It was 4am and, as tears streamed down her face, Laura Wolfe clutched the dog as tightly as she could. A night-long search had led to the pair being reunited, but the canine was not hers it belonged to a client, who, having recently switched jobs, had to work abroad immediately.
He was a Premier League footballer on a pre-season tour. Upon her son noticing the dogs absence the previous evening, Wolfe sprang into action.
At 11pm she was printing posters to attach to lampposts. Drones were launched. I had to tell the player because I needed to know the right words in the language the dog recognised, she said.
Day in the life of a footballer's concierge
I got him to record a message on a voice note, and we were walking the streets playing it.
While this was admittedly one of Wolfe's more stressful days, it was not abnormal. In her line of work, anything (legal) goes.
Most football transfers involve upheaval. Agents can sort the contract, the logistics of the medical, and accommodation.
But moving an entire life, and, regularly, the lives of a whole family, takes serious effort. That is where companies like Wolfes Road3 Concierge step in.
It is easy to scoff and say footballers face the same challenging life scenarios as everyone else. However, players regularly move at half a moments notice.
A club accepts an offer, and bang. Gone. No time to plan, or to order affairs. They visit another clubs training ground, sign a bit of paper, and life changes irreversibly.
Many find themselves in places where they have no contacts, family or friends, and they are straight to work, their every minute mapped out for them. It isnt a normal life.
Wolfe picks up the slack and stress, with her company not just finding a house she views just about every property on the Cheshire market every transfer window but also will perform the packing, unpacking, and everything in between.
The services provided cannot be defined because they are endless. I was in New York on a trip where I got engaged, she said. I got a call saying a player had been burgled when they were on the other side of the world. My team was clearing up the glass and sorting out the security that night.
It is, as with many football roles, all-consuming. Wolfe was on a supposed night off in Istanbul back in June 2023, about to watch her beloved Manchester City win the Champions League.
With the game hours away, a client called to say they had forgotten their wedding anniversary, which fell the next day. I sorted them a box at Wembley for a gig, a night at the Hilton and champagne and flowers in the room, Wolfe recalled. Have you ever tried to get flowers into Wembley?! You cant do it. The security is so intense.
When I started, I'd be like how do I sort something that feels impossible?! But now I know that nothing is impossible if you know the right people. She then took her seat ahead of kick-off but made a mental note to ensure every client's birthday, anniversary, and notable event was diarised.
It is not just the big-ticket stuff she sorts, either. When holidaying in Portugal recently, Wolfe fielded a call from a player wanting her to book a taxi. Where was he going?
Not far at all, she said, laughing. There are times in my life where I feel like I'm living in the twilight zone because it's not normal. Its not real. I said, I'll do this, but when I get home, I'm showing you how to use Uber!
Whereas Wolfes role is day-to-day, Emily Streets is more specialised. She is the Clinical Services Manager at HCA UKs Portland Hospital Outpatients, and a midwife to many footballers wives. She is often the first port of call upon a positive pregnancy test sometimes even before a player finds out.
It might be their first baby, or they might be away from home, she explained. They might not be in a position where they want to tell many people because things get leaked.
Street is on hand 24/7 to answer any questions and help in any which way she can. The clinic has a second entrance and VIP waiting room to protect the privacy of its clients, with journalists and photographers having previously been known to loiter outside the main doors.
Any assumption that Streets role is clearly outlined, though, would be misplaced. I organised a firework display in Portugal for a gender reveal because no one else was meant to know and wed done the blood test, she explained. Fortunately, her partner speaks Portuguese.
It wasn't as easy as we thought it would be. We had to get permission from the mayor! It was hard, hard work. I couldnt tell him who it was for so I just handed him the phone and said, speak to this man, I need fireworks for a pink gender reveal!"
A more quickfire solution was required when an overdue client changed her mind about a home birth at the 11th hour. Instead, she wanted her baby to be delivered at the Portland Hospital.
A helicopter was sourced rapidly, and the child was born eight hours later. We had to find a pair of ear defenders small enough for a newborn on the way back, Street recalled. And it has led to the Portland Hospital installing its own helipad as the nearest one was not as close as wed have liked!
Wolfe and Street both largely rely on word of mouth for business, with their reputations in the northwest strong. Wolfe began by accident.
She helped Vincent Kompany with his Manchester City testimonial and got the bug. She has subsequently worked closely with, amongst others, players and staff of Manchester City and Burnley.
Street was an NHS midwife but grew tired of the inconsistency. She is now a constant in the medical lives of her clients. The low chances of speaking to the same person twice in the NHS meant that people have to repeat their problems over and over.
If its very confidential or there has been some sort of trauma, that is hard. Its really nice for the players and their families now that theyve got that continuity. They can just WhatsApp anything, any time of day.
Both Wolfe and Street speak of the importance of retaining professional boundaries. It is a service, not a friendship. You have to enjoy it, though, Wolfe says. It's a lifestyle choice. The players are really good to me, but I am hard on them. I don't allow them to speak to me in any other way than politely. I'm doing a job to make their life easier.
