...to think being a Premiership Footballler is one of the best jobs in the world?

[Piknik]

Men's Premier League specifically.

Ridiculous pay
Comraderie and strong bonds and friendships formed with team mates
Superb fitness levels
Access to best medical/mental health teams
Travel in style/stay in amazing hotels
See the world
Opportunity to be a role model for younger generations
Early retirement and the funds to do have a complete second career doing something meaningful and fulfilling

I know it's the job that kids aspire to, but I'm a middle aged woman and I really fancy it... Can't think of a better job to be honest!

It was far harder for those whose footballing careers ended just before the invention of the Premier League meant that salaries skyrocketed -- once their careers ended because of age or injury, they didn't have massive savings from a whacking great salary to live on, and were just uneducated working-class men suddenly having to find a new way of making a living in their 20s or 30s, with no previous 'ordinary' work experience. They often ended up in low-paid, unskilled jobs, while watching the next generation of footballers earn millions. No wonder some had struggles with addiction.

It’s got its attractions but they are literally bought and sold. If they’re lucky, they uproot their whole lives, close family and kids to somewhere they like that they can easily get home from to see the rest of their family.

No thanks, I do not have the dedication for that level of training. I like a nice sit down at work.

Many of the England world cup winners ended up working unskilled jobs to try and make ends meet. Even most of the Italia 90 squad had to move on to 'normal' jobs once their football careers ended bar a few household names, those who stayed in football in one way or another. But those in the system now are earning enough to be set for life assuming they don't screw it up but lots of them do, addiction, bad investment, scammed by people they should be able to trust. But never 'needing' to work again aged 28 has its own challenges. What do you do next with few qualifications and a lack of transferable skills?

Very true!

That is very true: on the scrapheap at 30.

We've all been irresponsible with money in our youth to some degree - imagine that on a larger scale, with very little way of making money past 30, 35. You aren't thinking of the fallow periods as that isn't what you do.

It's also highly unlikely you have had much of an education past football and the statutory education. Some of the academies are getting better around education and things like that, but it still isn't priority to many.

You can tell those who have had good advice when they have been playing and have invested well. For every one of those, though, there are others who have frittered things away. Even if you invest well, there's still the fact that you can no longer get paid to do the one job yoy know how to- not all footballers will make good managers, coaches etc.

I have seen some of this first hand, with a family friend's child in this situation. Thankfully they were one of the lucky ones- they were well suited to other (less well-paid) roles in the game, and they also had a fantastically savvy, down to earth family to guide them the whole way through.

What about Anika Nilles? Hugely talented and respected drummer, bobbing along nicely mostly under the radar until BAM! Rush pick her to replace Neil Peart on their mammoth tour. Worldwide acclaim and fame and presumably a very large pay cheque for 18 months. Then she can go back to relative obscurity if she wishes, only much better off!

Funnily enough although the money would allow you to do pretty much what you wanted, for me, the athletic fitness levels and team camaraderie are up there in terms of appeal.

And being able to have a whole second life once you retire.

But yes, being second goalie to a top flight team would probably be the sweet spot.

I read a really interesting article about 15 years ago about how the demographics of footballers are changing along with the demographics of fans. The players of the 60, 70, 80s were generally solidly working class. The increase in prices has seen the fandom shift to encompass the 'middle classes' and there is a reflection of this on the pitch. They compared the occupations of the parents of players in the 80s and the current team of a particular club that had been in the top division in the 70s 80s and had just been promoted to the Premier league for the first time that year and there were marked differences.

I don’t save any lives in my job. I earn probably at least three times what a nurse does. That’s because pay doesn’t reflect your moral worth to society, it reflects the amount of money you can make for a private business, and I bring in a lot of money.

If a football team is making millions off their performances and your image, why shouldn’t a player get a fair share of that?

Also, if kicking a bag of air around is so easy, I’m surprised you aren’t doing it yourself. The pay is really rather good.

Not true at all.

So....the 'career' usually starts at about 6, 7 years old. That involves travelling every weekend, extra training during the week, being unable to do sleepovers etc, watching diet, unable to do certain activities like skiing, not being able to go on holidays with family, if they have siblings in school ( pre season clashes) trying to juggle academia with training priorities.

