Sport
Why No 13 has truly been lucky for Geey
The fascinating world of football’s multi-million pound transfer business was brilliantly unravelled by Daniel Geey in his recent book Done Deal.
January 6, 2020 12:00
By, Lawrie Hacker
1 min read
The fascinating world of football’s multi-million pound transfer business was brilliantly unravelled by Daniel Geey in his recent book Done Deal.
January 6, 2020 12:00ByLawrie Hacker, Lawrie Hacker
Geey, 38, who lives in East Finchley, a lawyer deeply involved in the world of sport, was able to reveal at first-hand what happens in the negotiations for a top-price player, the true cost of a transfer and some of the bizarre clauses that are often written into contracts.
He also explained the ins and outs of club takeovers, the legalities involved when a manager is sacked, the negotiations of television rights … all the big issues from the pitch to the boardroom and the impact they have on clubs, the players and the fans.
Geey, whose wife Hollie was captain of gold-medal –winning Team GB women’s football team at the 2019 Maccabi European Games in Budapest, has recently returned from Miami, where he was talking to the US soccer industry on how the transfer system works in the UK and how it can affect the movement of high-profile players from the MLS to and from Premier League clubs.
“The MLS is still growing in the States and the transfer system there differs from ours,” he said. “So they were really interested in what I had to tell them about our high-profile player transfers and how they are negotiated.”
But Geey, who is also chairman of the Football Aid charity, has now embarked on a new charity venture.
Ground-breaking research by cancer specialist Dr Jonathan Krell of Charing Cross and Hammersmith Hospitals helped Geey’s mother, Lillian, an international class tennis player, to recovery and gave her a new lease of life after suffering from the condition.
So Geey has launched his own range of sportswear, including jackets and T-Shirts simply called “Thirteen” to help fund Dr Krell’s pioneering research programme.
Geey, originally from Liverpool, who played football for Haroldeans and later Oakwood in London, personally underwrites the cost of production and all the profits go to the charity.
“I was inspired by Dr Krell’s work on ovarian and breast cancer and how he helped my mum through her cancer journey,” said Geey.
“She is still playing international tennis and has won silver and bronze medals at the tennis seniors world championships. She has just returned from the European Senior club championships in La Manga, Spain, where she won a silver.”
Geey’s sportswear clothes all bear the poignant message: “Luck is where preparation meets opportunity” but why call the brand “Thirteen”? “People think 13 is an unlucky number, but actually it is a lucky one in the Jewish religion,” he said.
* You can check out Geey’s 13 charity sportswear range at www.13shop.co.uk