“Imagine you’ve lived somewhere half your life, 10 years – and then all of a sudden you turn up and it isn't yours any more.”
This was the harsh reality for goalkeeper Toby Bull who, in 2023, was released by Brighton and Hove Albion having spent almost a decade at the club. A journey that took him all the way to Old Trafford was over, uprooting the life he had built for himself.
Yet, despite this, Bull’s story is one of perseverance – a refusal to let the disappointment define him. From success in the exciting new Baller League to a burgeoning career with the Premier League, his stocks continue to rise both on and off the pitch. The 22-year-old sat down exclusively with Sussexworld to share his experiences.
Bull, having played outfield for much of his youth, only found his calling between the sticks by chance when his under-10s side’s keeper briefly left to trial at Arsenal. “My older brother used to shove me in goal in the garden,” he said. “I thought: ‘It can’t be that difficult. I’ll put my hand up and go in goal for six weeks while he was on trial.’ I enjoyed it.”
Toby Bull has had quite a football journeyplaceholder image
Toby Bull has had quite a football journey
His team split into two the following season and Bull decided to commit to his new position. After just a month, he was invited to trial at Brighton and was snapped up by their academy at the age of 10. Despite it being his first involvement with a professional club, Bull didn’t let the opportunity faze him.
“I think it just summed me up really, as a kid,” he said. “I didn’t really worry too much. I just took everything in my stride. It was obviously all quite exciting at that young age because that’s all you want to do – play for a pro club.
"You feel like: ‘Oh my god, I’ve just signed for a professional club.’ Even though you’re 10-years-old and it doesn’t really count, it still feels like that.”
The education of a player is often an overlooked aspect of academy football, and Bull detailed how he would miss two days of regular school to train with the Seagulls. Despite studying at the club, his teachers back at school would question his commitment to learning, and he even had to leave friendships that he felt could have been at a detriment to his own future.
Toby Bull in Baller League actionplaceholder image
Toby Bull in Baller League action
“It was never an easy ride,” Bull admitted. “I had lots of injuries, lots of setbacks.”
The 22-year-old recalled countless nervy waits to learn whether he would be offered a new contract each year, but he survived as coaches waited for him to develop physically.
After a slow start as a first-year scholar, Bull came into his own the following year and, after a spell on loan at Worthing, broke into the Seagulls under-18s side. Appearing nine times in the U18s Premier League and once in the FA Youth Cup, he impressed with five clean sheets during the 2020-21 season and earned a first professional contract at the Albion.
Another move on loan followed - this time at Surrey club Merstham where he made 31 appearances before being recalled early in February 2022. Bull spoke of his frustration at having his fruitful spell cut short only to then be told he was needed for first-team training.
At just 18, he was informed he would be travelling with the squad for a midweek Premier League game. The destination – Old Trafford to take on Manchester United.
“I didn’t really think much of it because you hear all these things before,” he said. “You’re like: ‘Does it really happen?’ Then I walked past the team sheet, which I’ve walked past a few times, and I saw my name on it - ‘is this actually real? What an unbelievable experience.’”
Despite not featuring on the night, Bull’s inclusion eight years into his time at Brighton was a monumental achievement. Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes were the scorers in a 2-0 win for United, but the result didn’t detract from the young keeper’s experience.
He said: “When I pictured as a kid what I wanted to be, obviously playing would have been nice but that is exactly what I wanted to be. I sat there and was like, ‘this is unreal’. Whether or not this is the only experience I get in my career, or hopefully I get many more like this, at least I’ve had this experience.”
As it transpired, that would be the pinnacle of Bull’s career at the Seagulls. The keeper battled through a shoulder issue to travel to Old Trafford, but it soon caught up with him as an operation forced him out for four months. Returning to pre-season training with the hope of cementing a regular place in the squad, Bull was met with another setback that kept him out for a similarly lengthy spell.
By the time he returned from injury, the club had changed no-end. Head coach Graham Potter was replaced by Roberto De Zerbi, and numerous coaches and players had been and gone, leaving Bull feeling alienated from previously familiar surroundings. By the end of the 2022-23 season, Bull’s time at Brighton had ‘fizzled out' and he was released by the club.
“I knew that my time was coming,” Bull acknowledged. “What I wasn’t prepared for was the change in everything. That training ground – I grew up in that building for half my life, to now all of a sudden I can’t walk just walk in tomorrow.
“I’m not here any more and I’m not a part of this any more, and that’s not your choice. That’s the decision of someone else. It was weird for me because, coming out of Brighton, I didn’t really have much of a plan.”
Bull initially struggled to find another club and revealed that a move to League Two side Notts County fell through at the start of the 2023-24 season – a turn of events that left him feeling disillusioned with the sport.
After a period of ‘not enjoying football’, he agreed to help out a friend – Eastbourne Town manager Jude Macdonald – and recaptured the ‘Saturday buzz’ that he had missed while out of action. However, Bull endured more footballing turbulence after a failed return to Worthing. He moved to Isthmian League Premier Division side Lewes for the 2024-25 season for a fresh start.
“It was probably the best decision I made,” he said. “I enjoyed every minute of it there – very nice club. I played 40-odd games that season, really enjoyed my football and thought, ‘that was a good decision I made there.’ I didn’t really care about the level or whatever I was at. I just enjoyed my football and ultimately it was a good decision because it helped everything else that I was doing.”
Alongside his Baller League commitments for KSI’s Prime FC, Bull now plays for Dulwich Hamlet, who are celebrating reaching the London Senior Cup final after a semi-final victory over Leyton Orient’s under-21s – the keeper’s ‘45th game this season’ for the South-East London side.
He has been busy off the pitch too. He has completed an MBA at the Sports Business Institute Barcelona, amassed over 300,000 followers between his TikTok and Instagram accounts and has begun a new role as Player Care and Engagement Executive at the Premier League.
Despite his various new responsibilities, Bull’s priority above all else is to keep the gloves on: “I don’t want to be in that place again where I don’t want to play and don’t enjoy it. So, I think that’s a key goal of mine – to enjoy football, still try and play at a decent level, a high standard.”
The 22-year-old also occasionally finds himself back at Brighton – not lamenting his past exploits but looking to the future in his new role. He said: “I only came out a few years ago, so I like speaking to a lot of the players still, talking to a lot of the staff still. It’s actually quite nice to see them all and just have a chat.
“They were quite interested in what I was doing and a lot were like, ‘it’s impressive to see’ because you come out of the system and normally it can just be a massive downward spiral. So, I had that bit of a dip and I’m trying to work my way back up.
“It’s always quite nice and as much as I’d like to be out there training, I was watching their session today and I thought, ‘yeah, I couldn’t do that. My body could not keep up with that – I'm alright over here!’”
Baller League airs live every Monday night from 5pm on www.youtube.com/@BallerLeagueUK.
Continue Reading