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REAL FOOTBALLERS' WIVES

FOOTBALLERS' LIVES| Premiership football players have glamorous lives

You've seen the TV show, and you've read about the glamorous lifestyle and showbiz parties in the tabloids. Inside Out goes inside the lives of the real footballers' wives.

Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a real footballer's wife, living it up whilst your soccer star husband earns a small fortune?

Perhaps you've dreamed of living like Posh and Becks? Maybe you've longed to be like TV's fictional football 'trophy wife', Chardonnay Lane?

We take you inside the world of the real life footballing wives, and find that it's not all glitz and glamour.

Overpaid idols?

TV's "Footballers' Wives" conjures up images of overpaid and oversexed football stars and their brassy, spoilt wives.

Victoria Beckham is a glamorous football wife but very few lower division soccer wives live in luxury

But the reality is very different, especially for journeymen footballers in the lower divisions.

Jason Kavanagh plays for Conference side Burton Albion, but his career is nearing an end following a successful stint at Derby County.

He and his wife Jo have a very different lifestyle to that of Victoria and David Beckham.

JO and Jason live comfortably but their party days are over. "Before the kids came along we used to go out lots. Jason played for Derby County when we met, and we went to lots of glamorous functions," says JO

These days the couple rarely party, and Jason has taken on a second job as a financial adviser whilst JO works in a local health club. "I wouldn't swap my life with anyone now," she says despite the less glitzy lifestyle.

Glamorous wives

For most of us football wives conjure up images of Chardonnay or Tanya from the TV series of the same name.

The Kavanaghs are an ordinary football family who live comfortably but don't party every night

Alternatively, they're rich and famous themselves such as pop star Louise, wife of Jamie Redknapp, model missus Adriana Karembeu, and Victoria 'Posh' Beckham.

One thing's for sure, most football wives have one thing in common - they're glamorous.

Former Leicester City star Alan Birchenall gives an insight into the romantic opportunities afforded to football superstars.

"Let's just say you see lots of ugly footballers but you never see any ugly footballers' wives."

"The present generation of Premiership players have never had it so good. But as for the image you see joked about on telly, well from my experience in the game since the Sixties, it only applies to a tiny per cent."

"Most footballers' wives are nice ordinary people who are very lucky" he concludes.

Independent Women

In the old days football wives were nearly always models, 'dolly birds' or smiling 'trophy' wives who were seen but rarely heard.

Today footballers' wives have independent lives, and often have college degrees and successful careers of their own.

Tracey Taylor is a high flying football wife with an independent life

Ian Taylor is a high flying player with Premiership side Aston Villa.

His wife Tracey is far removed from the old-fashioned stereotype of the footballer's wife.

She is certainly no bimbo or airhead, draped over her husband's arm.

She runs a successful business, a hair salon in Nottingham, and her feet are firmly on the ground.

"I have lots of nice things and go to some glamorous events but I think it's important to keep my own independence and work" she stresses.

Tracey is both successful and independent, "I love my job. I see myself as one day having to be the main bread winner because footballers' careers are very short, and if they are injured it's even shorter. I'm already planning for the future".

Fever pitch

So forget Chardonnay and Posh, and think independent women with their own lives and careers. Most footballer's wives are clearly far cleverer than people think.

Maybe the next step is for women to be taken more seriously on the football field itself?

World Cup star Ronaldo's wife, Milene Domingues, has just signed up for the Fiamma Monza womens' team in Milan.

She's no stranger to the rigours of the professional women's game, and is said to be fantastically fit.

In 1997 she set a new World record for 'keepy uppies', juggling the ball continuously in the air 55,187 times.

Her transition from footballing wife to rising soccer star could be the start of a new trend.

Who knows, perhaps we'll see more footballing wives taking up the sport, and copying Milene Domingues' lead in the UK?

Forget babes and bimbos. Soccer playing wives ... now that could be really interesting!