I would think that its a standard practice for most pro clubs. I know MC have a careers person for this exact reason. Players can forward plan there after life.

Pretty sure this is a requirement of players in the NRL under 20s. 

That's a shame. I'm sure will be sorely missed by some. 

Not sure, but he has been moved on from FFV

Where is he going? 

He has been working with a NPL club here, Olympia or Zebras,  a week ago.

Yes.

Not from tomorrow onwards

Is this the David Smith current FFV technical director?

David Smith will be looking for another gig now ...... looks like he'll be needing to work a few more years

Clearly when you asked the question is a pro career worth it you don't believe it is. That's ok. 
I just don't agree with you regardless to how many names you give. I guess in the end your either a half glass empty or half glass full sort of guy. That's up to the individual. 

It is a question I've discussed a lot off forum recently with other geriatrics.

Those who've played state league and have had professions/trades have been able to retire from the workforce  at 55, or close to it.

Some people who have coached since finishing their pro career are still having to coach in their sixties, when they are pretty tired, in order to keep earning a crust. Ron Smith, Steve Derby and Ken Morton are a few who come to mind. David Smith, Steve Pain and David Abela are pretty ancient too. 

I have no regrets!

As you suggest one can learn a trade ( or can one?) or study whilst pursuing a full time football career. The job after the highs of football could seem pretty mundane though.

In other careers such as music, art and acting, they can be particularly uncertain. One can aim very high, work diligently and get nowhere. 

It all depends on the message you would like to portray to a young lad when his sites are set on any future carrier path.
Shoot for the top and give it 110% or settle for second best just in case? I know the message I give to my kids. Many of us live with regrets regardless as to where we are today. The less regrets the more your happier with your life. D I would hate to think that you as a coach would be recommending to your young lads to jump off the roller coaster just in case they get sick.

This is the view I have held for a lot of my adult life until recently.

However, it seems that life as a full time HAL pro can be more of a roller coaster than a NPL player who has a career as well.

Two other  former players who reside in Tas:


* A player was playing League One in England. Quit football due to insufficient wages, to become a chef. Now resides here and in his 50s plays social football.



* A player from China quit the level below CSL 2, to live, study and work here. Still a young man, he plays suburban club football, social football and futsal.

No.

Fair comment though.

It isn't.

I only vaguely know some of these former pro players. I know some a lot better than others.


Compared to Adelaide, which has circa 1 million and a half million  with a few NPL clubs,

 Tasmania has:

 Hobart with a population of 200 000 supporting 5 NPL clubs.

Launceston with a population of 80 000 supporting 2 NPL clubs.

Devonport with a population  of 30 000 supporting 1 NPL club.


Everybody in football knows most of the former pros listed above. It is not name dropping.




I was quite shocked when a number of athletes from different sports discussed the issues they had post pro career on the ABC program. The number of former pro players I've known seem to be less happy than the general public, despite some exceptions to the norm.

A number of people who have played just below professional football have aspired to become a full time pro.

A mate of mine has a book, which has not been returned, where many English Lower League players question whether they've undertaken the right path becoming a pro footballer.

In this state there  are no paid jobs for football coaches outside NPL senior coaches who make circa 7 000 dollars  per year. The notable exception is Ken Morton. He  makes a fortune running his soccer school under the auspices of South Hobart NPL club. Jobs with Football Fed Tas also have reasonable remuneration.

 One of the keeping coaches  for an NPL club, who originally  comes from Sydney, told me that  coaches in NSW  are often paid $800 per week for supposedly elite youth programs.

At the same time, I'm not sure  there are many reasonably remunerated coaching jobs available for former pro players in Oz. It seems like the best option for any pro player is to simultaneously learn a trade or a profession for life after a pro football career.

I've also known others who have tried a full time playing football program who have become bored with it. In this state NPL teams train 2-3 nights a week, some possibly 4. This is quite different  from playing and training twice a day at times.

To answer your question, JDBO3, it seems like many  former professional sportspeople have trouble adapting to life after retirement - not just football. NPL players generally don't have that void at the end of their career. They definitely don't have the highs of a HAL player either.

One Aussie player, Marco Maisano, quit in his mid-twenties from playing Scottish Premier League Div 2. He thought he had wasted his life playing pro football in Europe from 15- 25, when one day he was playing in front of 800 spectators on a cold, windy day.

