Career planning: James Greenwood

At 31, James Greenwood knows all too well that the clock is ticking on his career as a professional rugby league player.

The Salford Red Devils forward has one-year left of his contract with the Super League club going into the 2023 season and is optimistic about his prospects of extending his playing days after that.

His optimism is accompanied by a pragmatic view of what the future holds and he has already taken steps to plan for life after rugby with help from a grant from Rugby League Cares.

"Thanks to the support of RL Cares I was able to complete an Ultimate Driver training package that has qualified me to drive all kinds of HGVs, including Class 1 and 2 sand dangerous goods," said James. 

"There's a national shortage of HGV drivers and having this qualification means I know I'll never be out of work. It doesn't mean I'm going to be driving lorries for the rest of my life but it's certainly giving me peace of mind because it takes the pressure off me.

"I have a young family and we can go out for the day on my days away without me stressing about the need to study or worrying about what the future holds. 

"That has an impact not just on my family life but on my career: when your family is happy, you tend to play better."

James was a late starter as a professional player, having played with his local club Saddleworth Rangers until he was picked up by Wigan as a 20-year-old. By then, he had already started a degree course Aeronautical Technology but the demands of training and playing were having a negative effect on all aspects of his life so after two years he stepped away from education. 

It was during his time at Hull KR that the importance of preparing for life after rugby hit home.

"I used to travel to Hull with a couple of team-mates, whose own preparations couldn't have been more different," said James.

"One had been studying for a few years and was ready to transition; the other guy had put everything on the back burner and seemingly had no worries. But then he got a bad shoulder injury and when it became clear that he'd never recover fully, the club told him they weren't going to renew his contract.

"He was in absolute pieces because he had no idea what he was going to do. He really struggled at the time. Thankfully he's sorted now but it was a bad time for him.

"I was in my mid-20s then and I decided I was not going to be that guy."

James's career choice has been helped by his on family: his father has a HGV licence while his father-in-law  is a manager at Salford Van Hire.

"I quite like driving and it's always something that's appealed," added James. "When I started looking at my options I soon decided that sitting in an office working 9 til 5 was not for me. I'd rather stick pins in my eyes!

"My father-in-law told me that since Brexit there's a real shortage of drivers and that it's quite good money, so I thought 'why not?'"

With his HGV licences in the bag, James is now studying for a higher education qualification in logistics management through his club's links with Salford University. Study time is precious, especially with a five-year-old and a toddler to take care of, but he is managing the workload okay. 

"My brother Joe is a couple of years younger than me and plays at Huddersfield: he doesn't have kids yet and I keep telling him he needs to make the most of the time he's got because once a family arrives it gets so much more difficult to do anything.

"Being a rugby player is the best job in the world and it doesn't last forever. I'd encourage every player not to leave it too late to make plans for the future.

"Speak to your player welfare manager our get in touch with RL Cares directly. I did and it's one of the smartest things I've ever done."