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Good article, and a real shame to read about the situation Scotty Naylor is in. Not a huge surprise though, considering the current state of the economy/job market.

I do think clubs are getting better at ensuring that young players get an education to go with their RL development but players who are in their late 20s/early 30s should take this as a warning.

Best of luck to Naylor for finding work, whether inside or outside of the game.

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Best of luck to our ex player/coach Scott Naylor in his search for a new openning be it back in the greatest game or something new.

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Without education, the vast majority of us are screwed!

Well that's my conclusion after about 8 months of research into the area. I could bore you with the stats and sociolological reasons why, but ultimately my conclusion would be the same.

My advice to Scott would be to cart himself off to his local college and get on an Access to HE course asap. He may have to fight for it though as the funding for mature students has been cut by around 40% this year. (Despite the devastating employment figures of which many are victims off. Especially in towns like Leigh which I presume is categorised as an older declining industrial town.) Bad times but not impossible for the brave!

Sadly, being unemployed or in a poverty-hit area does not mean a person has more right to such education. In theory yes, in practice, no.

There may be a grant if the training is essential to getting a job (e.g. a literacy or numeracy need) or the unemployed person can put on training ([unot education[/u).

Also the education needs to have less than 16 directed hours if JSA is to be paid.

The (soon to be forgotten) LSC funding issues of the last three years are to blame. Also Job Centre Plus are geared into getting a person into work, not developing that person (or even getting a permanent job).

Hmm, ok HR. Some good points here. With the above in mind, what would your advice to a 38 year old male, living in a poor area with little education or appropriate work-related training be?

I think partially due to situations like this there should be a contractual requirement (stipulated by the RFL) for young players to continue to undertake education whilst playing, at minimum to College level and possibly up to degree level.

Sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring isn't the answer.

Many players expect to go into coaching but there are few jobs that pay. Scott I hope is out there offering his services to clubs just to keep his hand in. This is also an issue for the armed forces that lads come out after 22 years and find it difficult to adjust.

Brisbane Broncos appear to have a really good system in operation and have done since their inception, 23 years ago.

The blokes who formed the club recognised that there is a world outside of RL. Their philosophy was that the main aim of the Broncos was to produce good, well rounded, successful men. Not just great RL players.

Each founding member was a business owner. As a matter of course, each one of them offered every player that signs with the club, re-training and a career after RL; whether they break through to the NRL first team team or not.

(I recommend Wayne Bennett's 2nd book, 'The Man in the Mirror', for the Brisbane Broncos philosphy.)

I'm sure that there is a much larger problem similar to this with football players. All chasing glory and coming away eventually not reaching the heights they wanted to and finding themselves on the employment scrap heap with very little cash behind them.

While Its good of clubs to think of their players when it becomes time to retire and offer courses etc.... I don't think it should be expected of them. Surely players should hold some responsibility to ensure they have some form of back up for when their career finishes. After all they can't all be coaches or sky pundits. It's not even like RL is a sport where you are guaranteed to come away with it with plenty of cash in the bank.

Mike has a good idea regarding the junior players. However to expect them all to be of a intellectual level to be able to complete a higher educational course be it college or uni may be a sticking point.

The academy needs to have academic staff to ensure that the players as well as training for Rugby complete qualifications as well.

Or a link with a local college .... which I think we already have?

We do have a link with Salford College but not all of the Salford Academy players attend there for some reason, we also have a link with the university, perhaps our more snior players should be exploiting this link and doing foundation degrees in areas like media, covering journalism, radio and TV, or as Malc has done do some sort of trade occupation at Salford College on the Adult learning programme.

A degree is only a pass to a job at Starbucks these days. With the fitness and nutrition knowledge rugby league players must build up then becoming a personal trainer is a viable route.

Bolloc[size=1.[/sizeks.

(apologies for the profanities but I hoenstly can't think of a more appropriate response).

Of course with less luck it might be McDonald's instead.

as an employer (now retired) - it all depends on what your degree is in!

Get a degree in a numerate subject is my advice to anyone that cares to listen!

I suggest you check out the average earnings of people with a degree attained in the last 10 years to those without one. Now, unless Starbucks are a far more generous company than I've previously perceived, your statement is a little off the mark I'm afraid.

As for personal training. Well, let's ask a personal trainer.

That would be me then. They'd be lucky to earn 18k per annum as a PT. A very saturated industry at the moment. There are some gyms that almost have as many PT's as clients!

Yes, there was a time (more than a decade ago) when a degree seemed to correlate well with earnings, but that has been diminished by 1) Labour's 50% target - too high, 2) dumbing down - the first year of most degrees is now spent on "remedial"/ie basic teaching, and 3) the massive pool of cheap graduates in India and now China bringing global wages down. The student debt (£10-20k), foregone earnings (3 years = £45k ish) and parents/state contributions (£10-20k) make the decision a far less simple one nowadays IMO. You only have to listen to recent graduates how hard it is now.

I do care to listen, BF, but I wouldn't suggest that to people who genuinely have difficulty with numbers, but excel in other areas: a third class in a numerate degree would put you out of the running for a post in, say, a legal company, or even an accountancy company, large enough to run a graduate programme, although a second in history, or media studies, or any of those subjects generally ridiculed, would at least get you a place on a recruitment day.

People should play to their strengths. To be a top flight rugby player requires a good brain that can assess a fast changing situation and react accordingly. In real time, as computer folk say. It's another form of intelligence (though not necessarily measured in a numerate degree). Scott should consider this, if he hasn't already, and make sure it's always on a cv.

Me, I've a masters degree (in a numerate subject) and, though fit and strong in my youth, played lots of rugby league and would have loved more than anything to put on the red jersey with the big S on the left breast, would never have been good enough - absolutely no flair for the game. So I do sums for a living instead. Some consolation, eh?

At the risk of repeating myself - bolloc[size=1.[/sizeks.

Vin - totally agree - I should have added "if all else is equal" get a degree in a numerate subject - me I'm a Chemist by training but have nver worked in Chemistry, however the scientfic nature of the degree (and masters) has always stood me in good stead, so I just spoke from experience (I really wanted to be a pilot but I'm colour blind so could never get the medical for a commercial licence - we all have to cope with the pack we're dealt!)

a colour blind chemist could create a few problems

Reasoned and conclusive, well done.

I thought so.




Seriously though, the part of your post I quoted is utter, utter garbage.

I hope that you would realise that and, if not, there's little point arguing over it with you.