Partnership helping footballers plan for life off the pitch

The Open University (OU) in Scotland and the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Scotland are working together to support professional footballers to be prepared for a future career off the pitch.

The independent trade union for professional footballers, which has over 1,500 members, works with the OU to help its members to access educational opportunities, including offering tailored course choice support. 

Here Chris Higgins, Player Services Manager for PFA Scotland and former footballer – latterly with East Fife Football Club - tells us more about how the flexibility and distance learning opportunities offered by the OU is a great fit for members looking to study and balance their football careers.

In my role, I help senior male players to plan for their transition into a second profession.

Football is a short career and unique in the sense that players mostly retire in their 30s, so there’s a need for new career planning at a relatively young age. Only a small percentage of footballers earn enough money in Scotland to be financially sound when their football career ends, so it is essential for them to plan ahead.

I’ve been in that position myself. I was a full-time footballer for 18 years, playing with five different clubs over that period, and began my transition planning when I was around 25-years-old.

My contract wasn’t renewed at the time and I moved to another club. This was the light bulb moment for me, as I started thinking about something to fall back on if my contract wasn’t renewed in the future. 

I really enjoyed transition planning and, even though it was hard work, it gave me peace of mind in terms of my career away from football. 

When players are considering starting an OU course, I sit down with them and discuss their interests for the future. Players are sometimes unsure what they would like to do because all they have wanted to do in their life is play football. 

Some players are keen to jump into a degree-level course, while others want to take it slower. In these cases, I encourage players to firstly try OpenLearn courses, which are free.

It means that they can start studying without any financial or major time commitment before deciding to begin a degree-level course. 

Over the years, there have been many players that have begun OU degrees and combined their studies with their football careers. Our members have studied a wide range of different subjects.”

Over the years, there have been many players that have begun OU degrees and combined their studies with their football careers.

Our members have studied a wide range of different subjects with the OU, including degrees in law, psychology, business studies, mathematics, history, and sport and fitness.

Alongside me in the Personal Development department is my colleague Heather Richards. Heather supports female and youth PFA Scotland members in their transition planning alongside their football career.

She is a former player who played with Celtic and Hibernian Women’s teams as well as gaining four caps for Scotland Women’s National Team.

Heather’s career was cut short due to injury, so she knows firsthand the need for transition planning and is passionate for helping support members to ensure a smooth transition out of football whenever the time comes.

The courses provided by the OU are very flexible – not only in terms of what subjects are available, but also the fact that players can work their studies around their football commitments.

The flexibility that the OU offers is vital, as football can be quite unpredictable in terms of training schedules and games.

It’s also beneficial that the courses can be paused and resumed at a later date.

Professional footballers and athletes are unique in the sense that many will retire twice in their lifetime. It is never too early to start looking at courses to enhance your personal development.”

Another advantage is that a player can still continue with their studies if they’re transferred to a club in another country, as we’ve had one member who moved to play in the United States and was still able to continue their studies.

Football can be a very pressurised environment at times.

Having another focus away from football and being able to switch off at times can help players relax and forget about the daily pressures of football.

Various research has shown that having something else to focus on can actually enhance performance.

Professional footballers and athletes are unique in the sense that many will retire twice in their lifetime.

It is never too early to start looking at courses to enhance your personal development. There are short courses, free courses and degree-level courses, so there are lots of options and subjects to choose from.