What are you doing now former footballer / rugby player?
Posted by Delicious_Bet_6336@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 152 comments
Always intrigued about players of former professional standard, but lower league and not on the massive million pound contracts & what they go on to after "retirement" which could even be aged about 30.
Any lurking in here??
TheNotSpecialOne@reddit
Ex pro cricketer. Played for Worcestershire for a several seasons. Eventually moved out to the minor counties. I still play regularly for a Premier league team in the Birmingham Premier League, semi pro league. Good quality cricketers in that league and I'm coping just about as a 44 year old.
I always had in interest in IT, and did a degree and masters while as a cricketer during off season. Now work full time as an IT Manager for a global food conglomerate and a part time cricketer on weekends. Love the game still but with a well paid full time job and young kids I dont get much free time outside weekend cricket to give back. Would love to coach the youth team for the club I'm at or give back somehow. Maybe when my toddlers grow up a bit and I get more free time I'll coach and play less
thelynchmob1@reddit
I used to play (2nd XI or 3rd XI) for a club whose first team was in the Birmingham Premier League. Really good standard, lots of high-quality overseas pros and semi-pros too. Knew plenty of guys making a few hundred quid a week at least in that league.
TheNotSpecialOne@reddit
Yup, good standard. I'm just about good enough! Think I'll drop to 2nds team in about 5 years time and take it easy
Guilty_Struggle_6089@reddit
Have a mate that you would describe nowadays as a “wonderkid” played for a championship club and was courted by a few prem teams.
He stayed loyal to championship club as they gave him the spiel of playing for them means he will be fast tracked to the first team a lot quicker.
Got a bad injury and piled on the weight..never really shifted the weight and only played a few games in league 1 and then got released.
Played semi pro for a number of years but a mixture of weight issues and injuries meant he never really got going and now works a dead end job with zero prospects
CrossCityLine@reddit
Played at the top level of American football in the UK, and even won the “BritBowl” and was in around the GB national side for a short while. All still very much an amateur though.
My knees are permanently ruined, I’ve got disfigured fingers, and I’ve just got over being very obese after continuing eating a sportspersons’s diet for years after giving up the sport.
10/10 would do it all again and I miss it every day.
NLFG@reddit
I used to work with a former pro-rugby player and the work they have to put in to control their weight when they finish playing is insane, and that's with the support that comes with still being in and around the game. Must be ridiculously hard without it.
BobBobBobBobBobDave@reddit
I lived with some people who were serious amateur rowers at one point. They were training 4-6 hours a day, six days a week.
And yeah, when they had a break and didn't train for a few weeks, they would pile on the weight as they were still eating like crazy. Watched a guy eat a family-sized pack of chicken breasts to himself in about five minutes, for breakfast. That was odd. I suppose at least he did cook them...
Guilty_Struggle_6089@reddit
Look at Matthew Pinsent now..he’s a right unit
GenericBrowse@reddit
Just out of interest, how much does playing American football in the UK actually pay?
I saw a bit of a Manchester Titans game earlier this year, and tbh I thought the players wouldn't be getting paid, but maybe the club would cover things like travel expenses (having just re-read your comment i see you've mentioned being an amateur)
I always think the same about UK based Ice Hockey as well, I read about a Manchester Storm player working nightshifts somewhere and sleeping in his car because the team hadn't sorted out somewhere for him to stay.
CrossCityLine@reddit
It doesn’t pay, it’s strictly amateur.
When I played we paid a small amount of subs which covered insurance. Kit, travel, etc was provided.
Things might be different now as there has been growth in the sport but it’s still amateur.
charliedacey@reddit
It changed as of last weekend, the London Warriors are now a pro team so English players are being paid for the first time ever - they're playing in the new AFLE European league. I'm at Aztecs though and bafa is still explicitly unpaid
CrossCityLine@reddit
Ah yes I’d forgotten this was happening. Weird they went for Warriors rather than Blitz.
TelephoneOrnery1394@reddit
I was paying about £200 a month.
So -£200
GenericBrowse@reddit
Yikes!
NotThatGoodAnymore@reddit
When I was playing, nothing. It was all amateur.
NotThatGoodAnymore@reddit
Oh my god, are you me??
