Footballers and money

[@owlstalk]

11 minutes ago, Animis said:

 

I think it is the same - the youth players are in a hierarchy in staff levels - youth; squad; first team. It's the same at companies.

 

If you are saying all the youth players are playing Billy big bo!!ocks buying stuff they can't afford then ok - but the club should take them to one side as it's clearly unsustainable.

 

Yeah I wonder how much education they get on finances and money when coming to the club as youngsters 

[TheEnchanter]

3 minutes ago, Chris Apolon said:

 

I would argue players in the lower leagues (league 2 level and below) have far higher outgoings than the average person too though. Imagine playing for a team in London, rent/mortgage ain't going to be cheap plus as the article mentions, finance agreements that are unsustainable in normal times (car finance, credit cards, who knows). 

 

Footballers with debt is akin to the 80s/90s drinking culture and the 00s/10s gambling culture in my eyes and I reckon this article will be the first of many over the coming decade

 

I also think the complaints over furlough were from general club staff rather than footballers. 

 

I agree about lower league players obviously league 2 and below are paid wages that correlate to average incomes. But they aren't the only people that live in and around London. So many people live close to the breadline even when they earn a lot of money. I don't understand why footballers are somehow different? It boils down to how sensible you are with money no matter what you earn. That is down to the individual and varies between all amounts of income. The FA and players unions always have a strong responsibility to ensure players deal with finances properly but its down to the individual. 

 

 

[Deepcar_lights]

 

Attaching a higher purpose to your life is where you find wealth. 

 

The attitude you bring to your craft is vital. 

 

It's an inside job.

 

No amount of money, or status can fulfill you, not really. There's always something more to get, it's endless. 

 

 

 

 

[TheEnchanter]

Also it's remarkably different to addictions and diseases such as alcoholism and gambling. It's not the same level of issue to say its a disease and addiction to overstretch your finances by having expensive cars and luxuries.

[Animis]

7 minutes ago, @owlstalk said:

 

Yeah I wonder how much education they get on finances and money when coming to the club as youngsters 

 

I think the explosion in players salaries has come with mental and physical welfare risks. Clubs have a duty of care as employer, but they don't really act as a traditional employer and contracts are different; essentially treating the players as a freelancer with short/fixed term contracts. It does all seem a bit arms-length and probably why the players are left with a self-centered approach to life. The macho/bling culture is probably a lot more relevant in football - maybe like the stock-market/Lloyds in the get what you can attitude.

[Andrew_Owl]

51 minutes ago, @owlstalk said:

It's not about that though, it's about when you've pulled into your works car park as a youngster just starting out, walking into work, and then all your work mates ripping you to bits and laughing at your car all day every day etc

It's just banter, wouldn't go out and put myself in debt because of it.

[Chris Apolon]

19 minutes ago, TheEnchanter said:

 

I agree about lower league players obviously league 2 and below are paid wages that correlate to average incomes. But they aren't the only people that live in and around London. So many people live close to the breadline even when they earn a lot of money. I don't understand why footballers are somehow different? It boils down to how sensible you are with money no matter what you earn. That is down to the individual and varies between all amounts of income. The FA and players unions always have a strong responsibility to ensure players deal with finances properly but its down to the individual. 

 

 

 

I actually agree about the FA and players union, but much like the rest of us they're almost asked to figure it out themselves and by the time they're mid twenties, many looking to what to do post football it's too late.

 

I think my post was footballers should be treated like any other profession and offer guidance over money and finances before it gets to the stage of mounting debt but its simply not obviously available to anyone unless you go actively looking which again, often too late.

 

EPL teams paying extortionate wages to 17/18 year olds who will often not make the grade doesn't help!

 

And you're right about those in London who live close to the bread line, my company used to not really hear from those in London about finances but the enquiries have increased 10 fold since covid which demonstrates how a small short term change in circumstances can effect people and I don't think footballers should be exempt from that

[scram]

Not only do players get plenty of top notch financial advice - they also get generous discounts on plenty of products courtesy of the PFA

 

The problem is that young players may be on a 2 year contract but take a 3-4 year lease on a car

 

Fine for the first couple of years but then they may find themselves out of the professional game and no longer able to afford the car

 

But if hey are that way inclined they won't be told

 

Gucci backpaks at £1k a pop etc

 

It is sad that so many young players want the trappings of being "a player" before they ever become a player

 

And the majority don't ever become players

[Chris Apolon]

4 minutes ago, scram said:

Not only do players get plenty of top notch financial advice - they also get generous discounts on plenty of products courtesy of the PFA

 

The problem is that young players may be on a 2 year contract but take a 3-4 year lease on a car

 

Fine for the first couple of years but then they may find themselves out of the professional game and no longer able to afford the car

 

But if hey are that way inclined they won't be told

 

Gucci backpaks at £1k a pop etc

 

It is sad that so many young players want the trappings of being "a player" before they ever become a player

 

And the majority don't ever become players

 

Be interesting to know, and I certainly don't so if you have any knowledge of it would be interesting, do the players get offered financial advice or is it mandatory for them to take it?

