Former England bowler Ryan Sidebottom has told the BBC about the mental health problems he has suffered from since the end of his playing career.
But the 44-year-old became one of many athletes who have struggled to transition into retirement.
“I had days where there was massive self-sabotage,” he said. “I would dwell on the past, I would worry about the future.”
Sidebottom took over 1,000 wickets in all competitions, won the County Championship five times and was part of England’s T20 World Cup winning team in 2010.
But after retiring, the former Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire left-winger told the Sports Desk podcast he felt “a big void” without the regular schedule, direction and income that his cricket career provided.
“I would worry about my children, the money,” he said. “How am I going to pay the mortgage? How am I going to house my wife, my children? What is my next step in life?
“And he had days where he was just angry, agitated. That would have been in the morning and then in the afternoon he would be very emotional and not know why.”
“I was frustrated with my wife, internally frustrated and had a lot of horrible feelings. I wasn’t sleeping very well because of every negative thought about the past, the future.”
Sidebottom finally realized that he “had to do something about this” and sought help. He has learned that staying active helps, along with talking to friends who have also struggled after retiring from the sport or losing their jobs.
“They’ve really struggled mentally and it’s nice that he can talk about it and put it out there and say, ‘Look, it’s okay to not be okay,'” he added.
“Speaking up really, really helps. I’ve been really lucky to have my wife and some very close friends who have really helped me get through those dark days and those horrible feelings, just to talk things out and get things off my chest.”
Finding ways to ‘help the edge of the cliff be just a little downward slope’
Former Welsh footballer Hal Robson Kanu he has started his own company making turmeric shots, but feels there should be more support for athletes to deal with the transition to retirement.
“Little infrastructure is offered to players and backroom staff,” he said. “Support structures need systemic change.
“Whether it’s the FA (Football Association), the PFA (Professional Footballers’ Association), the Premier League, these bodies really need to understand the importance of mental well-being and the emotional side of the game because there are massive pressures in sport and also in society too.”
Former Leicester and England rugby player leon lloyd is co-founder of Switch the Play, a charity that helps athletes prepare for retirement.
“Transition out of sport should be talked about as soon as you start playing sport because it will definitely happen,” he said.
“The more things you can put in place to help make the edge of the cliff just a little downward slope, the better off you’ll be. It’s impossible to replicate the feeling of running in a big stadium. It’s all about finding things to fill those gaps.”
What support is available in different sports?
- The Professional Cricket Players Association introduced a futures fund in 2020, which guarantees each player a payout at the end of their career. It also deploys seven regional personal development managers, a confidential helpline, and one-on-one mental health support.
- The PFA has a 24-hour telephone advice service and a pension plan, with financial and medical aid available. It also hosts mental health and transition workshops, and allows players to apply for ratings grants.
- The Rugby Players Association provides independent advice and transition support to help retired players with career planning. It also offers a confidential advice service and will soon launch a network of retired players.
- The English Institute of Sport, which looks after Olympic and Paralympic athletes, has 30 trained high-performance lifestyle professionals who provide what it calls “holistic athlete-focused support” in areas such as wellness and transitioning out of sport.
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