From Professional Sport to Agency Founder | Careershifters

What work were you doing previously?

I spent ten years as a professional footballer in England. 

I was fortunate to progress through Port Vale’s Academy after joining at 8, and went on to play for the first-team, as well as Luton Town, Leicester City and Fleetwood Town, before deciding to pursue an alternative career at the age of 26. 

I then worked within marketing roles within different sports organisations for five years, from football clubs to governing bodies to sports technology companies.

What are you doing now?

I now own and run a digital agency called DRIFT.

I work with professional athletes to help them launch and scale their own businesses, either in parallel with or after their sports careers. Being able to fuse everything I learnt within marketing and communications with my love of sport is a real privilege. 

We’re seeing more athletes pursue their off-field passions and turn them into business ventures, so I think it is an exciting time to be in this space.

Why did you change?

I decided to step away from my professional football career a lot earlier than most do. 

It was a decision I made on my own accord, and was not forced through injury. I was always aware of the realities of a second career, and when I felt the trajectory of my football career was not going in the direction I wanted it to or had envisioned, I chose to be proactive in forging my next path. 

The arrival of my daughter accelerated things and gave me a new purpose to try and get ahead with my next chapter. Rather than trying to prolong my sporting career and play until I couldn’t run anymore, I wanted to enter my thirties with a head start on most and be in a strong position.

When was the moment you decided to make the change?

It was during a low point in my career. 

I’d been told I wasn’t a part of the manager’s plans and had been forced to train with the youth team until I found a new club. I chose to study a sports journalism degree during this period, with one eye on my future career, making the most of the Professional Footballers Association’s bursary. 

I’d become slightly disillusioned with the lack of opportunity over the previous couple of seasons, so chose to look inward at what I was passionate about, and chose to tap into my love of storytelling, writing and creativity – eventually ending up in marketing.    

How did you choose your new career?

By being curious, asking lots of questions and making connections. 

A door opened up for me to become Head of Media at my local football club, AFC Fylde, after writing a column for the Blackpool Gazette. It really highlighted the importance of putting yourself out there, as you never know who’s reading. 

The idea for my business happened very organically. Having stayed in touch with a lot of old team mates and with lots of contacts still in football, I was being approached by them to help them grow their businesses.

It was anything from building them a website, through to social media strategy, content creation and email marketing. 

It’s evolved a lot since then, as I now offer full go-to-market services, but that was a brilliant way for me to start productising what I was doing. It allowed me to apply all of my new skills in marketing and connect it to my old world as a footballer, adding lots of value along the way.

Are you happy with the change?

Absolutely. 

I’m now able to offer a really unique service within a niche space, but also positively impact the lives of professional athletes by setting them up to succeed beyond their sport.

I struggled with the identity shift from professional athlete, so being in a position to help bridge that gap for others is extremely fulfilling.

I’ve no regrets at all.

What do you miss and what don’t you miss?

Having a career in elite sport is unique. 

It’s high-pressured and relentless. You train all week for 90 minutes and live in the pockets of others for ten gruelling months each season. It’s a rollercoaster, with many ups and downs.

In a strange way, you miss the intensity of it all. The camaraderie and brotherhood that you are a part of. The relentless pursuit to win and be better than the person you’re coming up against.

The dressing room isn’t an environment that you can replicate and it’s best to accept that early on. 

The wins today are a little different – client wins and renewals, rather than three points! You also fall into a routine as an athlete, so it’s important to create your own routine when you finish, be it keeping fit or managing your time.

How did you go about making the shift?

I ran DRIFT alongside my day job for around six months, which gave me the chance to build my client base before taking the leap. 

I hear lots of stories around people starting on day one without a single client, but I wanted to make sure I had proper market validation, and that the services I were offering were appealing to my audience. With a family, it’s a little more difficult stepping away from a stable job with guaranteed income.

I reached a tipping point where I was matching what I was bringing in with my 9-to-5, and so the transition into running my own ship wasn’t too daunting.

How did you develop (or transfer) the skills you needed for your new role?

By doing. 

I’m a big believer in getting stuck into something, even if you lack certain skills or experiences. In my first role, I knew nothing, but had to learn fast and on the job.

Yes, courses are a great way of upskilling and higher education might offer some of the fundamentals, but nothing beats learning on the job. 

Having a mentor to bounce ideas and questions off is also really important, and only something I’ve realised in the past couple of years as I’ve been growing my own business.

There are many transferable (and highly desirable) personality traits that an athlete can take into their second career, but there’s a lot of knowledge gaps too. 

How did you handle your finances to make your shift possible?

I’m in a very fortunate position that I have a wife who’s very career-driven and was able to support the family financially throughout my transition. 

Going from a full-time professional footballer to nothing creates a massive financial shift. We were able to reduce our outgoings and create a life that was affordable for us.

This is really important for anyone looking to change careers, as you might need to go through a drop in salary if you want to start over.

Without the support around you or preparing for this, you’ll really struggle to make it work and your priorities can move from ‘finding a fulfilling career’ to ‘where is the next paycheque?’.

What help did you get?  

In all honesty, not a lot. 

I was blessed with a really understanding line manager in my first marketing role, who understood where I was at in my career and understood the transition I was going through, which I think was really important. The PFA supported me with my education. 

Aside from that, it was down to me to create my own path. As a footballer, you’re used to having things done for you and your agent creating new career opportunities for you. But as soon as you step out of that bubble, you’re on your own, and you need to step outside of your comfort zone. 

I became really active on LinkedIn to build my own personal brand, connected with people who I thought could open doors for me and got myself into rooms that I probably wasn’t qualified to be in. It’s only then that things start to happen. Nobody owes you anything.

What have you learnt in the process?

I’ve learnt about the importance of building a network. 

I became active on LinkedIn, purely because I loved writing. This enabled me to build an engaged online community and network, which I’m now able to reach out to for many different reasons. 

Building this is such a game-changer, and I wish I did it a lot sooner.

I think letting go of your past and going all-in with your new career is imperative if you are to make the change a success. 

You can find yourself looking back a lot. Friends reminding you of certain moments in your previous career, causing you to reminisce. You find yourself to trying to cling onto your old identity, and it can be difficult to create a new one.

For my entire life, I was known as ‘Joe the footballer’, and then one day that identity is gone. Things started to become easier once I let go of that, accepted it and started to forge my own path, focusing on the present and future.

What would you advise others to do in the same situation?

I’d encourage others to think proactively about their next career, particularly if they’re no longer enjoying it. 

There’s no shame in changing course. You might experience feelings of guilt, especially if people have sacrificed things along the journey to help you get to where you did. But it’s important to prioritise your own happiness. 

If you see a better opportunity elsewhere and feel passionate about it, go after it.

To find out more about Joe’s work, visit https://driftdigital.uk

What lessons could you take from Joe’s story to use in your own career change? Let us know in the comments below.