A Game of Two Halves
For the majority of professional footballers we meet, retirement is kept back of mind and unprepared for. Understandably, most players live in the moment and enjoy the peak of a successful and lucrative career on the field. Usually around the age of 35, the dreaded time to hang up the boots and transition into retirement arises and the question of “What’s next?” needs to be asked.
Statistics show that footballers often struggle with retirement, facing an array of issues not only affecting their finances but also their sense of purpose. While there seems to be an unwillingness for players to leave the safety net of the footballing world once they retire, there is certainly a lot to live for after football. Recently, Gary Neville shared his thoughts in a podcast with Steven Bartlett about his career change from the field to becoming a successful entrepreneur.
Just as with Gary Neville, there are numerous stories of footballers becoming successful businessmen and entrepreneurs. However, as Gary highlights, this did not happen as a result of an accident but from careful planning and preparation.
This is why we liken footballers’ lives to the analogy of a Game of Two Halves, referring to life on the field and the life after.
For players to ensure financial security and a sense of purpose and passion for the next chapter in their life, we always recommend our clients have two plans working simultaneously and unlike many advisers, we start with the Second half first.
The First Half.
In the first half, we concentrate on the fundamentals by first assessing the players current financial situation and build or restructure the financial framework and foundations to better suit their life aspirations and to ensure they are financially secure and well protected.
The more robust and secure this architecture is, the more likely they are to achieve financial clarity. This clarity is the key to allowing players to concentrate on their careers on the pitch while allowing their finances to work hard for them off it.
The Second Half.
In our professional opinion, it is vital that players focus on what they want to achieve not just whilst playing football, but also for the second half of their life. The earlier we start to work with players and ask questions around the future, the easier the transition is and becomes less daunting.
After working with us and building their financial framework, our clients have said they feel more confident in exploring financial options for life after football. Whether this is becoming an entrepreneur like Gary Neville, staying in football like Frank Lampard or becoming a property expert.
So, if you are an agent or a player, who wants to ‘box off’ the future so that you can focus more on your football career, talk to one of the Kenwell Sports team members on how we do financial planning differently.