Irish brace their players for later life

Thursday 26th June 2008

The Irish Rugby Union (IRFU) has appointed former Dolphins and Munster player Hamish Adams to create a programme bracing the current elite players for life after rugby.

Adams will be advisor to some 150 elite players in the country, and his initial interviews have already revealed that many players are without qualifications and work experience.

"Careers come to an end, and it's important that people have something to move on to," said Adams to the Irish Examiner.

"It's a situation that we, in Ireland, have probably neglected and in terms of development, we're behind other countries who have had long-term programmes aimed to helping players plan for the future."

The programme Adams has been tasked with creating will be funded both by the IRFU and the Irish Players' Association.

"The aim is to get to the players at an early stage and help them plan for life after rugby," said Adams.

"Some may remain in the game, but a lot of them will be looking elsewhere.

"It's all about opening a line of communication with the guys to see where they want to be, and what they want to do with their lives. Some will have very clear ideas about what they want and will either have qualifications or a desire to become qualified in any one of a number of fields.

"But you would be surprised. There are those who really haven't made any plans, and the aim of this programme is to help them as best we can, through expertise, human resource management and exposure to recruitment agencies we have relationships with."

Adams suggested that players might also need to be taught general life skills, as the regimented nature of the professional game can eat away at this aspect of life.

"In the professional game, the players are told what their programme for the week is; they're told what to eat, wear and what to do in training," he continued.

"That's not the way things operate in the real world."

"The main issues are about the players, about the opportunities available and the skills they can take out of rugby with them, but it's important from the employer's point of view that the players are happy while they are playing.

"Research has shown that players who do have an interest outside of the game, who have skills that they can put to use outside of the game in later life, are more content and therefore generally higher achievers on the pitch as well as off it."