Irupa scheme to help players adjust to life after whistle

NEWS:THIRTEEN YEARS into professional rugby union and it is hard not to envy those individuals who possess the talent and endeavour to live that life.

Yet, it's what happens when a career ends naturally or stalls through injury that has become a festering concern for Irupa chief executive Niall Woods.

One guarantee is that it will all eventually come to an end. And probably right around the time friends and family are only beginning to excel on their career path.

As an athlete enters his or her thirties their finite time on the field becomes starkly apparent.

The Irish rugby players union (Irupa), in partnership with the IRFU, are trying to provide avenues that ensure such a harsh dose of reality is not so daunting. It should be noted that Irupa remain fully independent of the union.

Last February, Hamish Adams, a Kiwi, but former head of the Munster Academy, was charged with spearheading the "Player Services" programme, designed to provide individual guidance to help players prepare for the transition back to civilian life.

"I was completely unprepared," said Woods. "I spent five years as a professional rugby player with London Irish (before a knee injury started an 18-month rehabilitation process that eventually ended in retirement). I had begun studying accountancy, but dropped it to go play rugby.

"I found the transition very difficult. I thought I wanted to go into some form of sports marketing, but I did an appalling interview because I wasn't prepared."

Being an international player carried little weight. All employers were interested in was experience.

"Seventy per cent of players will see a decrease in wages when they retire," Woods says. "Making that readjustment was a challenging experience, to say the least. The higher up the wage structure, the bigger the drop in earnings. There are guys retiring now who are not ready, so we want to make sure this stops recurring every year."

Returning to life's normal concerns is the main challenge. The life of a rugby player is regimented. They have schedules to adhere to. If they ask for something, they get it.

"In the real world, as you know yourself, it is different. They are very much in a cocoon. That is the challenge for Hamish."

There is evidence this works. In a 2007 survey, 78 per cent of the Super 14-winning Blues squad said they have interests outside of rugby.

After all, there are only so many coaching jobs and media outlets in Ireland and Britain to allow players remain close to the game. Most don't have the profile to avail of this. It is confined to the elite.

The base contract is worth approximately €40,000, moving up to €70,000 before a player can command the pay packet of the few exceptional talents.

"I have been looking to get this up and running for three or four years, having seen it when working for the English players' union and other associations. The Australians have one in each province. So do New Zealand. The English will have six guys doing Hamish's job next year. Hamish is one man covering 150 players.

"That 28 have already availed of it (since March) has completely exceeded my expectations.

"There are two aims of the player services programme. One, to find a sport/life balance (while still playing), and two, to prepare a player for finishing rugby so he can readjust to the real world as quickly as possible."

A trend that will become increasingly familiar sees development players walking away from the game to return to college or the workforce, such as promising Leinster fullback Ross McCarron, who opted out last season.

Another option is that taken by Gary Brown. The Ireland A winger signed an extended contract with Leinster that is running parallel to a physiotherapy course.

Many young players, like Luke Fitzgerald, are trying to balance training, matches and an undergraduate degree. Even Gordon D'Arcy, at 28, recently returned to UCD to do an Arts degree.

Irupa's next project is a past-player survey to ascertain the long-term effects of rugby on both the body and the mind.