If there was anyone who could afford to retire after football, it's probably Brent Harvey. After 20-years in the AFL system and a career full of unbelievable highlights and awards, the future hall of famer deserves to take some time out and put his little feet up.
Instead of resting on his laurels however, the 36-year-old is busy pursuing many opportunities for life after football.
“I’ve got three kids, first and foremost, so that takes up a little bit of time,” Harvey told NMFC.com.au.
“I’ve got a couple of other interests outside of football. I’ve got a small business called ‘Footy Focused’, where we do one on one coaching with young kids and team apparel."
‘Boomer’ said he has always tried to stay ahead of the times, ensuring he has something to fall back on in readiness for the day his football dream ends.
“I’m also working on a new product with (NMFC Nutrition and Conditioning coach) Jona Segal, called ‘Spark Products’, and we’re currently working on a pre-workout performance drink.
“But perhaps my main thing at the moment is that I’m building four townhouses.”
The champion Roo believes finding work/life balance is priceless.
“Particularly as you get older, it’s so important to make sure you’re setting yourself up off the field,” he said.
“I’ve definitely started thinking about that and about using my time efficiently, especially on my days off. It helps to take your mind off football as well, which is equally important."
Harvey is not alone, and with North Melbourne placing a high priority on player off-field engagement in recent years, many are now choosing to study for external qualifications or pursuing business opportunities.
For third year player Mason Wood, specific professional development (PD) time (four hours per week) set aside by the club has led him to study at University.
“At the minute I’m enrolled in Exercise Science at VU (Victoria University),” Wood said.
“In my PD time I go in to study Biomechanics.
“I’ll just tick off one subject per semester until I complete my course.”
Scott Thompson arrived at North with a Commerce degree and his first few years at the club were spent seeking out work experience opportunities in finance.
“It’s all changed now, since I’ve had a baby,” Thompson said.
“It’s all home time at the moment, helping to look after the little one and getting to see her grow up.
“I’d still like to get back into finance, but I just want to wait until she’s a bit older.”
For some, PD time takes the form of study for degrees or diplomas, while others have more of an entrepreneurial streak.
If you haven't heard about Nathan Grima’s synthetic turf business by now, you've probably had your head in the sand.
“Last year a group of us did an Advanced Diploma in Business and Management, but this year I’ve had more time to put into my business, ‘Endless Turf’,” explained Grima, who is familiar with the value of a good 'plug'.
“We’re starting to get to the stage now where it’s become profitable and we’re flat out at the moment, which is good.
“I’ll try to help grow the business while I’m still playing AFL with the aim of getting into it a bit more when I finish.”
Bookworm Jamie Macmillan combines his university studies with a business venture with Shaun Atley.
“Usually it’s just been studying for a Commerce degree at Melbourne Uni, but just recently myself and ‘Ats’ have started up a photo booth company, called ‘Jack in a Booth’,” Macmillan said.
“Business has been good. Before Christmas, we had a lot of parties and other events.
“We’re just trying to get our name out there at the moment.”
Kieran Harper is in the early stages of a business venture with Scott McMahon and Ben Jacobs.
“We’ve got a small Personal Training business called the Kanga Fit Club,” Harper said.
“We’re trialing it with staff at the club at the moment, twice a week.
“We’ll see how we go with that for the next three months, then we might take it out to the public.”
For me, if you haven't guessed already, I want to work in the media and am currently studying at uni and doing an internship with NMFC.com.au.
