Kemal "Kem" Izzet (; born 29 September 1980) is an English

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

coach and former professional player. He most notably played for Colchester United between 2001 and 2013, where he made over 400 league appearances. He was previously on the books at Charlton Athletic but failed to break into the first-team setup at The Valley. He spent three years with

Needham Market Needham Market is a town in Suffolk, England. The town of Needham, Massachusetts, was named after Needham Market. History It initially grew around the wool combing industry, until the onset of the plague, which swept the town from 1663 to 1665. ...

after leaving Colchester.

Playing career

Charlton Athletic

Izzet started his career with Premier League club Charlton Athletic. He did not break into the first team at Charlton. He had previously played for London-based Sunday league side Senrab alongside Jermain Defoe,

Ledley King Ledley Brenton King (born 12 October 1980) is a former player who was a one-club man, spending his entire career at Tottenham Hotspur and playing 323 competitive matches for the club from 1999 to 2012. He is currently a club ambassador for Tot ...

Jlloyd Samuel Jlloyd Tafari Samuel ( , 29 March 1981 – 15 May 2018) was a professional footballer who played as a defender and midfielder. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, he was raised in England and played for England up to under-21 level. He played two ful ...

, John Terry and

Bobby Zamora Robert Lester Zamora (born 16 January 1981) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward. Zamora began his career at Football League club Bristol Rovers, but was soon signed by Brighton & Hove Albion, where he found first ...

Colchester United

In April 2001, he joined Colchester United on a permanent basis after a one-month loan period. Later that year, he was linked with

Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...

and Leicester City but was happy to stay with Colchester, and signed a long-term contract with the club in March 2002. Izzet missed most of the 2004–05 season owing to an ankle injury that required surgery. He recovered for the 2005–06 season and was a key member of the team that challenged for promotion that season. He signed a new contract in March 2006 and, after lengthy negotiations, a contract extension in January 2008. At that time, he was the club's second longest serving player. By the end of the 2008–09 season, Izzet had made over 330 league and cup appearances for Colchester. Izzet was twice named the club's Young Player of the Year. He was inducted into Colchester's Hall of Fame in 2011 prior to the final game of the season for his testimonial year. On 3 July 2012, Izzet signed a new contract, having made over 400 league appearances since signing in 2001 and having just played his testimonial season. Izzet brought an end to his 12-year stay with Colchester on 2 September 2013, leaving the club by mutual consent. He left the club having received his testimonial in 2012 and a runners-up medal from the club's promotion to the Championship in 2006. Having failed to make an appearance for the first-team in the 2013–14 season, Izzet decided to end his long association with the U's in order to look for regular football at a new club.

Needham Market

After leaving Colchester, Izzet joined local

Isthmian League Division One North The Isthmian League () is a regional men's football league covering Greater London, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, the league now consists of 82 teams ...

club

on 10 September, beginning his time with the club on the bench alongside fellow ex-U's player

Jamie Guy Jamie Leslie Guy (born 1 August 1987) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward . He enjoyed a six-year career with Colchester United between 2004 and 2010, playing on loan for Tiptree United, Gravesend & Northfleet ...

. Izzet signed despite interest from Football League clubs including Exeter City, instead choosing to invest his financial settlement agreed with Colchester after ending his contract in setting up a football school business, with help from financial advisor and Needham Market manager Mark Morsley. Izzet was also studying towards his

UEFA B Licence UEFA, the governing body for football in Europe, mandates several coaching licences for professional managers, each valid for coaching at a certain level. These include the UEFA Pro Licence, the UEFA A Licence, and the UEFA B Licence. They are is ...

in the latter stages of his Colchester career and continued working toward coaching badge with Needham. After making 120 appearances and scoring 16 goals, Izzet left the club after his role as academy manager was effectively removed following restructuring.

Managerial career

In May 2017, Izzet was appointed manager of

Eastern Counties League The Eastern Counties Football League, currently known as the Thurlow Nunn League for sponsorship purposes, is an English football league at levels 9 and 10 of the English football league system. It currently contains clubs from Norfolk, Suff ...

club

Stanway Rovers Stanway Rovers Football Club is a association football, football club based in Stanway, Essex, Stanway, near Colchester, in Essex, England. They are currently members of the and play at the Hawthorns. History The modern club was established on ...

. At the end of the 2017–18 season, Izzet left Stanway. He was appointed manager of Brightlingsea Regent in October 2019. He left Brightlingsea Regent in October 2020, seven games into the 2020–21 season.

Personal life

Izzet's father is a Turkish Cypriot, and his elder brother, Muzzy Izzet, was a

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

international footballer.

Career statistics

:A. The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals (including those as a substitute) in the Football League Trophy,

FA Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...

, .

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Izzet, Kemal 1980 births Living people Footballers from Mile End English footballers Turkish footballers Sportspeople of Turkish Cypriot descent English people of Turkish Cypriot descent English people of Turkish descent Turkish people of English descent Association football midfielders Senrab F.C. players Charlton Athletic F.C. players Colchester United F.C. players Needham Market F.C. players Stanway Rovers F.C. managers Brightlingsea Regent F.C. managers English Football League players English football managers