I also won the BritBowl, was in and around the GB squad, have shit knees and have got fat as I got older!
liquidio@reddit
It being NFL, there could be 46 other guys just like you two!
I do enjoy watching the sport though, no hating here!
joeythemouse@reddit
Username checks out
CrossCityLine@reddit
I might be you!
NotThatGoodAnymore@reddit
I was at Doncaster Wildcats. Went up through flag, to contact, to full adult.
Crazy to think that was all the best part of 30 years ago.
CrossCityLine@reddit
Ah you were before me. I was at Tamworth Phoenix.
kingmickyb@reddit
We'll know someone in common then I'd think, it's likely that I went to school with your former coach.
NIP_SLIP_RIOT@reddit
Norwich Knickerbockers
PsychologicalDish430@reddit
Ah I remember these being pants.
BobBobBobBobBobDave@reddit
Ah, I played for the Preston Pantaloons in my day...
monkey_kaleidoscope@reddit
The badiddlyboing paedos
CrossCityLine@reddit
🙄
Empty_Change7506@reddit
The only acceptable reply
Orpington_Oracle@reddit
As a former London Olympian left tackle I can completely relate to this. Ended up blowing my ACL out on a kick off would you believe 🤣 literally tripped over a divet in the ground and that was good night.
I don't miss playing so much more the comradery of going up and down the country with your mates every weekend.
Lavidius@reddit
That's so cool, I was a left tackle for the Lancaster Bombers
CrossCityLine@reddit
I played against Lancashire for Tamworth a good few times, always great lads. Really liked the set up there when you played on the hills north of Blackburn. Loved the Spread Eagle pub around the corner in Mellor.
WT-RikerSpaceHipster@reddit
I was a hot prospect in the Scottish league.
Got injured.
Now I own restaurants, do reality TV and star in memes
MC_Wimble@reddit
Not myself but I’ve known a few ex rugby pros and from what I see there’s very much an old boys network which helps with securing jobs. I’ve seen a couple of stock brokers, banking, finance etc.
It’s a mass generalisation, but ex rugby players are more likely to be well educated graduates than ex footballers, so not sure if you’d see it as much there
Ok_Music253@reddit
Ex-Northampton Saints fly-half (I think he was, I'm only loosely rugby knowledgeable) Stephen Myler has recently been in the local press for qualifying as a financial adviser.
Ex-goalie Alex Smithies (played for my club QPR but probably better known for his years at Huddersfield) has also moved into the IFA world, working for a firm focused on professional sports people.
Tend to see a few pop up on LinkedIn as "posts you may be interested in" as they're ex-pro status generally means they get a bit of traction.
Different area, ex-striker Brett Ormerod was working as a delivery van driver when he appeared on the Undr the Cosh podcast a few years ago. Another ex-striker Rowan Vine was labouring on building sites when he appeared on it.
Outrageous-Arm1945@reddit
Spot on with Myler BTW. Played for England too
slimboyslim9@reddit
Smithies loved a penalty save. What a keeper he was by the way.
Sendhimoffdiabolical@reddit
Shows the difference between rugby league and rugby union. If Myler had stayed at Salford he'd probably be on the tools or working in a factory.
officearsehole@reddit
That or a motivational speaker like Jamie Peacock. I used to host sponsor tables at Leeds Rhinos and some of the players giving the half time talks could barely string a sentence together, Brett Delaney was particularly bad!
Sendhimoffdiabolical@reddit
Delaney must be from the aussie school of "yeah, nah, yeah. Credit to the boys"
officearsehole@reddit
He spent 40 minutes talking about how upset his mum was he got a tattoo on his neck.
Sendhimoffdiabolical@reddit
Captain charisma!
Did any of them pleasantly surprise you? Always found Barrie McDermott to be a fella that can hold your attention (annoying commentator though) and JJB, but obviously sometimes sounds like he's got a gobful of marbles.
officearsehole@reddit
Most of the old boys were good value but a lot of the younger lads were a bit bland. I think that’s across all sports now; between professionalism and social media there are precious few characters coming through and very few tales like the good/bad old days.
Worst one was Tom May at Newcastle Falcons, for a player with a grand total of two England caps he was carrying on like he taught Jonny Wilkinson everything he knew.
FredTheSaxon@reddit
I’ve got a couple of mates who are ex-professional rugby players.
