32 findings indicate that awareness of the finance predicament facing the Scottish game is slowly seeping through to players. This is illustrated in the comments of the following players: Yeah, the boys now are becoming aware of the fact that the most you’re getting is a year contract. So players now realize that they’ve got to be going and getting other qualifications. They would be mad not to. (Established professional) I mean look at the state of football. Three or 4 years ago you could get freed from a club and you would get another club no problem, but at the end of the season there are now maybe 200 or 300 guys out of work . . . it is important that you do get some sort of qualifications. (Established professional) I’ve noticed it’s changed here a lot . . . probably next week there will be about 300 boys getting freed from clubs with nothing. (Learner representative, senior professional)
Somewhat paradoxically, the heightened sense of awareness amongst players benefits those trying to embed a lifelong learning culture within the Scottish professional football industry. They are now in a better position to exert an influence than they were when players felt their professional footballer status was inevitable (Gearing, 1999). The SPFA’s Educational Co-ordinator reinforces this point, arguing that: I probably wouldn’t have had the success that I’ve had if it hadn’t been for the current football industry climate. It’s a good springboard and players are all scared, and when players are all scared they are looking for the next contract and they might have had a wee scare this summer.
Yet, whereas Prochaska and DiClemente (1983) insist that contemplation is a pre-requisite for active change they also assert that, at this stage, individuals are likely to remain uncertain or unconvinced of the merits of changing their behaviour and, perhaps, unsure of their ability
McGillivray to do so. For this reason, at the contemplation stage, the careful design of interventions is imperative. The appointment of the SPFA’s Educational Co-ordinator in 2003 and the subsequent recruitment of a series of learner representatives from within the clubs themselves each represent important developments. Learner representatives are particularly influential as they actively preach the message within the clubs, breaking down the age-old problems associated with impenetrable dressing room cultures (Williams, 1995). These representatives act as are friendly faces who participate in brief interventions (Miller and Rollnick, 1991), communicating with players and promoting the beneficial outcomes they themselves have enjoyed from an engagement with educational discourses. They have the added advantage of being respected by their peers, overcoming obstacles associated with other professional experts (Miller and Rollnick, 1991). Benefits accrue on at least two-levels. First, for those trying to penetrate the shield around the collective (team) identity often found within clubs: The fact is that there is a contact, a contact that I can turn round and speak to now as opposed to lifting a phone and speaking to a stranger. (SFA, Educational Officer) We did very well with Falkirk . . . two respected guys in the dressing room. (SPFA Educational Co-ordinator) The other significant factor was Warren’s appointment of the learner reps because that gave me a receptive face in the dressing room as opposed to, ‘we’re not interested’. (Falkirk FC Director)
Second, motivationally, the learner representative role has been invaluable in relaying advice to those contemplating change, removing barriers (e.g. by providing a welcoming environment), raising awareness of choice and practicing empathy: