Retirement, or transition into a new profession, are certainties that all professional footballers will encounter.
And having a plan in advance of that inevitability is critical.
Just ask former Marconi, Brisbane Roar and Sydney FC forward Alex Brosque.
By having a plan in place well ahead of his retirement, the 38-year-old was able to focus on enjoying the final years of career, as well as the immediate years following retirement.
“For me it got to the stage where I was actually looking forward to finishing playing altogether. I’d just had enough completely, physically, mentally, from playing.
“I’m nearly three years out now and still enjoying being on the other side of the fence.”
For Brosque, who also played over 200 games in the A-League Men and overseas in Holland, Belgium, Japan and the United Arab Emirates, planning for transition started via the PFA.
“I’d heard so much from the PFA from all of the [staff] who come out and see us about setting things up for after football and I think that was incredibly important.
“Thankfully I was able to do that. I started some business in property about four or five years before I finished playing and it meant that for the back end of my career I was able to focus on enjoying football and not worrying so much about what I was going to do after. I had a plan in place.
“I feel for me that transition has been good and relatively smooth. But it is different. You go from travelling and playing in different countries, in different cities and all of a sudden you’re home 24-7 and that in itself is a bit of shock.”
Far from divorced from football, Brosque has continued to work in football, with his latest role as a pundit in the media.
“It sort of just fell into place when I finished playing. I was contacted by Fox Sports at the time and they wanted someone fresh out of the game to give insights into the players these days, this generation and what is going through their minds and things like that.
“I wanted to keep that connection with the game; I think it’s important when you have been doing it for 30-35 years, to stop all of a sudden and be disconnected is difficult.
“I love it. Just staying involved in the game, even in a small way has been good.”
For Brosque, ensuring his transition was supported by friends and family was also critical.
“For me [it was] really important to have the support of family and friends.”
To find our more about how the PFA can help with planning for your transition, contact your Player Development Manager or access our Player Development Program resources.
