Bobby Copping: the footballer whose life changed with one header

A typical day for Bobby Copping begins with a 7.30am drive to collect “the rabbit”. He and his colleague who plays Peter Burrow, Peterborough United’s big-eared mascot, will then deliver an energising presentation at a local school, before Copping heads to London Road stadium to negotiate sponsorship deals and make travel arrangements for the women’s team.

The afternoon might bring another school visit and more admin, followed by an evening coaching session or two and a 90-minute online lecture as part of his studies toward a master’s in sports business management. “I’ve nearly finished my degree,” Copping says. “I’m general manager for Peterborough’s women’s team, under-14s manager, head of the club’s schools initiative, owner of the Bobby Copping Foundation and a mentor with League Football Education.”

It is a hefty and impressive CV for a 20-year-old, but none of this is what Copping wanted from his career. Not at this age, at least.

In July 2020, he was a budding centre-back close to breaking into Peterborough’s first team. It was pre-season and he was intent on impressing the manager, Darren Ferguson. “I’d done the first week and I was flying,” he says. “Then on the last day of the second week, a cross has come in and I’ve headed it. I landed and I could see this little circle in my vision. I was thinking: ‘What’s going on?’”

Copping persevered through the session but something wasn’t right. “I went into the physio room and sat down,” he remembers. “That’s when I really started to feel like crap. The left side of my body started going numb. I was thinking: ‘Fucking hell, I’m having a stroke.’”

He was rushed to Peterborough City hospital, where he underwent CT and MRI scans. He groans as he recollects a lumbar