Not bad money during playing years but not enough to retire on like footballers. And your playing career is only 15 years-ish if you’re lucky.
Financial advising is quite a common route. Firms come and talk to the players at the clubs and get them on a training contract once they retire.
Jimny977@reddit
It’s hard to understate how big of a vertical “sportspeople” are within IFA and Wealth Management firms. You have to remember these firms are built on 60 and 70 something year old clients with £250k-£5m primarily. In a decade or two they die and their kids pull out the assets generally.
When you can get sportspeople in you’re talking about people in their 20s and 30s with millions, tens of millions or in a few cases hundreds of millions in investable assets. People whose assets are going to double, double, double and double again for decades and decades, and with it so will your fee revenue as it’s a %.
We have a few England starting eleven clients, some in Financial Planning, some in Bespoke Portfolios, they are beyond lucrative, and they bring their mates in without you even having to ask or try. Every England or Prem footballer has hundreds of mates who are Prem, Championship, Managers etc.
lostandfawnd@reddit
Does he not deliver what he drives too?
Bose82@reddit
Alex Smithies was the greatest goalkeeper I ever signed on Football Manager. Guy was a brick wall for my Swansea City team 😂
gingerprop@reddit
I played league 1 rugby for 3 years, prop is a hard position to fill, so I was paid £200 a week. I left of my own violation, after a while I hated taking the game I love to never ending stat sheet level. Gym 3 times a week, rugby training 2 times and a whole day for game day. That's like 20 hours work a week extra plus logging everything and then getting moaned at for something minor.
Affectionate_Grab902@reddit
League 1?
gingerprop@reddit
League below championship, supposed to be amateur but your be paid in some way and some are even getting paid at the county level now. A big club near me has a lot of 'gardeners' on the pay roll if you catch my drift.
Affectionate_Grab902@reddit
You mean Nat 1? Sounds like you're lying tbf, I play level 8 rugby and a few people get paid. Go up a couple leagues and everyone gets paid
gingerprop@reddit
12 years ago, I play at level 7 currently.
Indigo457@reddit
I enjoyed the “left of my own violation” typo
Voodoopulse@reddit
Family member is a coach in America these days, doing mainly American football kicking training. made his debut in the premier league making about 20 appearances and having an fa cup winners medal, and then went down the leagues spending most of his career in the league 2. I think he also owns about 20 houses
Delicious_Bet_6336@reddit (OP)
with 20 houses I'd say they were probably set for life! crikey, all that for whats basically half a season...
Voodoopulse@reddit
A couple of seasons in the premier league and then 12 in the championship to the conference. His dad was an ex player and sorted him out very early with a financial advisor. He didn't live the professional footballer lifestyle
faa19@reddit
It always annoys me when the papers decide to have a go because someone in the premier league has brought houses for their mum/siblings/childhood best friends etc. Especially when they grew up on a council estate. Let them buy their loved ones a house while they can afford it.
VFrosty3@reddit
Good for him. Possibly lucky to have a father that had gone through it and likely saw some other pros waste their cash, so advised him wisely.
MillsOnWheels7@reddit
Sounds like a Wigan player
DickMoveDave@reddit
Callum McManaman?
yearsofpractice@reddit
Hey OP - this one’s a bit of a bummer, but answers your question - my dad played professional football for a then 4th division (now League 2) team in the 60s - Brian Clough was his manager for a season! He also played rugby to a similar standard, but the entire pyramid was amateur until the 90s.
His father, grandad, always knew it wouldn’t be a secure career so made sure dad got a good education too - when football didn’t turn out to be a long term option, he became a teacher and had a career as a primary school headteacher.
Now the bummer bit - dad has late stage Parkinson’s and some dementia - from conversations with his medics - it’s apparent that the concussions he received playing football and particularly rugby may have contributed to this. They were both stern sports in the 60s. Heading a waterlogged 60s leather football coming down from 50 feet in the air won’t have helped either.
Pro sport at any level is such a punishing pursuit, even today.
BarnacleExpressor@reddit
Based on the not insignificant sample size of people that I know personally, the main paths seem to be either coaching their sport or working in sales. I know quite a few people who have done both at some point or still do! This includes former olympic competitors in boxing, table tennis, badminton, one person from international rugby, and a former semi pro golfer...
