As AFL star Chris Judd quits, Aust'n academic reveals problems faced by retired footballers

Professional Australian footballers are struggling to transition into life after sport, with many suffering financial troubles, depression and identity crises in retirement.

Professor Joy Damousi from the University of Melbourne said the sudden retirement on Tuesday of Carlton Football Club champion, and two-time Australian Football League (AFL) Brownlow Medallist, Chris Judd once again brought the issue of life after football into the spotlight.

Judd made the decision after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in a match on Saturday.

Damousi said well-rounded players such as Judd would have little trouble falling back into "everyday" life, but it was tougher for players that become caught up in the professional football fairytale.

"Someone like Judd is the model footballer. He has already explored possibilities and options for him post retirement," she told Xinhua in an interview of Tuesday,

"He has gone on record saying that he has already begun to develop that side of his life. He was careful in planning that post-retirement period.

"It can't be said for a lot of players, they're not all as keyed in as someone like Chris Judd."

She said players become heavily invested in the codes early in their teen years, and unlike in the United States, do not obtain a college or university degree before being drafted into professional sport.

She said this causes an identity crisis for players that need to suddenly find a different career path when they retire at 30 years of age.

"I think issues around identity and a player trying to reinvent themselves is a challenge," she said.

"Particularly when you look at young men that have been invested in the game since 16 years of age, and it has been their primary source of professional endeavor and only source of income.

"That can be a serious challenge. Some of them continue in football, in the media or as coaches, but that's a small number. A large number of footballers need to think about what they want to do after they retire."

Australia's top footballers make up to one million U.S dollars per year, with the average player making just over 200,000 U.S dollars per season.

While it might seem like a big amount of money, Damousi stressed that players only have ten or twelve season in them, with many being delisted or retiring long beforehand.

She said international sporting stars, such as those in America who command tens of millions per year, are able to afford a comfortable living long after but Australian footballers often cannot.

"While they command impressive amounts of money by Australian standards, by international standards it's nowhere near the level that professional basketballers or soccer players make. So money is an issue," she said.

Damousi said young players find retirement a shock, particularly as they are under the impression that they are making a good level of income, but making 200,000 U.S dollars every year for ten years cannot sustain even a frugal lifestyle for very long.

She said some players found it hard to return to full-time study to pursue a different career after playing professional football.

"They're so young... and the demands of the sport are so great that part time study isn't possible for a lot of players. It's a bit of a strain. In a pre-professional era it was less of a problem."

Damousi highlighted the fact that players in previous eras had full time jobs and played football on the weekends, and had less of an issue "transitioning" back into everyday life.

"It's by no means a straightforward process, there have been highly publicized cases of players that haven't coped," she said.

Judd retired on Tuesday after playing 279 AFL games with West Coast and Carlton. He captained both clubs, won the league's fairest and best award twice, won club best and fairest awards five times, and was a Premiership-winning captain with West Coast.

Judd has widely been recognized as one of the greatest players in the modern era and has been touted by many to be inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame. Endi