LIFE AFTER FOOTBALL? Two approaches to helping players in retirement - England and France

LIFE AFTER FOOTBALL ? TWO APPROACHES TO
HELPING PLAYERS IN RETIREMENT

Peter-Danton de ROUFFIGNAC MA LLM, Sports Counselor

Professional football in England and France

This article looks at the pre-retirement services offered to their player members by the professional footballers’ unions in England (PFA) and France (UNFP). The article includes a short history of the development of professional football (soccer) in England and France, and examine some of the issues of the contemporary game that affect the players and their life after football in the two countries. These include increasing commercialisation, the role of the media and in particular television, internationalisation, higher wages, professionalism, contracts and eventual retirement.  Although football was invented in England in the nineteenth century, there are numerous parallels between the contemporary situations in England and France: these are examined in the following paragraphs.

Organised football made its first appearance in England during the 1850s, later leading to the establishment of the Football Association as the newly emerging sport’s regulatory body in 1863. Clubs were basically amateur, although the Football League was formed in 1888.  The professional game did not start to dominate the sport until the early 1930s. The present day English Football League is just one of some fifty professional, amateur and mixed leagues but it is the wealthiest and most powerful, incorporating the Premier League (in reality a breakaway league established in 1992) representing the top clubs. It is the dominance of the Premier League that has transformed English football over the last decade.

‘English football in the new millenium’ according to Banks (author of an excellent guide to English football in recent years) ‘has been shaped by events at the close of the previous one, in particular the late 1980s and early 1990s. Firstly, the disasters at Bradford, Heysel and Hillsborough in 1985 and 1989 led to a massive programme of stadium building and renovation as the game implemented the 1991 Taylor Report.  Second, the birth of pay television in the late 1980s introduced new competition to the television industry which led to inflation in the value of football television rights, which led in turn to a massive rise in the clubs’ and players’ incomes. Thirdly the foundation of the Premier League in 1992 radically changed the way that the money coming into the game was distributed, as well as creating another governing body to add to the FA and the Football League. Finally the Bosman ruling   of 1995 represented the greatest change in the relationship between players and clubs since the abolition of the maximum wage in 1960 ‘.

The first French football club was founded – by Englishmen – at Le Havre in 1872, and it was some twenty years before all-French football clubs were created, often as part of an existing multi-sports club. These sports clubs were solidly rooted in local communities and tended to be dominated by amateur federations governing sports such as athletics, cycling and gymnastics, until the foundation of the first all-football leagues.  The close links with the local community meant that athletic stadiums, sometimes incorporating football grounds, were generally built and maintained by the local authority, a situation that continues today when many top French football clubs still play in a municipally-owned stadium, for which they pay a rental. Even the richest clubs in the French first division (known as Ligue 1) and Division 2 still receive subsidies from their local authorities. The upgrading of football grounds has also invariably been financed from public funds, once again reinforcing football’s strong links to the local community and with the French state.

Following several decades of dominance by the amateur game and arguments over ‘shamateurism’, French football at the higher levels became largely professional in the 1930s, initially with 35 clubs, under the auspices of the French Football Federation, and divided into first, second and regional divisions (as in Britain at the time).  Today, as a result, several of the top clubs in Ligue 1 are located in quite small towns and attract minimal attendances compared to their British counterparts: some stadiums can hold a maximum of only 20,000 spectators. But they survive and prosper as a result of money received from television, including important earnings from the coverage of European competitions. The professional clubs in Ligue 1 and Division 2 are grouped together within the French Professional Football League (LFP) but semi-professional clubs in Division 3 can win promotion to Division 2. The lower National, regional and local leagues comprise a mix of semi-professional and amateur clubs.

The heavy involvement of the French state in sport, including football, at the national, regional and local levels has inevitably led to ideological conflicts with the ‘modernisers’ within French football, who wish to emulate their English counterparts in terms of television revenue, commercialisation and freedom to raise and control their own finances. They have a view of football less as a sport and more as a multi-million euro leisure and entertainment industry. Where this starts to affect professional players, as in England, includes issues such as recruitment, training, contracts, salaries, and withdrawal from the game. These are now examined.

