
TRANSITIONING TO NON-LEAGUE/SEMI-PRO โญ๏ธ
๏ปฟSomething that a LOT of players will experience at some point in their career, often at the tender age of 18, following a release from a Pro Club. At the time, you feel that you are prepared for it; but looking back as a now mid-twenty-year-oldโฆyou are just a baby in hindsight. A daunting time, as you are thrown into the vast depths of Menโs football, usually with a lack of contacts and credibility. This DOES happen to players who have been in the professional game for years, and all of a sudden, are cast aside to find pastures new. Rule of thumb would suggest that most professional players with a few years behind them will have built a base of contacts and will have the help of trusted agents, however as we are aware, this is not always the case.
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A thing to remember once you have fell out of the โProfessional Gameโ, is that to those that know you, you are THE football player. THE kid who was meant to earn all the money, making it in the beautiful game. HOWEVER IN REALITY, No matter the academy you were at for whatever length of time; you have no right to be having clubs lining up for you. That is just how it is, and you have to take what you can when it arisesโฆotherwise some other kid will. Put yourself out there, everyone has to start somewhere.
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There are resources that players have now, that those who played back before 2010โs may not have had. Social Media is HUGE for self-promotion and getting in the public eye. Along with the likes of PFA Transfer List, where numerous non-league clubs have access to released players details. The GKNย try to play our part in aiding GKโs specifically in their search for transition, promoting any and all GKs who need assistance, along with providing a support network. There is always something more that can be done to help those who have been released, it will always effect people differently, as everyone is their own person. We MUST make sure we are there for anyone who needs the aid. I personally am and always will be available to chat to about any issues, football related or general life.ย
It is important to recognise that it can be a very lonely/frustrating place in this period of your career, so please do not feel that you cannot reach out to others. At the bottom of this blog, is the 24/7 helpline for The PFA.
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If you are/have been at a professional club, you may experience a Youth Loan, to a club that is commonly at step 3-4. This can really open your eyes to the world of non-league, and proactively help you in your progression, away from the non-competitive environment that youth team games can bring.
My personal Youth Loan, was being sent out to Evo-Stik Side, Droyslden FC. At the time, they had conceded well over 200 goals, and were rock bottom of the league, 0 points to their name by February time. Low and behold, my 2nd game for them was away against the high flying Chorley FC side, of which by 4:45pm, I had conceded 13 and was mentally gone. Talk about opening your eyes to Non-League, and the HUGE difference in competitive league football. Iโd never had the feeling of being intimidated by fans, but it taught me the meaning of being a boy in a menโs game.ย
Not everyoneโs first non-league experience will go as badly as that, and each will take something different from it. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ช๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐ด, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ด ๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ข ๐ต๐ฆ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จโฆ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ง๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฃ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข๐ณ๐ค๐ฉ๐บ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ / ๐๐๐โฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฏ๐ด ๐ซ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ข๐ด ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ.
As much as a bad day that was for me, it was experience that I needed at the time, and that I am actually thankful for now, as I can look back and see that it was a huge factor in my footballing education, and that I was in fact paying my dues, for further down the line.
Fast forward 5 years, and July 4th, I was a play-off winner. Thatโs for another blog though...
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07500 000 777 - PFA Helpline