Meet the Team – Kevin LARROYER

FORCED TO INVEST IN MY CAREER TRANSITION

I can see your question coming. “If you are a professional athlete, why are you studying?”. Unfortunately, like 80% of players, I fell into the trap where you took your career and success for granted. I was living in this mindset that I was invincible and played forever. Well, I was wrong! In 2016, I experienced my first serious injury. I dislocated my shoulder, which kept me off the field for six months. During that time, I struggled with my first mental health, then at the end of that season, we got relegated, and as a result, I lost my playing contract. I didn’t found a team straight away, and I stayed unemployed for a few months. Like many players, I didn’t invest in my career transition, and as a result, I developed mental health stressors such as anxiety, loneliness, loss of identity and finance. As a result, I developed signs of depression such as feeling down, sad, lack of motivation and no self-esteem. All my childhood demons came back. I couldn’t cope with the idea that I might not be a professional rugby league player again and that I had to think about career transition. It’s then the opportunity to join Leeds Beckett University arises. 

MY FUTURE ASPIRATIONS

It was during this time at Leeds Beckett I completed a degree in Sport Business Management. I have always been interested in the business side of the sport. After my career, I want to set up an agency for French players. The aim is to provide more playing opportunities for French players in the UK. Also, to raise awareness and educate players on mental health, career planning and wellbeing. In addition, I want to promote and raise the profile of my players through marketing activities. It will allow them to develop a network, gather work experience, build self-belief and set them up for the smooth transition into their post-career. I believe the BA Hons in Sport Business, MSc in Marketing and my experience as an elite athlete will provide me with the knowledge and expertise of the sport business industry to position my agency as the leading sport agency in Rugby League. 

On my blog page, I’ll be sharing my views on the evolution of the media during my playing career and discussing how our parents used to consume sport. Further, how the Millennials generation has grown up with the evolution of the media and how the generation Alpha will consume sport in the future.

Don’t forget to leave any comments below to engage in some discussions. Keep an eye on my next post, and in the meantime, you can follow me on my social media if you want to find out more about me.

See you soon.

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