The players

According to Banks , England has more professional footballers than any other country, with an estimated 4,000 fulltime players employed by about a hundred professional clubs. Stories abound of salaries running into thousand of pounds or euros a week, but these are in reality largely restricted to footballers playing in the higher divisions (Premier in England, Ligue 1 in France). They have come about as a result of a number of factors, including: the abolition of the minimum wage, the European court ruling in the Bosman case allowing freedom of contract, the international status of a relatively small group of elite players, the presence of agents or players’ representatives, and the freedom footballers now enjoy to move from one country to another. The high figures quoted also distort the overall picture, as there are wide differentials between the upper and the lower divisions, with many players earning perhaps as little as a tenth of the wages paid in the Premier League and Ligue 1.  At the end of a typical season, an estimated 600 to 800 players in both England and France are out of work and seeking clubs, or contemplating withdrawal from professional football. 

However, as Banks and others have pointed out, the high wages paid to some footballers are frequently cited as one of the causes of the current crisis in English and French football. Among the issues highlighted are the problems facing clubs who are relegated from a higher division to a lower one, and who inherit a large wage bill that they are unable to finance from gate receipts or television income, forcing them to sell off their expensive star players still under contract – if a market can be found for them.  All this has an unsettling effect on players seeking a move in order to enhance their professional career and earning prospects, as well as damping down the expectations of those clubs attempting to buy their way back into a higher division and regain their place among the elite European football clubs. While at the same time many players reaching the end of their contract and let go by their club face an uncertain future, including the prospect of having to retire from professional football, possibly ahead of their planned departure.

Not surprisingly professional football clubs have gradually become businesses, with a need to generate increasing cash flow in order to pay the higher wages commanded by top players, and to enter the spiralling international transfer market when there is a need to plug gaps in their playing squads. To do this they need to stay in the top divisions, to be eligible for and do well in European competitions, both of which are essential in order to attract larger amounts of television money and increased income through the turnstile. This is a particular problem for those French clubs located in small towns and which do not attract more than 10,000 to 15,000 spectators even for an average Ligue 1 match. For the players it means an increasing number of matches played during the season, including European competitions as well as domestic fixtures, and for some, periodic calls for international duty with the English and French national squads, and consequent physical wear and tear which may hasten the end of a playing career as a result of injury.

Footballers’ trade unions

The footballers’ unions are particularly strong in both countries and have occasionally threatened to go on strike, indirectly over the issue of wages but more particularly over the distribution of television broadcast fees.  To an outsider this may appear surprising, given the popular notions of the high salaries earned by some footballers. But the elite footballers are unswervingly loyal to their union and to their less well-off colleagues, and have frequently expressed concern about the fate of the 80 per cent or more of young professionals who leave the game before age 20 and are in need of the unions’ services to help them back into education and to re-orientate their careers.  In England the players’ union (PFA) has also helped keep some bankrupt clubs afloat by providing loans to guarantee the players’ wages.

The French footballers’ union (UNFP) numbers some 1,700 members and acts as the official representative of professional footballers. For their part, the professional clubs have grouped together in l’Union des clubs professionals de football (UCPF). Both bodies were involved in agreeing a ‘football charter’ which dates back to 1973, after a strike by French professional footballers over ‘contracts, freedom to join a union; the right to work and freedom of expression’. As a result of the Bosman ruling by the European court – after a 10 year judicial marathon lasting from 1990 to 2000 – the international football body FIFA was obliged to introduce the principle of freedom of movement of players reaching the end of their contract, in line with article 38 of the Treaty of Rome (covering freedom of movement within the European Union) and article 85 of the Single European Act (1986), which deals with freedom of competition and the right to work in any Member state of an individual’s choice. In December 2002, a further ruling in the Malaja case removed the last remaining restrictions on quotas of non-nationals joining a football club in 115 countries that signed a FIFA accord, together with an extension of the principle of freedom of contract. As was widely reported in the national and sports press at the time, Chelsea Football Club’s first team in March 2000 was composed entirely of foreigners, with not a single British player represented.    

