16th JANUARY 2023 / RACHEL ASPINALL

FROM THE PITCH TO THE TRADING FLOOR

Last year, we teamed up with the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) to aid them in their quest to support ex-footballers re-enter the job market after hanging up their boots.

It's the ultimate quandary as a footballer. After spending year after year running up and down the touchline and having the routine and structure of being a professional athlete, it's all gone, and you’ve got to decide, what’s next?

There are some who succeed in breaking into punditry and others into light entertainment, but what about those others who want an exciting, sustainable career away from the studio cameras? How are those who’ve never stepped foot in the mainstream job market supposed to know what industry or role would suit them, their skill set or personality?

Being a professional athlete, regardless of discipline, can mean that through years of training, several characteristics can flourish on the field that may never have been tested in the classroom.

The PFA provide excellent careers advice and help individuals to develop personal development paths to enhance career prospects. They also offer sponsorship for educational and vocational programmes, which is where we come in.

Roles in finance vary dramatically. Some are extremely technical, while others place great emphasis on leadership, teamwork and other interpersonal skills which are integral to success in many sports.

Our mission at Amplify is to create opportunities in finance for everyone by creating a fair and even playing field through our technology and partnerships.

Our performance-based simulations offer that same 'virtual' playing field where regardless of financial knowledge, we can see how you perform in a real-life situation rather than in a textbook scenario.

Along with on-the-job experience through our partnerships with the world’s leading institutions, we enable direct connections to be made with employers in banking, broking, investment, or trading who are interested in hiring candidates with a professional sporting background.

Through our level 6 Summer Analyst Training Programme - two PFA alumni have already gone on to land roles with banking giant Morgan Stanley.

From pro player to world leading investment bank

After playing at Chelsea academy, former player James Daly signed a Scholarship at QPR and went on to take a Business Economics and Finance degree at Loughborough University. Graduating in 2020, James started an internship at Morgan Stanley, and secured a full-time, front office position in Prime Brokerage just two months in. 

Joe Jackson, former Burnley striker, who has fought a brave battle against leukemia, went on to study at a non-target university (Manchester Met) before securing a place at Bayes Business School with the help of the Professional Footballers’ Association. During his studies he secured an internship at a major US investment bank and now works as a full-time analyst at Morgan Stanley.

Similarities between football and finance?

James was interviewed on this very question. His reply was emphatic.

"Absolutely. For both, you need high levels of self-discipline and a commitment to excel. You naturally develop great teamwork skills through football and learn how to work in a demanding environment, which is useful for finance."

"Working with people of all different ages and backgrounds as a player is also helpful when you walk into a corporate environment because you’re less phased when meeting new people. Walking into the dressing room at a new club is probably one of the most daunting experiences ever, so if you can handle that, you can definitely handle walking onto a trading floor in Canary Wharf!"


James also reflected on the changing culture at Morgan Stanley: “They talked about the diversity here at the firm. It was refreshing to hear they value the skills and attitudes people from different backgrounds might bring to the floor, which reassured me that this was a career I could pursue”.

Ready for your next challenge!

If you are a professional athlete and interested to see whether you might possess the skills to be successful in finance, then check out our Summer Analyst Training Programme.

Who knows, perhaps you have skills that would be incredibly sought after by some of the world's leading organisations.
RACHEL ASPINALL
Global Head of Marketing