'I want to help others': Award-winning documentary maker and Portsmouth fan makes career change

Pompey fan Adam Darke has produced a string of acclaimed sporting films, including Netflix’s Forbidden Games, The Crazy Gang on BT Sport, and Discovery programme Peter Crouch: Save Our Game.

Now the 48-year-old is exploring another of his passions, having paused his successful TV career to focus on working as a wellbeing coach.

Darke is offering one-to-one sessions, with a discount for other members of the Fratton faithful.

And the North Stand Lower regular is hoping to make a difference for those affected by mental health issues.

He told The News: ‘I had a lot of anxiety issues in my 20s and 30s, which led me to go into therapy and trying to help myself on a bit of a self-development journey.

‘I don’t suffer too badly with that now, although I still have down days like everyone else. You look around at the state of the world today and the cost of living crisis, clearly times are tough, it affects us all.

‘From having my own struggles, it has evolved into wanting to help others - and it’s something I am very passionate about.

‘Whenever I make films, part of my role as a director is trying to connect with people, attempting to understand them on a deeper level, seeking to get them to speak their truth. In a way, directing is a form of therapy and I’m telling that through film.

‘People often start with one idea of what their problem might be and then, through talking, discover it runs a bit deeper, like an old belief or something they learnt growing up.

‘I really enjoy those conversations, connecting with people and helping them.’

Darke is the son of hugely-respected football and boxing commentator Ian Darke, also a regular at Fratton Park.

Like his dad, he has enjoyed a successful sports broadcasting career, beginning as a Meridian reporter in the 1990s before working for Channel 4 and Sky.

More recently, he has made award-winning films for Netflix, Amazon and Disney - and continues to operate in the television industry.

In addition, Darke is in the process of finishing a book on journeyman boxer Johnny Greaves, which is scheduled to be published by Pitch Publishing in 2025.

And he’s also pursuing his ambition to help those affected by mental health issues, while offering a 50 per cent discount to fellow Pompey fans

Darke can be contacted by emailing [email protected]. For more information about his work, visitwww.darkecoaching.com