“I am The Secret Footballer” – Dave Kitson opens up on his writing career – Football in the Berkshires

Former Reading FC striker and current Maidenhead United Women manager Dave Kitson has revealed himself as the ‘Secret Footballer’ – the man behind a series of books and newspaper columns from inside the football industry.

Since retiring from professional football, Kitson has poured her heart and soul into non-league and grassroots football, first taking over the helm of her former club Arlesey Town and more recently taking on a management role at Maidenhead United Women in the FA Women’s National League.

In between, he has given himself to supporting Caversham United’s charity work – after coming out of retirement and scoring on his debut – for just one game, while launching his own traveling training academy and becoming a motivational speaker.

During an ‘outing’ on the Champions Speakers YouTube channel, Kitson revealed that he never wanted to be a footballer and he was more interested in writing.

He said: “I never wanted to be a footballer. It was one of those things that just happened, I wanted to be a travel writer. I wanted to travel the world and have someone pay me to do it. So I went into football.”

Related: ‘Not being a footballer doesn’t mean you can’t have an amazing career in football’, says Dave Kitson

The video starts with the Reading 106 hero saying: “I’m the Secret Footballer. I’ve never said that out loud before.”

“It was an idea that came to my mind when I was unhappy with the direction of football and I needed an outlet to express it for the sake of my own mental health,” he added.

Watch Dave Kitson’s announcement on the Champions Speakers YouTube channel:

In the dugout, Kitson has had a big impact on Maidenhead United. The Magpies are flying high in fifth place in FA Women’s National League Division One South West and have just reached the Berks & Bucks County Women’s FA Senior Cup Final for the second time in a row, beating MK Dons on penalties.

Speaking to Football in Berkshire’s Abi Ticehurst about the mindset Kitson instilled in his team – and which was evident in the semi-final win, defender Katie Vince said: “We all fought for each other and that’s what saw us win the game. We’re really proud of how our game plan was executed, going 1-0 down and then having the right mindset to come back and get through to the final was really beneficial for us as players and our management team.”

Maidenhead United Women are next in action at home on Sunday 22 February (York Road) away to Moneyfields. Cup Final against rivals Berkshire Ascot United on Sunday 15 March 2026 at Beaconsfield Town FC.