Thats aside from the mental pressure, not being able to socialise with peers, knowing you could be released at any point, knowing people could try to attach themselve due to the job etc.

Then out of all that, a very small percentage make it to the wages i think people are talking about. A lot more get slowly discarded through lack or ability or mental strength, and when their whole identity has been as a 'footballer' from childhood, its hard.

Only if they make it 'big' may there be insurance that kicks in, but thats probably after 15 to 20 years developing. Anything other than the top couple of leagues isnt that substantial. Make it to those levels and yep, its worth it. 99% wont do though. Then they have a limited shelf life based, that could be dictated to by the whims of a manager. One lad i know was ready to debut at a young age against premier league club, got injured, then change of manager with different tactics and he never played for them again. His counterpart from the time plays for England and premier league now. Literally one wayward boot and a domino effect ruined his career. And no insurance payout.

Its easy to judge from the outside, as with most things, in real life, its not that clear cut

I read this early, very interesting and relevant

www.theplayerstribune.com/yan-diomande-soccer-bundesliga-rb-leipzig-ivory-coast

The football academies take in hundreds if not thousands hoping to make the top, most fail to achieve their dreams always have a back up plan.

Why are they role models though? Most of them aren’t the brightest or the best behaved - surely they are the last people we want boys to look up to

Nice sidestep of the wages question

Rightly or wrongly footballers are role models. They are famous and children do look up to them.

That can be a great thing. Look at Rashford. Or any of the community groups and charities supported by them.

It annoys me hearing people moan about how much footballers make. The industry generates that money, each club employs and pays (well) a load of staff - a small amount of them the players. If the players wages dropped where would the rest of the money generated go? To the owners? But no one complains about that, as they don’t tend to be working class/immigrant lads that have struck it lucky with their playing talent, cashing in on a very short lived career. And often having to support whole families back home - because people don’t view footballers wages as EARNED. It’s more like a lottery win and therefore not deserved.

Not sidestepping. Movie stars less so as the successful ones have to have a massive range of skills.

For every Rashford, there are many Adam Johnsons, Joey Bartons, Stan Collymores.

So no, I don’t think lads should be looking up to them

The weird part for me about being a footballer would be that your contract can be sold without you knowing. You can be playing for Liverpool one day and then 2 days later you have to go and live in Barcelona or somewhere because the club have sold your contract.

Premiership footballers and their families have grafted for almost twenty years by the time it pays off though.
They'll start with pre-school football then move to school and town and scouted by a big team. They have to grow tall, or they're cut, not get injured and their families lose their weekends and evenings. I believe that the big clubs now send the kids to local private schools so they have support and flexibility for learning.

Coldplay have it better I think. And are richer.

Yeah, but they have to listen to Coldplay

Remember the burning David Beckham effigies?!!

The best job in the sporting field that I know about is, "Sports Statistician." I used to know someone about ten years ago who was one.
His specialised in track and field athletics.

I'm sure that there's a lot of maths and graphs and boring stuff involved but all I ever heard about was him travelling the globe to go to the World Championships or the Olympics to wherever they were doing their running, jumping and throwing things malarkey.

The stories you hear about the Olympic Village running out of condoms and suchlike do appear to have at least an element of truth to them, if my friend was to be believed.

I took some of his anecdotes with a pinch of salt though because although he was an attractive man - for a civilian - as it were, I wondered how he seemed to get so lucky so often, considering that he was in Bedroom Gymnastics competion with the fittest, most body conscious people in the world.

I did ask him whether there was a kind of ranking system or hierarchy wherein coaches went with coaches or journalists went with journalists or if a highjumper wouldn't contemplate a shotputter but he was adamant that it was a complete free for all.

So, if you're into: athletics, foreign travel, rampant casual sex and compiling sports data, I have the career for you!

Actually, I've just read that last sentence back to myself and actually it sounds like a living hell. I've also remembered why we drifted out of contact. Sprinting, sightseeing, sex, statistics and sex again. It exhausted me just listening to it.

Like some of the responses I disagree. There are other sports people who can be set up for life and still have a level of anonymity.

DS has a few friends who are sports statisticians. They’re all very smart boys. Started off in lower league clubs earning next to nothing and have ended up at top premier league clubs. Great careers