For their part, French clubs complain that in addition to paying increasingly higher wages, the social costs of employing a professional footballer – which are roughly twice the cost of the wage itself – inhibit them from attracting and paying the best international stars, who are consequently lost to wealthier clubs in England, Italy or Spain. The effect they argue is that they are handicapped in European competitions by the lack of comparably skilled players, which in turn means an early exit from European competitions and a resulting drop in television revenues. 

As a consequence many French players are keen to improve their prospects and spend part of their playing career abroad, particularly in England. In this way they can command and receive a higher salary as well as a share of the transfer fee if applicable, and improve their exposure through television coverage of European competitions. However, once again it must be noted that only a relatively small number of elite players are involved, whose eventual transition out of football into a second career will be relatively seamless.

More serious is the drain from French clubs of younger players who have been trained by the club’s football academy at considerable cost (to the French State), and who are able to leave and join the club of their choice – including one abroad – under the post-Bosman regulations . This, plus overall concerns about running costs, has prompted some of the more commercially-minded French clubs to consider the possibility of closing down their youth training programmes (even though they are partly financed by the State) and elect instead for the adoption of feeder clubs in the semi-professional leagues; or the establishment of football academies in newly developing countries such as Africa and Eastern Europe. The idea is that these could provide a steady supply of talented young players, at considerably less cost in terms both of training overheads and wages demanded. Not surprisingly these proposals have been received with some scepticism by the State, the football authorities and the union, and have been under discussion since 2003.

The close season transfer market normally sees some 50 French footballers from Ligue 1 and 200 from Division two looking for work, as their contracts are terminated by clubs undergoing financial difficulties and reducing the numbers of players employed.

The PFA approach to assisting players’ in transition
 
The English Professional Footballers Association has been a pioneer in the provision of education and outplacement services to their members since the mid-1990s. ‘The service started as a result of research’ according to Mickie Burns, a former player and graduate of Liverpool University. ‘We were particularly concerned about the problem of younger players, aged 16 and upwards, who needed some way of preparing for a dual or second career outside football. Between the ages of 17 and 20 we found there was a very high wastage rate, some 70 to 80 per cent of the youngsters who had signed with professional clubs were leaving the game, after what could have been several years serious disruption of their schooling. Losses in their first years were around 15 per cent; but this rose steeply in years two (30 per cent) and three (almost 60 per cent) – an overall attrition rate of some 85 per cent.

‘As clubs were tending to recruit more widely and in larger numbers, this meant that every year literally hundreds of disillusioned youngsters were let go by professional clubs, with a survival rate of something like one in ten who went on to become professional footballers. At the time, this was hard to get across to the young players and indeed their parents, who took the view that “that’s not going to happen to my son” – even when I stood in front of a group of, say, a dozen young players and explained that statistically, ten of them would not make it into professional football!’ 

The PFA’s researches over three years included France, where Burns himself spent time at Auxerre in the French Ligue 1 and the national training centre at Clairefontaine, at Rambouillet south of Paris. The PFA’s plan for this age group was threefold and consisted of a mix of technical training, undertaken by the club and the Football Association, and training in coaching, leading to an award. This covered the football aspects of the youngster’s education.

In addition, all young players now follow a course of Personal and Social Development, while attending one of the football academies attached to a club. The course contains no fewer than 22 elements from basic social skills, covering subjects such as how to conduct themselves while staying in a hotel, to driving skills under the PFA’s own ‘drive and survive’ programme targeted at young men who at an early age may end up owning a large, powerful car. The programme also includes significant elements of pastoral care, usually handled by a chaplain; and sessions dealing with relationships, isolation, loneliness and other personal problems the young player uprooted from his family environment might expect to encounter.

The third strand in the programme comprises formal education, which is tailored to the individual player’s needs. According to Mickie Burns ‘this can range from GNVQs through GCSEs to A-levels, whatever the young player needs’. One phenomenon the PFA have noted over the last decade is the rising standard of educational qualifications of youngster coming into the game, with good grades at GCSE and even A-levels being relatively common. ‘Footballers are a lot better educated than most people think’ comments Burns, whose staff compile an educational dossier of every young player coming into the game, following meetings and interviews at every club.