 He set up a recruitment agency for American colleges where he claims that Aussie players can simultaneously  experience a full time pro football program, whilst undergoing tertiary education.

Life always has its hurdles no matter what where your from or have done in your young days to later.

If you had the chance being a pro in your passion good on you I say, something many as myself wish they could have.
Doesn't mean you have the golden ticket to easy life once retired but how you looked ahead whilst making some hard earned certainly helps.
Not rocket science.

Most ex-footballers do OK with the rest of their lives. It's just the very small minority who have problems who grab the headlines. This is just an exercise by D. to show that he is "in the know" when it comes to football.

Just to add to this, why couldn't a pro footballer start to set up his life after football by completing courses in their preferred carrier path? Building course, trades course, I.T course and so on. I think its up to the individual as to how life after football may affect them. I think to link all of the people you have with struggles is fair but im sure that there are a lot of ex footballers that are also doing ok.

So are you suggesting we should tell a kid  to give up his dream of playing at the highest level and play npl in case they might suffer depression when they retire? 

1. That's what most footballers in Australia had to do, before the recent advent of the A League- except for the tiny handful who managed to play in Europe. Most retired footballers manage to get on with their lives OK- it is only a small handful who attract sensational headlines with their "inability to cope".

2. Liverpool played Borussia Dortmund in the 1966 cup winners cup final- which was not equivalent to the current champions league final- it was a knock out cup for the winners of national knock out cup competitions. But I thought a big fan like you would have known that- and perhaps you don't know how to google after all.

3. Manchester United was my favourite team, plus I supported the local club here that I played for as a junior.

Most fans probably think that former footballers have:

 1. Made so much money they never need to work again.

2. Easily find well paying jobs in the football media and /or coaching.


The reality appears quite different.

My take is that given the difficulties many top sportspeople have with adapting to life as soon as their pro sport career finishes, in the case of football it may be better to play NPL, simultaneously forging a career outside it.



Liverpool and the local team, Glastonbury.

Some of the big games shown in England were Liverpool playing Borussia Dortmund in a final,  the  equivalent to the current UEFA Champ League Final, and Liverpool winning the FA Cup circa 1965 when they beat Leeds.

Which teams did you support in 1964-5, Localstar?

It does makes you laugh.  

Years ago he admitted he never followed football, as his piss poor football knowledge pre anything 2005 will attest too, but since he's worked out you can say pretty much anything you like on the internet without recourse he's really padded out his 'credentials' no end. (Personally I doubt he's played at any level above a social kickabout in the park.)

I vaguely remember him crapping on about the goal Jimmy Mackay scored in HK like he watched it live.  Bloody hell.

Ah, decentric- back to your usual condescending style I see. I can't really see what those lists of players and their occupations prove, other than that you are a massive name dropper who can use google. What comments do you expect us to make? Footballers get into a huge variety of occupations when they can no longer play football- so what? Everyone knows that already.

Brett Pullen played just six games for Ad City in the nsl- and nobody knew he was Tasmanian anyway!

What club did you support when you were a football mad seven year old in England?

Ah more fudging of the truth re relatives and connections to top tier.

Keep going mate, I'm ready to pounce on your rampant bullshit.

Tut tut.

I thought an eminent historian, like your good self, knew the South Australian football milieu?

Do you have any contact with the state league and some of the former NSL clubs these days?

 In Tasmania everybody knows everybody else, so people's histories are well known. On the mainland in coach education  courses, all sorts of players with supposedly  illustrious playing careers look mediocre when one puts the kit on and plays! Most of the Tasmanian coaching courses have a much higher playing standard of course participants than the mainland courses I've attended.

There is a plethora of current and former state league players who frequent Tasmanian coaching courses. One of the worst players I've played with/against is former FFA senior coach educator, Rob Sherman, in a  FFA Tasmanian based coaching course. Many have undertaken coaching courses with Rob across Australia. I couldn't believe Rob said he was a former youth pro in Wales/England!

Simply by doing officially recognised coaching courses one often meets many former pro players. Then by coaching one meets many former pros after juniors.

I've been told by a local football historian that Brett Pullen played for Adelaide City in the NSL. 

I did - from about 7 years old in England.

All in Hobart and hinterland, or Launceston.

Many visitors think Tasmania has the best standard of living in the world. Hence, so many retire to the state.