GoJohnnyGoGoGoG0@reddit
What's a semi pro golfer?
BarnacleExpressor@reddit
Not a fucking scooby mate, I tune out when he starts talking about it 😂
rynchenzo@reddit
I have 2 ex professional footballers working with me in manufacturing. One of them played League One level, the other was a youth player for a big club but suffered a catastrophic injury.
Careers are short.
Slothjitzu@reddit
It’s actually pretty grim the amount of decent football and rugby players who basically got injured out of the sport in their teens.
I used to know a kid who was in the Cardiff youth team and then absolutely obliterated his leg when he was 15. In college at 16 he was still recovering and by the time he was actually able to train at full speed he was almost 17 and quickly cut.
Pretty sure he just became the star player for Sunday league teams after that.
Positive-Squash4040@reddit
So true I reckon for every player who makes it to the top there must be a dozen BETTER players who were injured early and subsequently never realised their potential
Slothjitzu@reddit
Absolutely. It’s not football but I do another sport and I see it all the time, it’s the biggest way that luck plays a role in athletic success IMO.
rynchenzo@reddit
My friend here is the same, broke his leg aged 19 after some first team starts, then cut from the squad. Played local league after that.
BeaumarchaisApu@reddit
I worked with an ex-Premier League player from the 90s and early 2000s who had become an engineering project/delivery manager in the automotive industry.
littlesebastian2@reddit
I played pro youth and then non-league so i know quite a few former pros.
A lot stay in the game, do their coaching badges and run private academies or do 1:1 coaching with young pros or boys club players with rich parents. A few get other roles, one guy i used to play with is now a distributor for teamwear for Joma, one guy heads up the women’s football association in a Caribbean country, one is even a scout for an EPL club. One or two i know make good cash from being guests on podcasts and things like that.
Plenty more leave the game and just get normal jobs. I know a couple of tradesmen, a window cleaner and a GP off the top of my head.
Duementon@reddit
i think you underestimate how much footballers can make, i used to have a friend at school who played for the mens team of a Southern League team and would make up to 2k a month when he was only 17
a lot of them get into property and have passive income
Slothjitzu@reddit
Yeah I know a guy who used to play for a middling team in the Welsh premier league and obviously he still had a regular day job but he made like £600ish a month from playing.
If he can make that much playing for what is essentially a glorified pub team then most league 2 or higher non-league players are making a decent amount of money.
JonnySniper@reddit
You put take that player and put him in an actual Sunday league team and he'll run rings round the entire opposition.
Don't under estimate just how good at football you need to be in order to be paid for it
Slothjitzu@reddit
Yeah he was genuinely very, very good at football.
My reference to them being a glorified pub team is more about the crowd and importance of the game itself. Maybe a hundred or so people actually have a shit about his matches, and actual semi-professional turnout is significantly higher.
Duementon@reddit
i think the opposite, i think there are many players in sunday league now who are older but have experience of higher leagues and many who are not far off the level but lack the fitness
the hardest thing is adapting to the bigger pitches, it puts way more responsibility on each player individually, thats why a mix of 7 a side and 5 aside is really good practice. when i see the old pitches i used to play on i realise how small they are
Lost_Woodpecker1@reddit
That would be the exception to the norm at that level. My partner was playing at that level and was only earning £100 per week. He's now in league 2 where it's around £130k a year plus bonuses.
MemoryRight2542@reddit
I worked with an ex footballer in a children's home
Worth_Gap4226@reddit
Adam Johnson?
RubberDingyRapidsBr0@reddit
💪🏼
Indigo457@reddit
☠️
Minute-Employ-4964@reddit
Good mate of mine is an estate agent now.
Really successful due to everyone knowing him from football.
Really good lad too
spellboundsilk92@reddit
My physio is an ex football player - he’s very good. Certainly knows his stuff.
One of the PE teachers in my school was an ex football player too. His signed football shirt used to hang in the reception.
JDC96@reddit
I know someone who has made 400+ appearances in the football league from the 1980's to the early 2000's who is now a HGV Driver.
arkan86@reddit
The only ex player I personally know (played at all levels of professional football and retired back in 2020) is now a pundit mainly for EFL games.
SouthCulture6230@reddit
Not me, but I worked for a while with Brian Deane, who captained Wimbledon during the crazy gang days and played for a few other league one clubs back when that was the top league in the country.