[Chris Apolon]

31 minutes ago, TheEnchanter said:

Also it's remarkably different to addictions and diseases such as alcoholism and gambling. It's not the same level of issue to say its a disease and addiction to overstretch your finances by having expensive cars and luxuries.

 

I didn't mean to undermine the horrors of alcoholism or gambling addictions apologies if I came across in that manner should have heavily caveated my statement

[darra]

6 minutes ago, Chris Apolon said:

 

Be interesting to know, and I certainly don't so if you have any knowledge of it would be interesting, do the players get offered financial advice or are it mandatory for them to take it?

They might get but do they act on it is another question. Through my work, I worked with a lot of young people. A lot of them seem to live in the moment and buying the latest PS4 game or going out to the pub is much more important than paying rent, gas and electricity bills. Then they expected somebody like me to come along and sort out the mess.

[Chris Apolon]

Just now, darra said:

They might get but do they act on it is another question. Through my work, I worked with a lot of young people. A lot of them seem to live in the moment and buying the latest PS4 game or going out to the pub is much more important than paying rent, gas and electricity bills. Then they expected somebody like me to come along and sort out the mess.

 

Funnily enough I spoke to one guy who owed 5000+ to his landlord. He said he didn't pay one month and then just didn't pay again. He said it was because it was his first place and now he was being threatened with eviction.

 

Gave him the best way forward but I was a bit flabbergasted by the attitude

[adelphi1867]

When Nurses and other professional people are attending food banks to survive, why are sportspeople any different?.

Sadly it is an indicament of the society today that for the last 40 years society has been encouraged by sucsesfull govt's to live life on credit, hence the record levels of private debt in this country.

[scram]

24 minutes ago, Chris Apolon said:

 

Be interesting to know, and I certainly don't so if you have any knowledge of it would be interesting, do the players get offered financial advice or is it mandatory for them to take it?

 

Bit difficult to give an absolute

 

In theory it is mandatory - there will be scheduled sessions regarding different aspects, savings, investments, pensions, gambling, debt etc

 

Those will be mandatory attendance however any players from the 18/23 squad who have been seconded to the 1st team will probab;y be on a different shcedule so may miss the sessions.

 

There is financial advice on tap though - the PFA is a tremendous organisation for players

[Chris Apolon]

1 minute ago, scram said:

 

Bit difficult to give an absolute

 

In theory it is mandatory - there will be scheduled sessions regarding different aspects, savings, investments, pensions, gambling, debt etc

 

Those will be mandatory attendance however any players from the 18/23 squad who have been seconded to the 1st team will probab;y be on a different shcedule so may miss the sessions.

 

There is financial advice on tap though - the PFA is a tremendous organisation for players

 

Thanks scram! Interesting to know

[Guest]

1 hour ago, @owlstalk said:

 

Yeah I wonder how much education they get on finances and money when coming to the club as youngsters 

 

It wouldn't surprise me if they get more access to education in this respect than apprentices starting a job in other professions. 

[handworth52]

younger people including u23s need to realise you need to work hard to get by and to get an audi etc . too many want  everything handing to them ,there is little work ethic in a lot of people these days , probably why most shops are run by Asians as they are prepared to work long hours that's why so many of them are now buying houses up crosspool,ecclesall dore . its embarrassing that we have to get Romanians in on planes to pick crops because our lot cant be arsed. did Ronaldo just prance around when he was young thinking he was gods gift, no he didn't he worked twice as hard as everyone else and stopped behind when everyone else left. 

[@owlstalk]

Just now, handworth52 said:

probably why most shops are run by Asians as they are prepared to work long hours

 

 

JESUS CHRIST

[handworth52]

22 minutes ago, darra said:

They might get but do they act on it is another question. Through my work, I worked with a lot of young people. A lot of them seem to live in the moment and buying the latest PS4 game or going out to the pub is much more important than paying rent, gas and electricity bills. Then they expected somebody like me to come along and sort out the mess.

well that reminds me of someone , booze,cigs,clothes flash phone ,ipads and loads of other stuff 1st , rent , gas electric rent bus pass last ,and then don't have money to pay the most important stuff. think they all need an hour a week at 13year old plus to be taught about money and getting there priorities right .

[Arthur Bach]

There comes a time when you need to tell an adult, yes an ADULT, to grow up and start taking responsibility.