THE phrase ‘footballer’s wife’ has its own meaning these days, thanks to the absurdly high salaries and millionaire antics of so many involved with the Premier League.
It’s certainly not a term that’s used with real affection.
How refreshing, then, to read of the down-to-earth lifestyle of Karen Alexander, wife of Burnley’s captain Graham Alexander who has just marked his 1,000th game in football.
Like Blackburn Rovers’ Colin Hendry and David Dunn, the Alexander family have kept their feet on the ground and live day to day in a manner that most people can understand.
And that’s a far cry from the night-clubbing celebrities whose leisure time is spent in mansions with huge gardens and high-security fences in the Cheshire stockbroker belt.
As Karen Alexander says, you won’t find any fake tan or hair extensions in the wardrobe of their home near Preston.
This is a family who enjoy going on holiday in a Volkswagen campervan.
It might be too late to turn the clock back but wouldn’t it be nice if more of today’s ‘stars’ were similarly connected to the communities their clubs serve?
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