FAMILY FORTUNES
Midfielder Jem Karacan on how family time put life in perspective
JEM Karacan is fuelled by a singular ambition and it isn’t promotion, a payday or a player of the year award. It is to one day see his 18-monthold daughter Cleo in a packed stadium wearing a shirt with Papa on the back.
For a long time, that seemed a forlorn hope. After leaving Australian side Central Coast Mariners in early 2019, the 32-year-old spent almost two years out of the game before striking a short-term deal with Scunthorpe in January. “I had a few things that were lined up and fell through,” explains Karacan, who won the Championship with Reading in 2012 before playing for Galatasaray, Bolton and Millwall.
Tough
“I’d been told by a couple of managers that contracts were on the table, then when it came to the crunch nothing materialised. Then we had the little one. Then Christmas came along, then Covid hit. It seemed never ending.
“I’d go road running. Train down the local park. I treated myself to a peloton bike. But it’s tough when you speak to clubs and they say they want to get something done. You go in, have a chat, but then the politics come in and it fizzles out.
“It’s been a mental battle to keep going because doubts do creep in about whether you’ll ever get somewhere.
“I’m 32 now and - while I’ve always backed my ability - I know managers look at that. Others probably looked at me going to Australia as putting my feet up, which was never the case. I went to play regular games, and I did.
“But my wife, Laura, kept me going every day, as did some close friends in the game. They were going ‘You’re still
good enough, keep going’.
“And Cleo was the big one. You see a lot of footballers have ing kids when they’re young, probably because there’s not a lot else for us to do! I was one of the unusual ones who waited until my 30s.
“I suddenly realised how much I wanted to see her at a game wearing one of my shirts with Dad or Papa - which is what they say in Turkish - on the back. That image is what kept me slogging.
“My wife’s had a couple of our games on the TV and takof en pictures of her running around at home. But taking her to the stadium is the next step, and I can’t wait. Because having those pictures when I finish playing that will mean the world to me."
Karacan’s exile was all the
I’ve got bond such a great now that with Cleo not the idea of that having spent her is time with unthinkable Jem Karacan
more infuriating for the fact it came after a spell in Australia that had reignited his love for the game after injury-hit, inconsistent spells at Bolton and Millwall.
“It was an incredible place,” says the midfielder, who qualifies to play for Turkey through his father and has captained his country at Under-21 level.
Incredible
“Nick Montgomery, the old Sheffield United player, gave me a call in the summer of 2018 before I went to Millwall. He’s the assistant manager at Central Coast Mariners and was sending me pictures of the stadium, the training ground, the beaches. I was very tempted.
“But then Usain Bolt signed for them and it just felt a bit like a reality TV show or something. It was all about him, which I understand. He was going down that route of trying to be a footballer but I thought ‘Hmm, maybe not’.
“When it came to January, I hadn’t played much for Millwall. I had a good chat with (manager) Neil Harris and he said ‘I’m happy to have you but you’re welcome to try something new’.
“We did, and wow - are we glad! We were in Sydney for Australia Day, which was an amazing experience. You’d finish training, go straight to the beach. We loved every minute.
“We’d train early because it was so hot, be done by 10.30 or 11 in the morning. Then you’d come home, we’d go down the beach for the afternoon, stay there into the evening.
“There’s still pressure to perform but it’s not everything like it is here. Aussie Rules is huge. Then you’ve got rugby and cricket. Football is like fourth or fifth in terms of popularity.
“In England, it’s hectic, full-on, do-or-die. In Australia, we played a game, got beat quite heavily and all the fans were applauding us. I thought ‘This is new’.
“It was just so chilled, playing in the sun with a bunch of good people. It made me fall back in love with football and I’m not going to lie - I do miss the place. I always give Laura a bit of stick, saying that we could be in Australia now if we hadn’t come home to have the baby. But I’m only kidding.”
Indeed, Karacan refutes any suggestion he has had a tough two years and insists the time spent watching Cleo grow up has been the most rewarding of his life.
Rewarding
“To be honest, I’ve loved every minute of being at home,” he says. “In football, very few people have the chance to be with their newborn day-in, day-out. To be there with my wife and see what stay-at-home parents go through was a real eye opener.
“Even things like taking her to baby sensory classes. It would be me and Laura and all the other mums. You’d never see any dads. The first couple of times I felt awkward and I was thinking ‘Am I supposed to be here?’. But I ended up going down on my own a few times.
“The lady would be like ‘I need a volunteer’. I’d be standing up, wafting a blanket over all these kids’ heads. I’d put it on Instagram and the lads would be ‘Aren’t you tired of this?’.
“But to be fair - and I said this to them - it’s what kept me going. It put life into perspective and, actually, I wouldn’t change it for anything now.
“I’ve got such a great bond with Cleo now that the idea of not having spent that time with her is unthinkable. Mind you, I’m sure Laura is thrilled to finally get me out of the house.”
Karacan has played nine games for the Iron so far, helping Neil Cox’s side power away from the League Two relegation zone. “It’s just nice to be back playing, in a routine, having a craic with the lads,” he says. “It’s been great so far, and as for what happens next, who knows?
“Over the last couple of years I’ve had some strange offers from some strange places, so we’ll see what happens in the summer. But I’m loving it here, and Neil has been brilliant helping me get back to full fitness. Now I just want to get a good 20 games under my belt and see where that gets me.”