With the news announced today that two Widnes Vikings players will miss the large majority, if not all, of the 2012 season, I thought I would take a look at the after effects of injury for the individuals that play our great game….Rugby League.
As a former player myself, who was forced to retire in 2005 through a serious shoulder and neck injury, I can tell tales first hand of the struggles that I went through personally, on the physical and also the mental side of life.
Professional and Semi Professional (including amateur) players accept that injury is part and parcel of playing the game, but we all hope that injury isn’t going to strike us. At some point, players are going to pick up niggles and knocks but its those serious, long term injuries that take their toll on both the body and the mind.
The lads playing the game at the highest level, are most certainly looked after if injury does hit, with comprehensive insurance policies in place at the clubs. Most of the players at that level will also have some level of personal cover, for which they will make a personal and private monetery contribution, to a third party personal injury insurance provider.
This often means that they don’t need to wait in line for treatment, at the NHS hospitals, and have the luxury of being seen privately…..meaning a much quicker consultation and where necessary, operation, leading to a quicker return from injury.
The top players have the luxury of being full time and can devote their week to getting fit again and with the help and guidance of full time physiotherapists, they really do have everything needed to get back onto the field and start earning their money!
But what about the part time players? The players who will spend their working week, in the majority of cases, on site?
Firstly, these lads don’t have the luxury of earning substantial amounts of money, and for some players, they earn only win and lose money. Some of the clubs outside the top tier don’t provide that important medical insurance and players are reliant on ‘covering’ themselves for any knocks they pick up.
We all know that the game continues to get quicker and thus has higher impact collisions, which ultimately result in an increase in injury and injury risk.
Imagine the feelings of these part time players when they have to get themselves out of bed early on a Monday morning after the previous days’ 80 minutes of action, and they have to get themselves ready for a full days’ physical exertion, whilst the more privaledged athletes are probably in the swimming pool, sauna and jacuzzi.
But these lads won’t make excuses, after all, 99% of them do what they do for the love of the game. They are blind to the risks that they put themselves under and the serious financial implications that they may face should they pick up that injury.
Its fair to say that the players aren’t looked after as much as they could be, and outside of Super League, probably don’t get the opportunities that the top level players are fortunate enough to get access to.
Its a small percentage of players that end up having to hang up the boots through injury, which is testament to the toughness of our athletes, but wouldn’t it be fantastic if the players could have the opportunities to look after themselves that little bit more. The opportunity to gain perks and priveledges that would assist them with their life away from Rugby League and would ease the burden on their home life, so that they can concentrate even more on that 80 minutes.
The game seems to be spreading its wings, with the introduction of 4 new Championship 1 teams for 2013 season, and wouldn’t it be a great idea to be able to increase the opportunities for players to build a life away from Rugby League but through the assistance of Rugby League and its partners?
I’ve long been a believer that players should look after themselves away from Rugby League, but its far easier said than done. For the Super League players, there are opportunities to build relationships with financially sound club corporate partners and sponsors, which opens doors to life away from the field, but for the lower tier teams, the cash rich companies are few and far between.
Most ‘club partnerships’ are formed with local businesses and whilst I’m sure every club appreciates the support, from a players point of view, these sponsors don’t represent future work opportunities.
Rugby League players in general have fantastic work attributes, attributes that are often sought out by recruiters, but the old stigma of sportspeople still remains in many cases, and our athletes are often thought of as ‘just’ Rugby Players.
The lads have plenty to offer, in Ambassador, Business Development, Sales roles etc…. and are an asset to any organisation with the strong work ethic and dedication to task.
I’d like to see opportunities be put in place to help players broaden their network of contacts to not only benefit themselves and their families but also to benefit the corporate partner or business organisation.
Watch this space over the next two months, as I launch a new business that will not only offer opportunities to our athletes at Super League, Championship, Championship 1 and Community game level, but will open up doors for the ‘Rugby League Family’ in general.
JS
