From Prison to Galway Football Club

In 2000, after leaving prison, Nick returned to London. He enrolled in the first year of a psychology degree, attempting to forget his past. However, he did give interviews to several local radio stations. Some of the questions posed to Nick were quite surreal.
'There were some characters. One guy claimed he’d bought my parents’ house in Watford. He thought he’d find buried treasure if he dug up the garden. There was also talk of a Pictionary commercial. I turned it down because it was about me defrauding a bank, but they offered me €200,000 to appear.'

At that time, Nick earned €7,000 for a dinner lecture. The title was 'Stress Management Techniques'.
'Even now, I always start by saying, I don’t know whether I should be congratulated or condemned.'

At the end of 2002, he remarried. Nick moved into his new wife’s house in Galway, Ireland. In 2005, at a local pub, he learned that the town's football club was looking for a new commercial manager.
'It sounded fun and motivating. I’d always loved football. So I sent my CV and a cover letter. I wrote everything, from start to finish, about what I’d done in the banking world. I said, ‘I’ve been a dishonest man for 10 years. I want to make a fresh start.’ In reality, when the central figure of a major scandal in the banking world, with nothing to vouch for him, turns up, they’re naturally curious and want to meet him. I met the club officials, and there I explained that this challenge was a matter of life and death for me.'

His wife thought he'd been arrested again

There was no risk for Galway in the first place. They could afford to take a gamble because the club’s coffers were virtually empty.
Nick’s new job was to find sponsors and increase the team’s budget from €600,000 to €2.4 million within two years. Nick felt he was the perfect man for the role.
'I desperately want to succeed again (sic).'
'The day I joined Galway, I did 53 interviews. My home was inundated with calls from the world’s press, so much so that my wife thought I’d been arrested again.'

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) showed little interest in Nick’s arrival.
'The association had no reason to interfere with the club’s affairs. They didn’t issue any official statement,' Keith Duggan of the Irish Times stated.
John Fallon, a senior executive at Galway United, was more eloquent.
'Firstly, Nick Leeson was a very promising candidate. His track record in banking was extremely high. Secondly, we were convinced he wouldn’t play us for fools because he was already living in Galway, and the Irish football scene is a small industry. Lastly, the Premier League had been reduced from 22 clubs to 10, and we wanted to get into it. Therefore, increasing the budget was urgent. Incidentally, the board unanimously agreed that Nick Leeson should be given a chance.'