Playing for two winning sides, the secret life of Chris Venables

To many retailers, especially those in the North West, the name Chris Venables may well be familiar.

A member of the successful grs sales team for nearly five years, Chris spends his evenings and weekends as part of another successful team – Welsh Premier League side Llanelli.
“I always wanted to play football, from a very young age,” says centre midfielder Chris, whose superb 15-yard shot into the far corner of the Bangor goal sealed his side’s 4-1 victory in the Welsh Cup in May – a result which also earned Llanelli a place in the Europa League for the second year in succession.
After securing his place on a soccer scholarship scheme in Shrewsbury, where he is based with grs, Chris first played for Welsh Premier League side Caersws before joining Llanelli. In addition to the Cup win, Llanelli finished in fourth place in the league and Chris has recently signed up for a third season.
And if that’s not enough, he will have the chance to play against the top stars of Manchester United in a pre-season friendly in August – an opportunity he is relishing. “I can’t wait for that. They’ve already sold 5,500 tickets so we’ll be playing in front of a big crowd,” he says.
Playing for two leading teams is demanding for Chris, who has to plan his life with military precision around both his day job and passion for football. Working out in the gym three times a week, he also trains with a local team and meets up with his own team-mates once a week for training, as well as playing most weekends throughout the season.
“It can be hard to juggle commitments to work and club, but grs are great – they’re really flexible and do all they can to help,” says Chris. And while his work colleagues are quick to congratulate him on Llanelli’s successes, they keep their thoughts to themselves when the team loses. “They don’t say too much. They know how seriously I take it!” he says.