alongside a diverse range of organisations, supporting thousands of children and young people through the lens of Paul’s inspirational story of resilience and determination.
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CHAMPIONS LEAGUE winners Chelsea has recognised the important contribution made by former player Paul Canoville by naming part of Stamford Bridge in his honour.
What was previously called the Centenary Hall, a matchday hospitality area and non-matchday events location inside the Shed End Stand, will now be known as the Canoville Suite.
As the first black player to be selected for the Chelsea men’s first team, Canoville endured prejudice that extended to abuse from a considerable proportion of those at games to support Chelsea and from within his own team.
The entrance stairwell in the Suite will tell Canoville’s history with words and images, and Chelsea’s wider diversity story will be in the rest of the Suite, with a celebration of other ground-breaking players for whom Paul paved the way at the club.
On having part of Stamford Bridge named in his honour, a delighted Canoville said: “The love I have for the club is hard to put into words. It became such a big part of my life that at one stage when I was going through my toughest challenge with my health, it was the one thing that I held onto that kept me going.
“I knew I had unfinished business and that being part of Chelsea’s future as well as its history was my destiny. I am so proud that the club has honoured me in this way and I can’t wait to start repaying them for it, supporting Neil Bath and his team at the greatest academy in world football, and with my work going into schools and telling vulnerable kids “keep going, you can do it!”
“And finally of course, my role as an ambassador for club that I love so much, the club where the Canoville Suite will now forever tell the story of a journey that led to Chelsea FC becoming one of the most successful clubs for players of colour in the history of the English game.”