Tim Krul is ramping up his preparations for life after football and is encouraging young players to make plans earlier.
The former Norwich City goalkeeper, who now plays for Championship rivals Luton, is enrolled in the PFA Business School course to learn more about potential career opportunities in football, as well as pursuing a diploma in global sports directorship alongside ex-Canaries defender Ryan Bennett.
Krul has began to focus some of his emphasis on preparing for his future career post-retirement, following a serious injury suffered prior to his move to Carrow Road in 2018.
“One of the main reasons for me to start this course is getting a bit more understanding of the issues off the pitch,” Krul told ESPN.
“As a professional footballer with a tiny mindset, you only want to perform on Saturdays; you don’t care what happens behind the scenes. I was always interested in seeing what was going on commercially and in sports.
“When I was 29, I suffered a serious accident, which served as a wake-up call for me to realize that life may end in an instant. You’ll have many years remaining after your career since football, regrettably, does not endure forever.”
Krul has also focused on expanding his business portfolio in preparation for the end of a highly successful career that featured two Championship title-winning seasons at Carrow Road.
He advises younger athletes to begin thinking about the future at a younger stage of their careers.
“The PFA, as a union, has grown tremendously in recent years, thanks to this diploma and exposure to the industry’s top executives. You won’t learn that in a book or in a few of hours.
“This course is ideal for learning about what is happening on the ground from the most important people in the organization. That is one of the things I would tell myself earlier: be more open-minded and grow as much as possible.
“Fortunately, I had fantastic mentors who advised me early on to consider not only football but also investments. The most important piece of advise I would give to everybody out there is to pursue a secondary career.
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