With a promising career in football cut short through injury, Fergus Bell explains why his fellows players should plan for a life after the game.

You are not determined by your sporting prowess anymore

We all know that one chap in the pub that will tell you that “I could have been a Manchester United player when I was younger.” Your reaction? Not hugely positive. So, although your previous achievements will undoubtedly define you for a while, leave the past where it should be – in the past. Showcase your business skills; they are what will impress people going forward.

Learn, Learn, Learn

Years on the pitch may mean that you are literally behind the ball when it comes to working in the corporate world – but use the skills you’ve previously shown on the pitch to prepare yourself for business. Pick up as many new skills as you can. Through a few weeks of tutoring, I was able to build our first website and subsequently achieve some early new business traction without spending on web development fees, a long term saver.

Youtube, Udemy and Coursera are great places to start with building skill sets. Commit yourself to a couple of hours a night or before bed to build your expertise. Very shortly you will have numerous monetisable skills, which will buy you a little extra income, increase efficiency and, if job searching, will make you all together more employable.

Labour of love

“Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress; working hard for something we love is called passion,” Simon Sinek

On leaving the changing room, I found myself throwing several metaphorical darts at life’s dart board (in terms of career choices) until one stuck; consultancy, sports agency work, corporate finance… before working backwards from the realisation that it was job freedom that made me tick – and settled on the property industry.

Flexibility was what I craved and therefore regardless of the ups and downs we encounter, I feel able to wake up and look forward to the working day.

In short, don’t be averse to trying several different avenues before finding the opportunity you are passionate about – alternation and career pivoting is not failure as you embark on the first days of the rest of your life outside sport. Patience is a virtue.

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