The programme aims to take care of the 70 – 80 per cent of young players who do not go further in football. Those who survive the early years can normally look forward to a decade or more in the game, barring injuries or other unforeseen circumstances. When they too eventually approach the end of their playing careers, the PFA is again ready to help them out. ‘At this stage’ explains Burns, ‘players can apply to us for an annual bursary of up to two-thirds of their course fees, payable on successful completion of each year of study. These grants are available to  professional scholar and trainee players leaving professional football and taking up a full-time university HND, foundation or undergraduate course’.

Further sums are available, including 50 per cent of the cost of books and other necessary equipment and the cost of a laptop computer. The grants can rise to 100 per cent if the ex-player is unemployed.

A similar system of grants is also made available to ex-players wishing to take a post-graduate course at a university or higher education establishment. These are based on a maximum amount per year or two-thirds of the cost over a period of two years, whichever is the lower; plus assistance towards the purchase of books and a laptop computer.

Mickie Burns is at pains to point out that ‘These sums come from internal union funds, which are derived from players’ subscriptions and part of the television money paid to football. If people are surprised that professional footballers need this level of financial assistance they should note that we are almost always talking about players from the lower divisions, who earn considerably less than those in the Premier League – where a successful player can probably earn enough to set himself up independently in his chosen occupation at the end of his football career. We find the scheme is popular with players, with our Premier League members readily acknowledging the needs of their less well-off colleagues in the lower divisions and happy to see their subscriptions being redistributed in this way. It is something we do ourselves, as part of our benefits to our members and accordingly it does not – nor does it need to – attract widespread publicity outside the confines of the union’.

Another interesting innovation by the PFA has been the design of a special undergraduate course in physiotherapy and sports science, which is delivered at Roehampton (Surrey University) and Salford. It is entirely financed by the PFA to take account of the special mode of delivery which is tailored to a professional player’s working week (for example, the bulk of the programme being taught on Mondays). The course has proved extremely popular with players and ex-players.

The PFA’s comprehensive range of programmes has led to many former players finding second careers within the leisure, sport and fitness industries, as well as following trade courses leading to jobs outside sport. The approach is gradually overtaking the football community programme which in the past absorbed a number of older former players, and is a far cry from the days when traditionally players had fewer post-career options and ended up opening a sports shop or running the village pub.
 
The French approach to player retirement  

The French professional footballers union (UNFP) has for several years provided a range of services to its members, originally concerned mainly with financial and insurance advice to players in the first and second divisions (Ligue 1 and Division 2). From 1992 they have been involved in helping players make the transition from professional football into second careers, directed both at young players recently entering the game to those still playing, an age range averaging from 22 to 32. Younger players have their first contacts with professional football usually via a number of ‘football academies’ attached to clubs, which provide a mix of football and general education.  Many successful players, including a number of French internationals, are graduates of the football academies, though some players make the transition into professional football from the amateur ranks during their late teens or early twenties.

Starting in 1992, Europ Sports Reconversion was established as part of the UNFP and is responsible for assisting players during the transition from professional football to second careers. It offers a wide range of services, consisting principally of advice, counselling and guidance, rather than financial support (as in the case of PFA). ESR operates through a number of central and regional counsellors, all of whom are former players who have gone through the process of reconversion themselves – one of them being Philippe Lafon, whose playing career included Matra Racing and Toulouse FC.

‘Our clients fall into two broad categories’ Lafon explains, ‘footballers who are still playing at the professional level in the Ligue – usually from age 20 to 30+ - and players who are without a club, either playing in the amateur leagues or having left football altogether. Players either contact us on recommendation from their colleagues or attend one of our regular open information sessions that we present to clubs. Players’ educational levels are continually rising, and the degree of urgency varies from one footballer to the next, and depending on his personal situation. Some players – about 40 per cent - start early on planning for a second career, while others may find themselves suddenly released from a club. For example a club in financial difficulties might have to drastically reduce its playing staff to improve cash-flow and provide funds for new player purchases, and good experienced players can suddenly find themselves out of a job. During July and August we organise a number of training sessions and exhibition matches, based at Clairefontaine, for a group of about 100 players who find themselves in this situation, and about half are later taken up by clubs. The sessions at Clairefontaine also include an element of preparation for life outside football for those who do not find a professional club, as part of their preparation for possible transition out of football’.

