A PRO football star who won a major trophy and qualified for the Europa League has told how he gave it all up to become a lawyer.
Scott Stevenson was a junior player for St Johnstone when the Perth side won the Scottish Cup in 2014.
The Saints beat Tayside rivals Dundee United 2-0 at Celtic Park to win a place in qualifying for the 2014-2015 Europa League.
St Johnstone beat Swiss side FC Luzern on penalties before losing out to Slovakia’s Spartak Trnava in the third qualifying round.
Just months later, Scott gave up full-time professional football for a drastic career change.
He said: “I played professionally for St Johnstone for two years until they won the Scottish Cup in 2014.
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“I have since played part-time while pursuing my legal career for clubs such as Albion Rovers, Stirling Albion, East Kilbride, Linlithgow Rose and Gartcairn.”
Scott is now urging young players to think of plan-B careers if their football dreams do not go to plan.
He said: “These are tough decisions for a young person with a head full of stardust to make.
“But they are decisions which could shape their future, for good or ill.
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”Footballing stardom is the ultimate prize. But there are things I wish I’d thought about before I signed my first professional contract.”
Scott added: “The day a young footballer signs his first professional contract is an unforgettable occasion.
“It vindicates the long car journeys to games, the cold hours on the touchline for parents and the relentless honing of the young hopeful’s unique skills.
“But in the euphoria surrounding it, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that it is a binding document.
“Great care should be taken to ensure that the terms and conditions within it are in the youngster’s best interests.
“The ideal contract duration at this stage in a career would be two to three years.
“It is enough time to create some job security and to develop within the team, but also short enough to allow for a different career path if things do not go according to plan.
“The footballing life is notoriously short-term and young people may come round to the view that university or an apprenticeship might be better for their long-term prospects.”
It comes after a Newcastle United cult hero who starred at the World Cup revealed why switched careers to become a greengrocer.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
