GATESHEAD centre-half Ben Clark has decided to hang up his boots after six years with the club – but will remain with the Heed as he starts his off the field career.
The 33-year-old joined the club from Hartlepool in 2010 and went on to make 280 appearances at the heart of the defence.
The Heed's reigning player of the year started his career at Manchester United and Sunderland before moving on to Hartlepool and then Gateshead.
He decided to remain with the club despite seeing manager Neil Aspin bring in a number of new players during the summer and found it difficult to break into the team.
Clark linked up with Northern League side South Shields last month on a dual-registration deal but after picking up a groin injury in the 3-1 win over Washington last week, he has decided to call it a day.
The big defender will be staying at the International Stadium, however, in his new role as a coach and community officer for the National League club.
“I've spoken to a lot of people – including my family – and they say ‘you know when you know', and I think it is the right time,” Clark told Heed's website.
“The manager (Neil Aspin) was very honest with me at the start of the season. He said he'd be bringing new lads in, and I told him I'd be giving it a go.
“It was a case of training every day and not playing on a Saturday, and I knew I didn't really want to do that.
“I went to South Shields for some game time, and I was grateful for the opportunity to do that. But, training with Gateshead during the week and playing for someone else on a Saturday didn't feel right, either.
“I'm going to be doing a little bit of everything for the club now. I'm doing some community work alongside James Curtis – something I'm really interested in, while I've been shadowing Micky (Cummins) with the youth team.
“I've got a very strong feeling about the football club – it has pulled on my heartstrings and I want to make a successful career for myself off the pitch now.”
Gateshead chairman Richard Bennett added: “Ben has been an incredibly loyal servant to the club over the last six years.
“He has had a fantastic career and it's sad to see him hanging up his boots. However, we're excited to be working with him in a new, off-the-pitch role.”