He worked 2 days a week as a delivery driver and handy man for the engineering firm I also worked for. Lovely guy.
I asked him what the hell he was doing working and he explained to me that when he retired he moved his family out to New Zealand for a few years, but the cash dried up as you didn't make the money you do now playing football back then unless you were a superstar. He moved back to Sheffield where he ended his career after a while and took some part time work just to tide himself over. He wasn't broke, but was just being sensible about managing his money so he did his part time job with me and occasionally worked as a gardener.
I liked working with him. He is big mates with Vinnie Jones and used to tell me stories about his time in the crazy gang, and when Vinnie started acting, he got Brian a small role in Mean Machine playing one of the prison screws who played in the football match. His fondest memory of filming was the wrap party, as at the time Jason Statham was going out with a then prime Kelly Brooke, who apparently thought Brian was funny so spent the whole evening sat on his lap chatting to him!
Sendhimoffdiabolical@reddit
Brian Deane didn't play for Wimbledon.
SouthCulture6230@reddit
My bad, I meant Brian Gayle. Not sure why I said Deane....
Sendhimoffdiabolical@reddit
Player from the same generation. Deane was better known and think played with Vinnie Jones at Sheffield United or Leeds. Easy mistake to make.
SouthCulture6230@reddit
Not when I actually knew the guy! lol
To be fair though, I didn't call him by his full name every time I spoke to him and he was a Man City player and I'm a life long Utd fan, so maybe I blanked it out
cantevenmakeafist@reddit
Deane wasn't Wimbledon, probably best known for Sheff Utd and Leeds.
WhiteDiamondK@reddit
Even top tier players can struggle. It is estimated that up to 60% of Premier League players can go into bankruptcy later in life.
There’s a variety of reasons, mainly players not realising that their time in the top tier is likely short and this money isn’t going to last forever. There’s also always a lot of people with their hand out and I’m not sure there is the financial guidance for these young men, many of whom probably came from moderate backgrounds and don’t have the know-how to manage money.
Only a small number get the lucrative sponsorship deals and then go on to coaching, managing or punditry.
Alternative_Insect11@reddit
I went to uni with one guy who was studying and playing professional rugby union and also picked up a few caps for Wales. I heard he works in business and is doing well. The company I work for in Australia has hired a lot of ex professional sports people including NRL, AFL and rugby players - even an ex olympian. All of them seem to have MBA or Sports Science degrees and seem to have invested in property whilst they were playing. My father inlaw is a retired rugby league player from the late 1970s / 1980s. He had a trade prior to going into professional sport. When he retired in his late 30s he got into a large organisation via contacts he had made playing sport. He was a hard worker and progressed pretty steady up the ranks - was able to comfortably retire in his late 50s.
kernowgringo@reddit
I know a former rugby union player who is now a, not particularly reliable, plumber
the_jaynerator@reddit
It seems there are no ex footballers or rugby players on Reddit
MeasurementNo2478@reddit
I retired in 1994. Now I sell crisps
r_keel_esq@reddit
About a 15 years ago, I had a manager who had played a couple of seasons for Celtic back in the 90's
He'd forged a decent career in IT after his footballing days, and was a decent, normal bloke. He was a monster on the sesh - he remarried when I worked for him and a few of us from the work went out on his stag-do where he demonstrated a Party-Ability that I can only dream of (and I LOVE the sesh).
I've lost touch (especially since changing jobs and ditching facebook), but I hope he's well
BuncleCar@reddit
There was a TV prog decades ago where footballers wives were talking about their husbands. Theses husbands' were lost, football had been their life and now they were lost
Bobtknob@reddit
The gym I train at is run by and ex-professional rugby player
Played for England and captained the local Premiership team
He now does a lot of trail running challenges, hybrid fitness challengers, has done iron mans and has a very successful gym business
kettylegz@reddit
I worked with a ex Newcastle player from the 70s or 80s offshore, he was a gun mechanic on a seismic vessel
newtonbase@reddit
I worked in betting shops alongside a former player. He came through the youth side at a perennial top flight team making a couple of appearances before going on loan to a 3rd tier team where he did very well winning a goal of the season award and is still remembered over 30 years later. Also played alongside Shearer for England U21s who he was good friends with. Injuries and a bad attitude ended his career. He was a complete tit.
pirateluke@reddit
I know a chap played big clubs uk and internationally, career ended young due to an illness once recovered he went into the SAS, now runs a "private security" firm
plasticmotives@reddit
Years and years ago I played baseball. Obviously unpaid, over here in the UK. Had one moment where there was a small chance of a try out with a minor league team - it didn't happen. I'm honest enough to know that I likely wouldn't have made it anyway.
