As a young professional footballer, your financial needs are unique. The rewards of success can be significant, so it is important to make responsible and sensible financial choices. Many young footballers can fall foul of making bad financial decisions, so having access to the right expertise is essential.
At Sonar, we work with both established players in the game and also the country's top emerging football talent to ensure you develop good financial habits early on that will benefit you in later life.
We typically start working with footballers from age 18, advising you from your first professional contract to the end of your playing career and beyond. We work with footballers all over the UK and those who have moved to Europe, assisting in the process of moving clubs to make the transition as easy as possible.
The expert advice we provide will ensure you have the peace of mind that your future is secure, without compromising your present.
By working closely with you, your agent, and your parent(s), we will look after your finances so you can focus on your career.
We only take on a limited number of players each year to allow us the ability to give each player the time they deserve. Our services and interactions are tailored to each client but an example of our services is outlined below.
Key Services for Footballers
Financial Coaching
- We will encourage you to build good financial habits and help you find the right balance between living for the now and keeping one eye on life after football.
- We help you to avoid poor investment choices which have caused financial hardship and bad publicity for many current and ex-professional footballers.
- We work in partnership with you, understanding that many areas of finances will be new to you and explain these in a clear and jargon free way.
Building Foundations
- One of the most important aspects of a player’s financial position is understanding what comes into your bank account every month and what goes out. From reviewing payslips and bank statements, to helping reorganise bank accounts if necessary. We feel this is of huge importance for building a solid foundation.
- We take a proactive approach to ensure every aspect of your football contract is understood by you, including highlighting why and when tax on agents’ fees may be due so there is no surprise for you.
- We work extremely closely with your chosen accountant/tax adviser in a joined-up way to ensure you have the team approach when it comes to finances.
Property
- Many players are unsure initially whether it is best to buy or rent a property given so much can change in your career very early. We advise you based on our experience in this area.
- If you do decide to purchase a property, we assist with not only finding the most competitive mortgage deal from the whole of the market but also advise on the structure given the short-term nature of your career.
- Many players build property portfolios, and we can help oversee this and identify suitable lenders in the market if appropriate.
Savings & Investments
- We help you save for life after football to ensure that alongside your properties you have a pot of money in place designed to produce an income for you when your playing career stops via our cashflow planning service.
- When it comes to investing, we believe simplicity is key and ensure our clients do not get caught up in any complex schemes like some of their peers before them.
- We provide expert advice on the Football League pension; including how it works and how it can be used to your advantage.
Protection
- We help to secure your financial future if your career ends unexpectedly due to injury.
- We ensure you and your family are protected should you contract a serious illness or worse.
- You can use our expertise to review insurance policies if you move abroad given the different rules that apply outside of the UK for players.
Transfers
- We help our clients with the financial implications of a transfer to ensure the financial aspects of a contract is understood before you sign it.
- We offer clients access to our network to help you find a property to rent initially and ensure everything runs smoothly with the move keeping disruption to a minimum for you.
- We highlight areas that need addressing if a player moves abroad, such as foreign exchange services and reviewing all other plans to ensure they remain appropriate.
WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY
Alex Oxlade Chamberlain
Hector Bellerin
Alan Clarke, Co-Founder STATSports
John Egan, Sheffield United and Republic of Ireland
Matt Ritchie, Newcastle United FC
The client journey
- 1. Initial consultation
- 2. Fact finding
- 3. Research & recommendations
- 4. Implementation
- 5. Ongoing review
1. Initial consultation
Here we’ll explore your goals and objectives, and get to know you a bit more. We’ll explain how the financial planning process works and what you can expect. We’ll also agree to obtain information from your existing providers, so we can understand the finer details of your existing financial products.
2. Fact finding
We’ll go into your financial position in more detail. We’ll discuss your income and expenditure, as well as any assets you have. This allows us to build a picture of your circumstances and focus on how we can bridge any gaps.
3. Research & recommendations
Armed with information, we can now thoroughly assess your current financial products and make recommendations on how they can be altered or replaced to help you meet your goals.
4. Implementation
After we’ve presented our recommendations, and if you’re happy with them, we’ll set about implementing your new plan and complete the relevant applications.
5. Ongoing review
We’ll continue to review your plan and your progress on a regular basis. Any changes to your circumstances or your goals will be taken into account, so we can make sure the work we do always keeps you on the right track.
If you have any questions or would like to arrange a free initial consultation, please get in touch.
