For most people, the concept of retirement is something which only becomes real later in life. But professional athletes can find that retirement as a 20- or 30-something beckons, and may be accelerated by a career-ending injury. What follows can often require a period of reinvention as a new career path is forged. Without the need to focus on training and competing, more time for other avenues opens-up, including being involved with charities in some way, perhaps giving something back to grassroots sport or through coaching.
This transition is one which my LGT colleague, Craig Joiner, is familiar with. I’ve worked alongside Craig for nearly ten years, and know him now as an investment manager. This is his second career, however; in the 1990’s Craig was an international rugby player, winning 25 caps representing Scotland, including the Rugby World Cup in 1995, playing directly against the legendary Jonah Lomu. He also won the premiership three times with Melrose in Scotland, and twice in England with Leicester Tigers. Before he takes part in a panel discussion at the WS Society Sports Law Conference on 31st October, I wanted to find out more from Craig about this career transition, and his involvement with charities today.
The end of my career came about unexpectedly, although not due to injury. I had been sitting a number of Financial Services (FS) qualifications while still playing, thinking a FS career might be a career for me after sport. I still had 18 months of a contract remaining and when looking for some part time work, I was offered a full-time trainee position. The quid pro quo was that I’d need to forego the last 12 months of my rugby contract - which I did willingly. I was 31 years old at the time, married and with a one year old daughter to provide for.
Naturally, it weighed on my mind. I hadn’t finished my Chemical Engineering degree at the time of turning professional in 1996. That year, I moved to Leicester Tigers in England to play with the likes of Martin Johnson, the 2003 World Cup winning captain for England. Studying and sitting exams wasn’t straightforward. For example, I sat two of my second year summer exams in a classroom with one-on-one invigilation at Pretoria University at the time of 1995 Rugby World Cup. The day after one of the exams I was facing Jonah Lomu. I didn’t sit my third year summer term exams because I was touring New Zealand with Scotland. Understandably, the university wasn’t willing to invigilate exams in the middle of the night when my classmates would have been sitting them during the day at Heriot Watt University. In the early 2000s, I thought sports marketing appealed. I settled on Financial Services, however, knowing the number of opportunities available in Edinburgh. Having sat and passed a number of relevant exams also helped invigorate my appetite in the sector.
Sitting still for long periods of time would be one. The other was being so unfamiliar with a new industry and sector. I had been at the height of my sport, and the contrast to then find myself very inexperienced in a completely new environment was challenging.
Charities are part of both my professional working life and outside of work too. As an investment manager, I manage portfolios for several charity clients and national institutions, including in the sport and education sectors. I like to support the Wooden Spoon, the children’s charity of rugby, regularly attending events and providing interesting auction prizes if I can. I also like the occasional physical challenge to raise awareness and funds, most recently cold-water swimming with no wetsuit in winter for My Name’5 Doddie Foundation. I have also taken part in a number of events with colleagues to raise funds for Urban Uprising, a local charity near our office in Edinburgh which uses climbing to help children with their physical and mental wellbeing. Looking at these three charities, I realise they are all connected with sport in some way.
You need perseverance and the ability to build trusted working relationships with your team mates in rugby and in my current role. Any measure of success requires hard work, a little bit of luck and crucially, a good working relationship with your colleagues of which I have been lucky to have had many in my rugby days and have again now here at LGT.
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