John O'Toole

John is a former ENGLAND INTERNATIONAL!

John O’Toole started playing in goal when he was eight years old, and aged just ten years Everton FC spotted his talent and signed him on as a schoolboy. John went through the ranks at Everton and at age fourteen was selected to join the FA National school at Lilleshall were he was one of only two goalkeepers to be picked out of the whole of England!

Lilleshall is a National training centre for the elite of young footballers in the UK and is a two-year residential program that deveolps the UK's top talent. Here John rubbed shoulders with, Michael Owen (Liverpool, and Real Madrid), Jamie Carragher (Liverpool and England), Wes Brown (Man United and England) to name but a few of the other amazing talent that attended this centre of elite players.

While at lilleshall John was also picked to represent England were he was capped 27 times!

He signed professional forms for Everton aged 17 years old and at the time and he was voted as the best young goalkeeper of that season in England (1996).

John’s first team experience was limited because of the legend Neville Southall who was the current first team goalkeeper at Everton, but John was an ever-present player for the reserves.

Before having to retire through injury aged just 22 of a back stress fracture, John’s other clubs included, Plymouth Argyle, Wigan Athletic and Walsall.

Still only 29 years old, John has been coaching for three years in his own keeper schools and after turning down several offers to coach at professional premiership football clubs, in 2008 John decided to join the Just4Keepers team.