The post-retirement years can be difficult ones for professional footballers.
The adulation gleaned from performances in front of tens of thousands of supporters every week wanes after the boots have been hung up and the final whistle has been blown on their careers.
“You end up in a spiral to a pit that’s very tough to get out of,” former Republic of Ireland striker Niall Quinn explained in an interview with the Mirror.
“It’s often been referred to as a death within your life.”
Quinn was shocked by the sudden change in his life when he retired from the game in 2004 and he has set up an initiative called Catch A Falling Star which is aimed at preparing footballers for retirement and providing counselling and medical care when former players do struggle.
The former Sunderland and Arsenal striker admits that it took him years to come to terms with not taking to the pitch every Saturday.
“I had a tough first three years,” he said.
“The first year was a real bad year after I quit. I had not prepared properly. It felt dark. I did not want to see anyone. I did not want anyone to make eye contact with me.
“It was tough getting out of bed sometimes. Everything suffered. The relationship with my family and friends.”
To pre-empt those difficulties, Quinn is urging players to start readying themselves for retirement long before their final game and that’s exactly what Catch A Falling Star is set up for.
“Sports stars don’t want to tackle retirement issues early,” Quinn said.
“The fact of the matter is they should have prepared far better and far earlier for the end of their career. Our group wants to be that provision.”