I do absolutely love that Eric Young, an excellent footballer for Wimbledon and Palace, ended up being an accountant after retirement. I imagine him wearing his headband to meetings.
carlovski99@reddit
Lad in my year at school was a journeyman professional, playing across the football league and in scotland . Became a policeman - while playing some junior (non-league equivalent) football in Scotland for a while.
There was a little bit about this on the welcome to wrexham series - they were trying to put something in place to help players make the transition.
The old school options used to be if you were lucky you had a testimonial which gave you a bit of capital. Then you opened a pub (Or a chip shop in some cases!), or started doing up houses.
newtonbase@reddit
Newsagent was another one. You could be sold a newspaper by a European Cup winner.
Excellent-Abies-259@reddit
Im 37. Former European title winner. I won't say more than that.
Most days I'm either making sure the boats are maintained and taking people out on the water.
At night I'm the same as anyone....
Had you going for a minute there didn't I.
I ain't no footballer. I once played in goal and we got beat 14-0. And then had a rather unsuccessful midfield career before retiring age 16 to take up drinking vodka red Bull and chasing girls in clubs. Semi-successfully.
Career stats: 120 appearances - O goals 1 app as GK. 119 as Centre Mid
League: U14/15/16 Blackburn and Darwen.
Gent415@reddit
Rugby-wise, I know people who are doing all sorts of new jobs, from coaching and punditry through to City jobs like consultancy. The advantage of rugby is that you don't really physically develop sufficiently until your early 20s so most players (of my generation anyway) usually have some kind of higher education to fall back on. It really varies though. Jamie Roberts is now a fully-qualified GP, whereas Gavin Henson runs a pub 😃
paulofromthebloc@reddit
Jamie Roberts is not a GP.
Immaterial71@reddit
He's a fully qualified doctor though.
Gent415@reddit
He's currently a junior doctor working rotation. So yeah he's not a fully qualified GP yet but he's on that path.
DimensionMediocre439@reddit
Apparently they start a podcast and become analysts so you're watching the same faces over and over again for decades.
Why am I still seeing Gary Neville everywhere? Go away, give me time to miss you ffs.
VincentVan_Dough@reddit
The rugby coach and PE teacher at my daughter’s school was a famous rugby player. But I don’t know a thing about rugby so not sure how famous he was. Regular nice bloke and dad whose kids also go to the same school. If you don’t tell me, I wouldn’t know 🤷♀️
EyeAware3519@reddit
I spend my time posting crazy conspiracy theories on Twitter
OMITN@reddit
One footballer I worked with (was at a EPL club but never made it to the 1st team) who retrained as a lawyer and has been very successful. Really nice guy.
LegoVRS@reddit
I think Stuart Ripley (ex Boro, Blackburn and Southampton) did that as well.
I remember reading that Malcolm Christie (ex Derby, Boro) worked at an Aston Martin dealership.
InvestigatorSoft3606@reddit
Brother in law was a footballer playing at second tier and third tier from the early 90s 1993 until 2008. He actually played for the team I support so when i first met him I was a bit starstruck (this didn't last).
At his peak he moved to a bigger team that have historically bobbed between championship and prem - although he never played in the prem. So he was pretty good in his day but not a megastar by any stretch.
While he was a player he started a business, doing tradie type work employing mainly family. he carried on playing football but invested in the business. Business is still going, its small but successful. They have some very good contracts with local government that have been extremely stable over the years.
He never had multi million pound per year pay deals, but he did earn very decent money for a normal person over a 15 year career. He is a millionaire, and lives in a big fancy house, has nice (not not insane) cars. He is generally a low key type of person, quite quiet. Within his business he is hands off day to day, but works on bringing contracts in.
He is still involved in football as a serial assistant manager for various local non league clubs.
