Chris Birchall

Port Vale

Birchall attended Alleyne's High School in Stone, Staffordshire, and started his career with Port Vale, having been associated with the Burslem based club since the age of nine. He made his debut under Brian Horton on 12 September 2001, replacing Neil Brisco 79 minutes into a 2–0 Second round exit of the League Cup at Charlton Athletic's The Valley stadium. On 20 April 2002, he made his league debut, again replacing Brisco, this time in a 1–0 defeat by Brighton at Vale Park.

"I came up through the ranks at Port Vale from the age of 8 until I left the club at 22. I owe all the coaching to them, they nurtured me and really looked after me and had confidence in me." He made two Second Division appearances in 2002–03, both away defeats. The teenager earned his first start on 18 October 2003; he was taken off at half-time for Ian Armstrong, as he watched his teammates lose 5–1 at home to Plymouth Argyle. He also played in both games of the club's First round FA Cup struggle over minnows Ford United. In all, he made 13 appearances in 2003–04. Throughout the 2004–05 campaign, Birchall showed his potential, scoring seven goals in 39 games. His first senior goal was a 76th-minute winner against Swindon Town on 19 October. He also scored a brace against Tranmere Rovers on 7 December in a 3–1 home win. At the end of the season he was voted the Young Player of the Year. Birchall scored twice in 32 appearances in the 2005–06 season. However, one of them, a 22nd-minute…

Although born in England, Birchall represented Trinidad and Tobago internationally. He was eligible due to his mother being born in Port of Spain. Birchall's agent was spreading the word that he could play for his mother's homeland. He was first made aware of the interest in him by Trinidad and Tobago international centre back Dennis Lawrence, who walked over to him during a game between Port Vale and Wrexham (Lawrence's club at the time). Lawrence inquired if he was indeed eligible to play for the "Soca Warriors" by saying "I hear you've got some 'Trini' blood in you?". Lawrence then passed Birchall's contact details onto the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association, and Birchall was called up to the full Trinidad and Tobago squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Panama and Mexico, following a couple of friendlies against Bermuda. After making his debut for the national side, it was widely reported that Birchall was the first white player to represent the country in sixty years. However, former Trinidad coach Stephen Hart is white and represented Trinidad & Tobago in 1980. The "Prince of Port-of-Spain", West Indies cricketer Brian Lara, was also credited for helping the TTFA hear about Birchall after Ashley Giles commented on having some West Indian blood in his family. When the press in Trinidad and Tobago asked why he qualified to play for them, he replied, "Me mum". This memorable response gave rise to his "Soca Warrior" nickname, 'Me Mum'.

"At the time he joined…

Club

International

In 2006, Birchall and Stoke City star Andy Wilkinson invested £200,000 into Zenn Club, a nightclub in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. However, in July 2008, the club closed due to debts. The club later re-opened under new management. In July 2007, it was reported that Birchall had been dating media personality Jodie Marsh for a brief time. His then-partner, Lucy Mulroy, gave birth to a son, Ashley Edward Birchall, on 28 April 2009. Birchall attended Staffordshire University and graduated with a Professional Sports Writing & Broadcasting degree in 2016. He opened a football academy in Wolstanton in May 2021, with an emphasis on getting the children to enjoy the game and have fun rather than training hard. He began training to become a referee in 2024. He accepted a three-year fast-track deal with the PGMOL.