COVID-19 should heavily reinforce to Footballer's the building blocks they need to be implementing throughout their career.

My name is Ryan Fisher, CEO & Founder of Total Football Group UK and welcome to article #1 of a 12-part publication.

Firstly, I wish to start by saying I hope that everyone reading this, along with their families and friends are safe and well in what is unprecedented times for everyone across the globe.

Secondly, welcome to the first of many articles to come. The purpose of these articles are to document my thoughts and insights across the World Game whilst building Total Football Group into what I am dedicating every day towards it evolving into and representing.

COVID-19 (Coronavirus) is day by day causing a catastrophic social and economic fall out across the community and in turn world Football. With the health and well-being of others rightly remaining the main priority for us all, it is without a doubt that our minds will often still be turning to the mental & financial impact it is having on us individually, albeit differently.

A situation like COVID-19 highlights quickly what financial safety measures we each have or don't have around our day to day lives. It also makes you realise the importance of routine, having a day to day purpose & being challenged.

Whilst not one of us could have been or expected to have been planning for a world-wide pandemic, one must admit that a situation like this really does allow you stop and undergo an assessment of your financials, career trajectory, personal life and everything in between.

Due to government measures in place, this is an extreme version of what life can be like when not working and with reduced finances, the principles however are very much the same.

The speed in which COVID-19 has caused significant change strikes some stark similarities with a career ending injury, reaching the end of your career unprepared, or any other variable that can prematurely end a Footballer's career in its tracks. 

What similarities? Well to be short, the world as you know it has just come to a sudden holt, your earnings have significantly dropped off a cliff and the skill set you have dedicated yourself to refining and developing is now in the most part null and void.

Furthermore, you find yourself with a vast amount of spare time, a similar sense of routine abolished & a real loss of identity. Loneliness can creep in, the sense of community you are so used to has been removed and in the most part, your life has changed dramatically.

The small upside to COVID-19 is that you still have finances trickling through and the support system of the clubs, upon retirement you don't.

As Football has slowly but surely positioned itself in a world of its own, the potential earnings for players across the world's top leagues are astronomical. For the first time, in 2019 it has been reported the average salary for a Premier League player is ￡3,000,000 per year.

To put that into perspective, the average wage for a UK working resident is ￡29,009 P.A.

So then why is it that so many Footballer's face the difficulties that they do with such excellent resources available to them. Why do so many transition from the game into a black abyss with no real structure or pathway?

It is due to the sheer gulf between the average wage and a modern day player that the automatic misconception is that Footballer's have found the eternal fountain of wealth, one that does not end and one that will ensure the player, their families and all those associated directly to them are set up and made for life.

This is an assumption made from both a financial and mental health perspective, because as the story goes, money brings you happiness, that old chestnut.

Across the Championship, a league facing huge difficulty in the face of this pandemic the average salary sits at a modest ￡450,000k P.A. This is once again a significant gulf to the UK average and allows for the modern-day player at Championship level to accumulate significant wealth over the course of their career.

Naturally as you move lower down the Football pyramid the remuneration is reflected. What should not alter however is the advice and guidance given, it is all relative to the metrics you are dealing with.

With all of the above said, why is it that statistically 70% of players, through organically closing the curtain on their career or injury induced retirement are not financially stable enough to support the next, on average 31 years before they can legally retire.

A large majority as I have said also leave Football without the relevant tools to transition, no extracurricular studies or professional roadmap in place & no support network to capitalize on. Therefore, greeted abruptly with the mental obstacles that come along with losing your purpose and profession when it is too late.

I want to emphasise here, that ending your career with a pot of money is not the big picture, this is not what this article is about. The big picture is an accumulation of many things, with money only being a part of that. Some of the happiest people in the world are not of vast wealth, and some of the most sincerely miserable are.

The vital balance to get right is that on top of having a good financial situation to transition from the game into, you must remain challenged, you must delve into a new career or passion to ensure mental stimulation & personal growth, continuously learning, growing, refining and improving.

"Success without fulfilment can only be deemed as failure. Only an accumulation of financial security and a sense of purpose will fulfil you. One does not work without the other."

The work you must put in and the conversations you must have in order for this to happen effectively must commence during your career if and when possible, I cannot emphasise this enough.

Studies show that it is not the drop within a player's finances that ultimately leads them down a multitude of trap doors with an unhappy ending. It is from not understanding the demands of the transition that takes place from a mental perspective, not being aware of the resources both during and after their career that need to be tapped into and respected.

These are the things that are vital for professional players across the board to have when transitioning out of the game. To remain stimulated, to have a career, a new challenge and focus. Let's not forget it is their discipline, drive & mindset that has allowed them to build a career in professional sport, these attributes cannot just be switched off, they require feeding & that is why all of this is so important.

In 2020 the minimum retirement age within the UK is 66. This means that if you were to retire at the averaging Football age of 35, you are left with a 31-year time frame with a dramatic decrease in earnings & potentially a limited skill set to transfer out of the game with, and in most cases no agent.

Once you finish maximising your on-field career, it is well known that there is very limited work within Football. Doors may open into journalism, coaching, TV work and so on, but roles directly attributed to your qualifications are limited.

COVID-19 presents each and every single one of us with a very unique situation to turn a negative into a very big positive. It gives us time to reflect, to stop and take a breath, to have the time to think deeply about every facet of our lives and implement positive change.

Footballer's have never before been granted a small taste of what life after hanging up their boots in a lot of ways will feel like, therefore my advice to them is to act accordingly and quickly obtain a huge respect for the value in putting the right steps in place.

Clubs will continue to run, fans will keep coming to games, the world will keep spinning. It is your responsibility to yourself that you seek professional advice, study in your spare time, channel your thoughts into passions outside of the game whilst remaining committed to your playing career. The foresight you show now will only pay dividends long term.

All of this is something that is a slow process and a series of building blocks that must all be laid and executed correctly throughout your playing days. Whether you are at the start of your career, mid-way through or approaching the end, it is never too late to acknowledge the importance of such things, but the earlier the better.

Once again COVID-19 has provided us all with time to reflect. What I believe it should be used as for the modern-day player, is a tool to learn from.

In next week's article I draw upon the above to discuss the importance of an agent's role in the modern game. Footballer's have evolved, therefore so must their representation.

Stay safe and thank you for reading.

Best,

Ryan Fisher | CEO & Founder | Total Football Group UK

KEY TAKEAWAY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE

• 70% of players, through organically closing the curtain on their career or injury induced retirement are not financially stable enough to support the next, on average 31 years before they can legally retire.
• Success without fulfilment can only be deemed as failure. Only an accumulation of financial security and a sense of purpose will fulfil you. One does not work without the other.
• In 2020 the minimum retirement age within the UK is 66. This means that if you were to retire at the averaging Football age of 35, you are left with a 31-year time frame with a dramatic decrease in earnings & potentially a limited skill set to transfer out of the game with, and in most cases no agent.
• Some of the happiest people in the world are not of vast wealth, and some of the most sincerely miserable are. Relying purely upon finances when you retire is naive.
• COVID-19 presents each and every single one of us with a very unique situation to turn a negative into a very big positive. It gives us time to reflect, to stop and take a breath, to have the time to think deeply about every facet of our lives and implement positive change.
• It is your responsibility to yourself that you seek professional advice, study in your spare time, channel your thoughts into passions outside of the game whilst remaining committed to your playing career. The foresight you show now will only pay dividends long term.
• Let's not forget it is a player's discipline, drive & mindset that has allowed them to build a career in professional sport, these attributes cant just be switched off, they require feeding & that is why all of this is so important.
• www.totalfootballgroup.co.uk