{"id":691762,"date":"2026-05-18T01:06:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T00:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/?p=691762"},"modified":"2026-05-18T12:39:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T11:39:26","slug":"feature-qa-with-ben-toolis-discussing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/feature-qa-with-ben-toolis-discussing\/","title":{"rendered":"Feature: Q&A with Ben Toolis discussing how rugby players can plan for their future careers…"},"content":{"rendered":"

At what point in your career did you recognise the lack of support for athletes post sporting career?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My first taste of \u2018reality\u2019, when I truly realised how short our careers can be, was when I had my knee injury at the age of 29. I had had a bad run of injuries before that, but I always saw some sort of light at the end of the tunnel when recovering from them. With my knee, it was the first time that I wasn\u2019t meeting the post-operative milestones provided by the surgeon and support staff. What should have been a 9-month recovery ended up being almost 2 years of brutal rehab, setbacks, and struggling to do everyday things like walking\u2026 This was a really dark period for me where I felt like I had lost my identity as a rugby player, and my mind started running rampant, thinking, \u201cWhat does this mean for me?\u201d and \u201cWhat\u2019s next if this doesn\u2019t get better?\u201d I think it often takes moments like this for athletes to look around for alternatives, and it was a key point at which I felt that additional support, outside of training and playing, was perhaps lacking.<\/p>\n

Do you believe athletes\u2019 parents should play a role in altering their children\u2019s expectations around their sporting careers and should alternative career pathways be considered earlier on?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a great but tricky question to answer, as I think it is so contextual. It depends on the family environment, what resources and mentorship are available, the child\u2019s performance throughout school, and perhaps most importantly, the child\u2019s mental attitude – their dedication and ability to cope with failure\/success.
I think as a parent, it is so important to be supportive and listen to your child\u2019s dreams and aspirations. We never know how things will work out or what opportunities might present themselves. Sometimes we need to explore a career path ourselves and form our own opinion about its feasibility.
I think it is difficult for a parent who hasn\u2019t been a professional athlete themselves to temper any expectations, as they haven\u2019t experienced it. However, I think that all parents can play an important role in building and relaying the key characteristics that their children need to have to succeed in a physically and mentally demanding career like sport, such as teaching them good habits early on (like consistency in training), eating well for performance, accountability to themselves and their team, selflessness (especially in team sport), adapting to change and coming back from set backs. These will all serve them well not only in sport, but are also fantastic transferable skills for general life, should a career in sport not work out.<\/p>\n

When should an athlete get in touch with Fifty Twenty-Two (FTT)? Is there an optimal time in one\u2019s career to start planning ahead?<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is no optimal time to start planning ahead, but arguably, the earlier the better. We not only help athletes who are ready to invest and have the necessary resources in place, but we are also here to help athletes start planning for investment. There are always opportunities available, no matter your age or financial standing; it\u2019s just about finding the right ones.<\/p>\n

Are there any standout examples of those who have benefited from Fifty-Twenty-Two?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite being at the start of our journey, we are really pleased with the feedback and progress we have seen so far.
One example that stands out is Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, an ex-professional rugby player and Scotland international who was raised in Edinburgh and is now coaching in Italy. What struck me about Sam was how quickly he grasped the core idea. He understood that the financial window in professional sport is short, that the access to potential income you have as a professional athlete is something most people will never experience, and that if you do not make the most of it while it is there, that opportunity is gone.<\/p>\n

We worked with Sam to understand his personal situation, his goals and what financial security actually looked like for him. That shaped everything about the plan we put together.<\/p>\n

We have recently helped Sam co-invest in a cafe, which is a tangible first step into the investment world and something he is genuinely excited about. But more than the specific investment, what Sam valued was the approach. Not a one-size-fits-all solution, but a plan built entirely around his life, his circumstances and his goals.<\/p>\n

We are also currently working with Piers O\u2019Conor, a professional rugby player currently playing for Edinburgh Rugby with a career that has taken him from Wasps and Bristol Bears to Connacht and now Scotland. Piers is still very much in his playing career and that is exactly the point. Getting the planning right while the opportunity is still there is always better than starting after the final whistle.<\/p>\n

Sam\u2019s advice to other professional athletes reflects something we believe deeply at FTT. Start early. Investment is not money made overnight. The compounding effect over time is significant, and the earlier you begin, the greater the benefit by the time your career ends<\/p>\n

What is the number one piece of advice you would give to any athlete trying to secure their long-term future?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t get caught up in the idealisms of being a professional athlete. I\u2019ve seen a lot of athletes use material things and expensive trips as a way to demonstrate success, but I think turning your short earning window into long-term financial security is the greatest marker of success.<\/p>\n\n\n

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