Former Ipswich Town FA Youth Cup and Yeovil Town promotion winner Ed Upson puts family first in decision to sign for Stowmarket Town

Stowmarket Town signing Ed Upson says dropping out of the professional game as a fit 32-year-old was one of the hardest decisions he has ever made – but he believed it was time to put his family first.

The former Bury St Edmunds schoolboy had never played out of the country’s top three divisions before entering League Two with Newport County last season. But the player who won promotion to the Championship with Yeovil Town will be playing at Step 4 of the non-league pyramid this season, as he looks to help achieve the next promotion Stowmarket crave.

It was not through a lack of interest in the central midfielder, who finished the season with Stevenage – allowing him to relocate to Bury – after a January switch.

The former Ipswich Town FA Youth Cup winner, capped by England from Under-17s through to 19s, revealed he had offers from two National League sides as well as receiving initial interest from a pair of League Two clubs.

In the end though the appeal of being involved in the eldest of his two children in her first school days alongside enjoying playing in a less pressuried environment but with a progressive non-league club won the battle.

Asked how the surprise return to a club he started out in the youth ranks at, before being signed by Ipswich as a 12-year-old, came about, he said: “Jack Ainsley, one of the lads I used to play at Ipswich with, text me saying would I be interested (in joining him at Stowmarket) and I said yes.

“The manager phoned me and spoke well of the club, everyone involved in it and the team.

“I went away as this was right at the start of the summer so I just enjoyed my time off and took interest from other clubs as well in that time. Then it came down to a big decision for me and the biggest decision I’ve ever had to make.

“I had offers to stay professional and full-time so to purposefully choose a different path rather than be forced into a different path is quite a hard thing to do.

“To make that decision was tough but Stowmarket did everything they could to ease my worries about it.”

He added: “For me there is obviously lots of different lifestyle changes but that was part of the reason for joining Stowmarket.

“I have been away from home for a long, long time. The life of a footballer can be quite nomadic; packing up and leaving.

“I’ve got two young children and my eldest starts school in September and I don’t want to be taking her out of schools, moving her about and messing her around too much.

“Obviously on the flip side of that if she goes to school here I don’t really want to be away missing it. So it is a choice that will enable me to spend a lot more time with my family and to settle down, which will be nice.”

The former King Edward VI School pupil is also looking forward to learning a bit more about his own interests while being semi-professional and what he wants to do once he does hang up his boots.

He began doing his coaching badges a year ago and is currently studying for his UEFA B licence, though for now he is fully focused on just enjoying playing in Paul Musgrove’s side.

He said: "There is a bit of sentimentality with Stow because that is obviously where I was playing for Stow Youth when I got picked up by Ipswich and started that journey into the professional game.

"They have got some good players. They have got players that I know and I think it is a real chance to enjoy football again, not that I haven't enjoyed it but it is very different (in the pro game).

"It is difficult to put into words the differences really but I think it will strip it back to why you love the game in the first place.

"I did an interview in the Football League paper that came out on Sunday and I said I never fell in love with the game because the pitches were smooth or the stadiums were big or the changing rooms were clean. I fell in love with the game for what it was, a game of football, and it will be nice to get back to that.

"I think Stowmarket is an ambitious club and it is a good place to do it."

The news of his move to Stowmarket was met with disappointment from Yeovil Town fans on social media and he revealed he did speak to the National League club's manager.

The player who also played in the Championship with Millwall, whom he left Yeovil for after a three-and-a-half year spell in January 2014 said: "I had two good offers from the National League. I had had interest from a couple of clubs in League Two that I think may have come through with something a bit further down the line. I wouldn't like to say who.

"I did an interview with Glovers podcast a couple of nights ago and they said we're got a bone to pick with you about not coming to Yeovil. But to be fair I didn't have a solid offer from Yeovil at that point.

"I had spoke to the manager but I hadn't had a formal offer or anything. Like I say, you do not know what would come down the line."

Upson, who made his Stow bow in a 5-1 pre-season friendly win at Newmarket Town on Saturday is set to go up against his first professional club at Greens Meadow tonight with an Ipswich Town XI visiting (7.45pm).

He said: “It will be nice to potentially see some old faces but I imagine there is going to be a lot of young faces. It will be nice.”