Nervous-Economy8119@reddit
Different sports but I played amateur football with two guys that were retired from other sports (figure skating and tennis). As far as I could tell, retirement was quite lucrative for them as rich people would pay a lot to have ex pros coach their kids.
kylehyde84@reddit
My missus is a semi pro womens football player who is likely retiring at 27 due to injuries. 1xacl 1x ankle reconstruction and now another knee injury she's just had surgery for. She's been playing since she was 4 years old and it's all she's known. I worry for her mental state when she gives up as she absolutely loves it. Hopefully move into coaching or something else that still involves football. Physically she will be far better off
OGBrianPeppers@reddit
All she’s known? She has been able to make a living off being semi pro women’s football player up until now?
kylehyde84@reddit
No of course not, she earns about 200 quid a month from it. But I mean it in a sense of it's a massive part of her life, a big priority and something she's done 3-4 days a week. Fwiw she was at a WSL club until ACL injury
Nosworthy@reddit
Know someone who answered a knock on the front door to an ex 90s/00s Premier League player door to door selling solar panels about 10 years ago. He was only young and took his details (still lived at home with his mam, also not very bright) and ended up keeping in touch, working with then setting up a sales business with him. It was very short lived.
SweetCryptographer72@reddit
We had an ex premiere league footballer fit our new bathroom. He retired by his mid 30's and was never a top club player so retrained as a plumber and started his own business. Did a great job and was a real nice guy.
90-6@reddit
I didnt play profesionally myself but have found that a lot of ex pros tend to do ok for themselves. The network that you build with players, coaches, directors, fans etc tend to put you in a good position, especially when you get down to semi-pro football where people are working jobs anyway.
poo_on_my_scarf@reddit
Poopin
yourefunny@reddit
I have a unique experience in rugby. I played to a decent enough standard. Northampton Saints academy. Lower league teams etc. 1st team at uni in the top league. After Uni I moved to Hong Kong. There is a great rugby scene out there. Mainly guys and gals from the UK, France, South Africa, Australia and NZ. If you look at the HK team you won't see many locals. Plenty of locals in the lower leagues though.
The top teams recruit guys from the aforementioned countries. When I was there back in 2010ish the clubs had started paying players. Prior to that the players were given accommodation and easy access through sponsors and ex-players to decent corporate jobs. Obviously the lads had to be switched on, but loads of guys were working in banking, property, recruitment in Hong Kong. Hong Kong was and is one of the major investment hubs in Asia. So there are huge corporations that these guys were getting jobs in. I played against plenty of lads who either made it to super rugby down south or the prem here in the UK and had injuries that meant they couldn't play top flight or only lasted a season or two. I remember scrummaging against an ex Waratahs pro and spent the next week barely able to move!
There was also a great week around the HK 7s, a huge week in Hong Kong, and I played in the 10s tournament at my club. I was privileged to play up against the likes of George Gregan and Smith both 100+ capped for Australia as well as a whole host of recently retired guys. They would be invited over for speaking engagements and part of it was they would play in the build up to the 7s.
Alternative-Fox-7255@reddit
I gave up rugby in my late twenties as it was all too cliquey, and took up bjj instead. That was 13 years ago and I’m totally hooked
Jake_91_420@reddit
They mean people who played professionally
Alternative-Fox-7255@reddit
It’s Reddit mate anyone can give an opinion on anything that’s the point
Jake_91_420@reddit
Yeah you can comment whatever you want but its best for everyone if commenters try to stay on topic in a thread, otherwise what's the point
NoFewSatan@reddit
You can, but it doesn't mean you should.
Past-Date-2579@reddit
Well yes in the sense that you can literally reply about any topic on any thread - still doesn’t make sense…
officearsehole@reddit
If you find a team sport with at least 20 other players in the team too cliquey you’re probably the problem.
FantasticVast01@reddit
My BIL played in League 2 for 8 years and then 3 years in the Conference before he retired. He went to Uni before turning pro and now works in the private wealth division of a well known bank.
Extreme-Kangaroo-842@reddit
Worked with a guy in the business travel industry for years who was a Div 4 player from the late 70s to the early 90s. Hull, Scarborough, Hartlepool.
