Former Man Utd youth product Richard Eckersley now runs a ‘zero waste’ shop in Devon after retiring aged 26
The 28-year-old spent time playing football for a whole host of clubs during his nine-year career as a professional, but he has now turned his attention to preserving the planet with his new business venture.
MANCHESTER UNITED's youth team provided a great platform for many players, including Richard Eckersley.
The 28-year-old came through the ranks at United and had a fruitful professional career, but he has now turned his back on football to set up an environmentally friendly zero-waste supermarket.
The former footballer has started a new business venture with his wife Nicola in Devon called Earth.Food.Love.
The store sources stock such as oats and grains from local farmers and customers are encouraged to bring their own jars and bottles to buy raw materials from their packaging-free shop.
Eckersley's daily reality is a far cry from his days as a footballer where he played as a full back for Manchester United, Burnley, Toronto FC and Oldham Athletic.
His final stint as a professional footballer was for Oldham in December 2015, he then hop footed it to the other side of the country to take on a very different role.
The green-minded footballer was inspired by a trip to Berlin, then when he began to feel that football wasn't the be-all-and-end-all he turned his hand to something he felt impassioned about.
Devon is a far cry from Manchester, where Eckersley grew up, but nine years after making his debut at Old Trafford he told that that he feels his decision to leave football was 100% the right one.
It wasn't until Eckersley's spell in the MLS that he stopped living like a frivolous footballer and became more frugal and environmentally conscious.
When discussing the different attitude of the players, he said: "They were being careful with their money- it didn't matter what clothes or shoes they wore, and that awakened me.
"In New York I just started watching lots of documentaries, reading lots of books and it just completely opened my eyes to it all, to be honest."
The former footballer loved his time as a professional and acknowledged that the sport connected people from across the world, but believes that the planet needs to be thriving otherwise nothing, including football, matters.
