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Coyne Didsbury Sports HR: Coyne Didsbury Sports HR is an independent firm of consulting psychologists, engaged to provide personal support and basic life skills education programs to players. They also provide players with career advice, assistance with study applications and a range of personal development workshops.•
Arthur Andersen: Arthur Andersen delivers the Financial Support Program to all AFLPA members.•
Family Planning: In over 25 years of service, Family Planning Australia has cared for the sexual and reproductive health needs of large numbers of Australians. Family Planning contributes to the national public health effort through the provision of a wide range of sexual and reproductive health services that focus on prevention, diagnosis and treatment.8.1.2 Other Retirement Support and Planning Services of the AFLPA
In addition to those support services and education and training opportunities offered within AFLPA's Player Development Program, the AFPLA has established further mechanisms to assist players prepare for retirement, and to support retired and current players in times of difficulty and financial hardship.
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Retirement Fund: in which players accumulate $10,000 per year for each year that they play football, payable in full at the time of retirement from AFL football;•
Past Player Trust Fund: provides financial assistance to past players in times of genuine hardship, to a maximum of $5,000;•
AFLPA Education and Training Account: The AFLPA makes a substantial commitment to players' futures through the implementation of the Education and Training Account, and a financial commitment to the fund of $1 million per annum. Grants from the fund are used to encourage players to prepare for their post playing careers whilst they play, by supporting AFL players wanting to pursue further study or vocational training.8.2 Rugby Union Players' Association (RUPA)
The Rugby Union Players' Association was incorporated in 1995, in direct response to the increasing professionalism of rugby. A key objective of RUPA is to help its members balance the challenges of a professional career in rugby with the rewards of family life, development of career skills and other personal responsibilities and interests.
To this end, one of RUPA's most successful initiatives has been the establishment of the Career Training Scheme, a joint initiative with Australia Rugby Union. In March 2000, the National Athlete Career Education Program (ACE) developed by the Australian Institute of Sport, was appointed by
the Career Training Scheme, with the objective to provide players with vocational and career skills in preparation for life after rugby, and opportunities for personal development during their sporting career. In order to achieve this objective, the following integrated strategies have been implemented by Rugby Union Associations in each State and delivered by professional ACE advisers.
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Individual Athlete Assessments: A formal career assessment strategy whereby all players have the opportunity of attending an annual career management planning meeting at the start of the season, with quarterly review meetings to assist with goal setting in sports performance, career and education, and financial planning.•
Personal Development Training Courses: Courses that target general personal development and job skills training in preparation for a career outside of sport. Courses that have been run during the past 12 months, include:•
Time management;•
Public Speaking;•
Dealing with the media;•
Effective Communication;•
Employment and Business Networking;•
A range of computer skills training courses;•
Cooking.•
Career Planning and Educational Guidance: Uses the 'New Directions' computer-based model of vocational counselling as a tool to assist players manage their own educational and career pathways. Career and education sessions are held by the ACE advisor at various State Union clubs on a weekly basis. The program has resulted in the development of a number of collaborative relationships with tertiary education and private education providers for the provision of flexible courses for professional athletes.•
Industry Mentor Scheme: provides players with the opportunity of gaining formal experience in their chosen career pathway, to foster the development of important career networks and prepare players for their successful integration into the workforce.•
Transition Program: provides career and education guidance for players who are undergoing a transition process before, during and after their professional rugby career. A key feature of the Transition Program is player guidance on the transference of skills attained during their sporting career to other career options.Other recent initiatives of the Rugby Union Players' Association include:
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Monthly Newsletter: provides members with up to date medical, physiotherapy, psychology and career training advice from various expert consultants. The newsletter also provides a means of enabling current and past players to communicate with each other, and a forum to discuss and debate current issues in Rugby Union.•
RUPA Website: provides increased communication between members and the RUPAexecutive and gives players access to benefits available under the 'Club Lifestyle Program', (Note: details of this program were not available at the time of this report).
8.3 The Australian Professional Footballers' Association (PFA)
The Australian Professional Footballers' Association, as it is known today, was established in 1993 under the name 'Australian Soccer Players' Association’, to provide quality national and international representation for elite and professional soccer players around Australia. In the early years of its operation, the Association focused mainly on industrial relations issues, such as player remuneration and contracts, dispute resolution and conditions of employment for its members. However, as was the case for the AFL Players’ Association, with the increasing professionalism of the sport in the mid and late 1990's, the Australian Professional Footballers' Association soon extended its vision and charter, with a key objective being to promote and advance the wellbeing of, Australian professional footballers, before, during and after their sporting careers, both individually and collectively.
Recently, the Australian Professional Footballers' Association developed an initiative that provides a comprehensive range of player welfare programs that encourage and support the full development of the playing, employment and personal aspects of the lives of its members. The main objectives of the initiative are to assist players to prepare themselves for life beyond soccer, and to assist soccer associations and clubs around Australia to adopt a holistic approach to the employment engagement of players. Although they are yet to be implemented, it is instructive to cover key aspects of the programs here, to consider as a potential model of welfare services for jockeys in the racing industry.
Like the Rugby Union Players’ Association, the programs developed by the Australian Professional Footballers' Association utilise the Athlete Career Education (ACE) framework within which to provide career development and welfare services to players (refer Section 8.4). The programs target
both current players and those who have retired from the sport. Key aspects of the programs are briefly described below.
Career & Education Planning – development and period review and evaluation of a career plan, flexible study arrangements, career placement opportunities, transition assistance following retirement from sport;
Personal & Professional Development – workshop program of training in job skills, education systems, lifeskills, and industrial workplace matters;
Career Placement - vocational assessment, formal workplace experience, ongoing review of career pathway and placements, employment opportunities through the Speakers' Bureau;
Player Welfare & Counselling - player access to sports Chaplain & welfare counsellors;
Financial Planning - financial mentoring, and workshop training on financial matters including budgeting, the sharemarket and property investment;
Training & Education Funding - financial support to players engaging in career training, educational pursuits and employment following retirement,
As is the case with the AFL Players’ Association and the Rugby Union Players’ Association, the player welfare initiatives of the Australian Professional Footballers' Association are collaborative efforts with a number of private institutions and community schemes.
8.4 The Athlete Career Education (ACE) Program
In 1990, the Victorian Institute of Sport introduced the Athlete Career and Education (ACE) program. The program encourages a balanced approach to sport involvement through the provision of personal development training, and career and education planning services. The program also assists athletes to prepare for their inevitable transition from elite sport competition. In 1995, ACE became a national program through its adoption by the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), and is today viewed, both nationally and internationally, as the industry standard framework for the management of athlete career and education matters.
Over 3000 elite athletes from a variety of both amateur and professional sports access the ACE program each year utilising the national career and education network that is provided by the
Institutes and Academies of Sport in collaboration with numerous industry partners. In addition, each year a significant number of former athletes undertake ACE training and education programs and seek personal assistance from ACE advisors on matters related to career options and personal development.
Key features of the program include: