Tomáš Černý
I’m a former professional goalkeeper from the Czech Republic, now living in Aberdeen, Scotland, where I work as a PE teacher and goalkeeping coach.
Football has been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember. It took me from a small town in the Czech Republic to different clubs, countries, dressing rooms and stadiums — and gave me plenty of stories along the way.
Why I’m Writing These Stories
I don’t think my career was extraordinary. Many players have achieved much more, played at a much higher level, or have bigger stories to tell.
But football did give me a lot.
It gave me experiences I never expected to have. It gave me friendships, lessons, difficult moments, funny moments, and memories that have stayed with me. It also gave me the chance to travel, to live in different places, and to understand the game — and life — a little differently.
This website is simply a place to write some of those stories down. Partly so I don’t forget them.
Partly because writing helps me make sense of them.
And partly because some of the lessons might be useful to young goalkeepers, young players, parents, coaches, or anyone who enjoys football.
Some stories will be about matches and clubs. Some will be about mistakes, pressure, injuries, contracts, uncertainty, moving countries, and starting again. Some will be funny. Some will be honest reflections on moments that were difficult at the time, but make more sense now.
I’m not writing these stories because I have all the answers.
I don’t.
I’m writing them because football has a way of teaching you things — sometimes gently, sometimes brutally — and many of those lessons stay with you long after the final whistle.
When you are young, football can feel like everything. Every game, every mistake, every selection, every opinion can feel massive. I remember that feeling well. But looking back now, I can see that football was never only about football.
It was also about people.Family. Teammates. Coaches. Friends. Supporters. The people who helped you, challenged you, believed in you, or stood by you when things were uncertain.
It was about learning how to deal with setbacks.
How to keep going when things don’t go your way.
How to stay grounded when things are going well.
How to cope with pressure.
How to remember where you came from.
And how to understand that football is important, but it is not everything.
Now that I work as a PE teacher and goalkeeping coach, I probably see sport differently than I did when I was playing. I still love the game, but I’m more interested in what people learn through it.
Confidence. Resilience. Responsibility. Humility. Teamwork. Perspective.
That is the main reason I’m writing.Not to make my career sound bigger than it was.
Just to reflect honestly on a football life that gave me a lot, shaped me in many ways, and left me with stories worth remembering.
Some of these stories are for goalkeepers.
Some are for young players.
And some, quietly, are for my children too.
What You’ll Find Here
These are reflections from a football life lived between the posts.
This website is built like a living book. The stories can be read one at a time, but together they follow a journey through football, family, different countries, different clubs, mistakes, lessons and memories.
You’ll find stories from different stages of my life in goal — from growing up in the Czech Republic, to playing in Scotland, Bulgaria and Greece, and eventually moving into teaching and coaching.
Some stories are about football. Some are about life around football.
And some are about what stays with you after football.
Start Reading
A good place to begin is the Timeline, where the stories are organised in order.
You can also go straight to the Stories page.
Tomas Cerny - Behind the Gloves 