I had no idea he was an ex pro at all until Steve McLaren got named as England manager. We were talking about it and I said something along the lines of "no surprise really, but not sure if he's the right man for the job". To which he replied:
"Yeah, he never did talk about going into management when we were playing together".
It took me a few seconds to process that and I asked him, in shock, if he knew Steve McLaren to which he explained they'd played together at Hull for a few years.
Told me the story of playing against Spurs in the cup with peak Gazza. Said he was the most unbelievable player he'd ever seen on a pitch.
PLCF1@reddit
A mate of mine (ex American FB) owns a gym.
Another mate (ex prem footballer) is a sports therapist.
Another (ex prem footballer) owns a building firm.
The bottom 2 play charity football matches quite often too.
escoces@reddit
Family member is a current player approaching the end of his career. Was a youth and reserve player at a major Premiership team, did not make a competitive appearance and settled at a Championship team during his peak years, on pretty good money. He is still playing at a good level but has been plagued by injuries and expect he will be retiring soon.
I am not sure of the detail of his finances but I understand he has been well advised by his agent through the years and has been shrewd with his money from the start. He has several buy to let properties that i'm aware of so has some passive income, and i'd expect other investments as well. He has mentioned doing his coaching badges but I'm not sure his heart is really in it. You never know, he could take to it and become as successful coach (not anticipating he'd be a manager - just maybe youth or lower league team coaching) but i wonder if he can even live off his passive income or will start a business of some kind.
nicksinc@reddit
I know two! One rugby and one football. Neither ever made it to the mega leagues but were decent pros.
Both now in recruitment!
sychtynboy123@reddit
Graham whittle ex Wrexham player in 1970/80s Worked as a milkman after finishing
RFL92@reddit
My partner played professionally for several months until a head injury ruined his career at 19. 6 knee, shoulder and neck surgeries and a degree later he became senior at a bank by 30. Not millions but 6 figures a year and we just travel. He misses sport though.
continentaldreams@reddit
We support rugby league in my family, and whilst it's not high paying it's still well paid. One of the retired players from our team ended up being a tradie that came to my parents house last year. My dad had a good chin wag with him about the glory days!
Most of the retired rugby players seem to retrain in the trades and/or flip houses - just from looking on social media.
OMITN@reddit
Rugby league is terribly paid for all but a very small number in the UK. See the discussions about the impact the salary cap has had on academies.
I remember Dom Manfredi going from Wigan 1st team to working on a building site when he was too injured to play (and then to back to Wigan to win the Grand Final vs Warrington).
It’s no wonder players who can get into the NRL for a couple of seasons are willing to go, even if they fail and come back. Those two years wanting the bench in a Sydney suburb probably pay for a house or two.
LitmusVest@reddit
Gary Hulse has a renovation firm. Great bloke and did a cracking job converting our garage.
Sendhimoffdiabolical@reddit
Was that Chris Hill by any chance?
continentaldreams@reddit
No it wasn't! Is he in the trades now?
Sendhimoffdiabolical@reddit
He did have his own plumbing firm while he was playing and think he's a bit of a jack of all trades.
He got into the pro game later than most so think he had all his qualifications beforehand.
LitmusVest@reddit
Yeah he was starting to take on other ex-pros at Warrington.
DEADB33F@reddit
Relatively famous Forest player used to drink in our local. After an injury ended his career he became a gas fitter (plumber).
DB-DanCooper@reddit
Polishing my Ballon D'or collection.
Dennyisthepisslord@reddit
I know of one who became a teacher. Played about 300 EFL games and a 100 or so national League. Was also in a squad that got promoted to the premier league but never played in the top flight himself.
Mostly a league two player so while probably on decent money not exactly set for life money.
Toon_1892@reddit
Shitpost on reddit
ByteSizedGenius@reddit
Friend was at a Championship clubs academy and made a handful of first team appearances. He coaches in the US and seems to be loving life over there.
BobBobBobBobBobDave@reddit
I think it really depends on how much money you make. Premier League footballers probably don't need to do much, if they are sensible with their money.
I have not known anyone who did that, but I knew one lad from school who played football professionally mostly at League 1/Championship level, and one lad who played Rugby Union professionally for several years for a big English club. So both did alright but neither came away with "made for life" money.
The footballer got his badges and now coaches youth football, and the rugby player after he stopped playing went into business in house renovation and building work with his brother.
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