Michael Boulding

Boulding was both a skilled footballer and tennis player as a schoolboy, but he was persuaded to pursue a career in the latter sport when he was talent spotted by coach Tony Pickard at the age of 13. Boulding was part of the national squad and played in events across the world, including India, South America, the Far East, and also the junior Wimbledon Championships and the qualifying rounds of the main Grand Slam event. During his career he roomed with Tim Henman and was ranked the top 20 players in Britain. He held an ATP singles world ranking between 8 July 1996 and 1 November 1999, apart from between 25 August 1997 and 24 August 1998, which peaked at 1,119 with four world ranking points on 3 May 1999. His highest doubles ranking was 964 on 10 February 1997 with 15 ranking points.

Hallam and Mansfield Town

Boulding maintained his links with football and trained with Doncaster Rovers, and in 1998 he joined non-league Hallam near his home in Sheffield. His form at Hallam attracted the interest of a number of league clubs, and Boulding was offered a trial by Mansfield Town. He was given a contract by the Division Three side and turned professional in 1999, which brought an end to his tennis career. He made his debut with Mansfield in a League Cup game against Nottingham Forest on 11 August 1999 as a late substitute for Gary Tallon, before his first league game came three days later against Cheltenham Town. He had to wait until his 12th game as a professional to register his first goal when he scored in a 2–1 victory over Shrewsbury Town on 23 October. He eventually finished his first season with six goals with Mansfield coming 17th but 17 points above Carlisle United, the only side to be relegated out of The Football League. During September and October of the 1999–2000 season, Boulding scored in four successive league games. However, he could only score another two goals during the rest of the campaign to once again record a tally of six goals. His last goal came only two minutes after he had come on as a substitute during Mansfield's penultimate game of the season against Scunthorpe United, which helped the team to their fourth successive home victory and a final league position of 13th. Boulding's two-year contract with Mansfield had finished…

Updated to 25 February 2011.

Michael Boulding was born on 8 February 1976 in Sheffield, England, to Mick and Deirdre Boulding. Boulding has four sisters, Sally, Mary, singer-songwriter Helen, and Laura, and a younger brother, Rory, who is 12 years his junior, and was born after the family moved to Sheffield. Boulding's family own a property business, Merlin Estates, which he briefly worked for when he decided to retire from football in 2005. The firm went into compulsory liquidation in 2009. Boulding lives with his brother, Rory.