Kevin Ellison recently celebrated playing his 1,000th game, a feat achieved in a career spanning 29 years and 18 different clubs. The forward, who has played in all top eight tiers of English football, made the milestone appearance for non-league club Vauxhall Motors. Ellison played for non-league Altrincham before landing a dream £50,000 move to Leicester 25 years ago, where he played in the Premier League once against Manchester United in 2001. He has also won promotion to the Championship with Hull City in 2005, made two Wembley play-off final appearances for Rotherham United (2010) and Newport County (2021), and scored 124 goals in 553 league games in the fourth tier.
Ellison has spoken publicly about his struggles with mental health, including a period of depression after the death of close family and friends. However, he has since become an advocate for mental health awareness, taking part in a campaign involving the Football Association in 2020 aimed at encouraging football fans to look after their mental health. Ellison's current club, Vauxhall Motors, play in the Northern Premier League Division One West in the eighth tier of English football. He has been playing for the club while balancing a safeguarding role at a secondary school in Liverpool.
Ellison's next appearance is set to be in the FA Cup preliminary round against Thackley on Saturday, where he will become one of the oldest players to feature in the competition.