Young rugby league stars told to prepare for retirement

Former Bradford star Naylor left his coaching role at Salford last year

Former Bradford Bulls and England star Scott Naylor has warned up-and-coming young players to prepare now for the time when they retire from the game.

The 38-year-old left his coaching role at Salford City Reds late last year and is now out of the sport entirely.

"My advice to current players is don't finish in the game without something to fall back on," Naylor told the BBC's Super League Show.

"Players need to think about it because it can be a very hard time."

The problem of retirement is a relatively new phenomenon, with the first generation of full-time professionals coming to the end of their careers.

Naylor explained: "In 1988 when I signed for Wigan, a lot of the older players in the squad would work during the day and train at night.

My career disappeared before my eyes. It was a dream to play the game and you just focus on playing the game and nothing else. So when it finishes, it's a shock

Scott Naylor

"When the game went fully professional a lot of those players had to stop working and train during the day. But once those players finished playing, they could return to the jobs they'd had before because they had already learned the skills they needed.

"For me, as a young kid, I couldn't do that because I didn't have that background of working before playing full-time. So I didn't have the training, skills or experience to go into a different job after quitting.

"It will seem weird for a 17- or 18-year-old kid to think about what will happen in 12 to 14 years' time. But they need something to do; they need something to fall back on.

"Not everyone can be a coach once they retire, and not every player earns the big money that you can live on for the rest of your life.

"If you retire at 32, 33 year's old there is a chance you'll need money to live until your 80s or 90s. That is a long time away from the game.

"My career disappeared before my eyes. It was a dream to play the game and you just focus on playing the game and nothing else. So when it finishes, it's a shock and you realise that you should have prepared better.

"I think the older guys now should warn the younger lads coming through about preparing for retirement."

Some players from Naylor's generation blame the Rugby Football League (RFL) for not doing more to help players prepare for their retirement.

However, the governing body says it is now taking big steps to help players develop other skills during their playing days.

RFL media manager John Ledger said: "The RFL does an awful lot to help players in this area.

"There is not a lot of opportunity to be a coach once they've finished so the RFL advises players through their careers what other options they have, and we work with a careers advice organisation to help guide the players.

"We have increased our efforts this area over the last few years and we are aware we have a new generation of players coming through now that have only ever played rugby in their adult life and need something after that."