Departing midfielder Tom Champion has spoken about his decision to leave Dartford for a crack at full-time football with Cambridge United.

The 26-year-old, pictured, is leaving after three years and said his career plans away from football played a big part in his decision.

Champion worked for a sports and leisure recruitment company in the City of London until the start of this year, when he took on a coaching role.

Training every day with Cambridge will not stop him pursuing that career path, something which persuaded him to accept United’s offer. He said: “It was a hard decision to turn my back on Dartford because I loved my three years there.

“I had to think long and hard. In the end, it was too good an opportunity.

“You can’t throw all your eggs in one basket and just play football. I’ve got my career to think about. I do coaching and that goes hand-in-hand with the full-time schedule.

“I don’t have to sacrifice a nine-to-five job so that works quite well. Cambridge have made assurances that I can continue coaching."

Read more from Tom Champion in this week's Dartford Messenger.