After a player has contacted ESR, he is assigned to a regional counsellor who meets the player at his home, usually for three hours or more. ‘This first meeting is important’ Philippe Lafon explains, ‘and comprises a number of stages. We feel it is important to meet the player at home, where he feels relaxed and we can involve his wife, children and family in the process of planning his future career moves. We use a number of questionnaires to record information about his personal, educational and professional background, and some tests to help highlight some aspects of his character.

‘The personal information we collect includes the player’s biography, origins, parents, childhood, schooling, family and home situation; we then consider his professional career, where he has played, whether he has played abroad and now returned home, what level he has reached in the Ligue and internationally, where he has settled or would like to settle. We then examine his future aspirations, perhaps even a project he may have already been working on, such as taking a university or vocational course while still playing. Together we explore and evaluate possibilities, look at options, consider his hobbies and interests, previous training and education. Finally we invite the player to do a personality test (ECHO) which only takes a few minutes and comprises some 70 questions, the idea being to develop a profile of the player’s character, highlighting his strong and weak points. We discuss the results with the player who is often surprised how accurate the profile results can be’.

On his return to the office the counsellor compiles a written dossier; a copy of which is sent to the player. This is followed by further meetings and discussions as to what the player’s next steps might be. Philippe Lafon stresses that ‘while we advise and encourage, there is no coercion. Players themselves make their own decisions, though we will explore options with them – which university or vocational course to take, whether they should spend some time tracking an architect or a lawyer to find out what they can about this sort of career and whether it might be appropriate for them. Over the years we have of course built up a network of personal contacts among employers, chambers of commerce, trade associations, as well as within universities and colleges. This is of enormous benefit, helping the player to look realistically at his various options’.

Membership of UNFP is voluntary and each club has an elected union delegate, who works with a regional delegate responsible for about a dozen clubs. Their duties include promotion of the union’s services and helping compile the union newsletter. ‘ESR and the union are well known to players’ Lafon explains, ‘and we are always well received by clubs – many trainers have themselves passed through ESR and know the value of our services. After their reconversion we know that some 60 per cent of players stay in sport (as trainers, coaches, teachers etc), about 30 per cent go into commerce including self-employment; 5 per cent into financial services, and 5 per cent other occupations.

‘At the end of his playing career a professional footballer benefits from 23 months unemployment pay, after which he would have recourse to the state services such as ASSEDIC. Of course many have personal savings if they have played at the higher levels and some services are paid by the clubs, based on 1 per cent of their payroll. Many other sports federations are looking at the issue of sports reconversion and come to us for advice on how to set up similar schemes to help their members make the transition from professional sport into a second career’. 

Some conclusions

Both programmes, as reported by their respective spokesmen, place considerable emphasis on practical – even financial – assistance to their members, in the form of career advice, arranging for players to shadow potential employers, communication and presentation skills, and help with continuing studies. The element that appears to be missing is that of personal counselling and assistance with handling psychological issues associated with the transition out of soccer and back to ‘real life’. Yet some of the earliest research into what sportsmen would actually prefer indicates that individual and small-group counselling, and opportunities to share personal feelings with their counsellor and other team mates are highly valued but sometimes missing from athlete support programmes.

The author Peter-Danton de ROUFFIGNAC, an Englishman of French descent, is a sports counsellor and director of a French-based registered charity the Person-Centered Counseling Association, which offers counselling support to athletes and others undergoing transitions. He has undertaken research into the problems of professional sportsmen facing retirement, in association with INSEP, the French national sports training centre. Copies of the draft report are available on request to researchers, sportsmen and others interested in this subject and who might like to contribute to ongoing research. Email peter-danton@orange.fr