RugbyPost is a support service that is being made available to retiring players. A peer to peer mentoring network, offered by former players who have been through ‘transition’ and who wish to help those of their colleagues newly retiring to cope with the challenges that those changes bring. Such players have a unique understanding of the realities of retirement, having been through the process themselves and similarly benefit from feeling that their experience is being used to positive effect.
Recently retired players are partnered with one of the trainer mentors, facilitating advice, proposing coping strategies via an unprejudiced friendly ear. It helps those beginning the journey call on the experience and support of those who have taken similar steps before them, helping one another, hopefully reducing the likelihood of developing depression and mental health problems.
RugbyPost trains the ex-players to be useful mentors and facilitates the organising and matching with the retiring Mentors themselves have the support of qualified experts in psychology and L&D, should they feel they need it.
This initiative is being run under the auspices of City Rugby Foundation, who are fundraising to support it and is offered with the expertise of The People Business, a leadership and development company, who facilitate mentor training and pairing of the retirees with their mentor . It is also supported by Switch the Play Foundation. There is no cost to either the clubs, mentors or to the retiring players as a fundamental aim of the programme of is to remove perceived barriers to getting help.
RugbyPost is not a recruitment/job creation exercise, it is a broad ranging support service intended to help retirees by giving them a friendly, experienced ear to share the set of challenges they face and the enormous change at the end of a rugby playing career.
RugbyPost is underpinned by its 5 guiding principles:
Proactivity – Rugbypost will contact retiring players at the point they leave the game to offer mentor support.
Discretion – RugbyPost will never actively seek publicity for its work and will never publicise individual case studies or personal information.
Rugby Specific – RugbPost involves Experts with specific experience of working in and alongside members of the Rugby Community to back up the former player mentors.
Non-Profit Making – Experts and mentors are primarily motivated by the desire to help, not by commercial interests. RugbyPost mentor support will be delivered free of charge.
Sharing – RugbyPost intends in time to be a scalable model and will advise and assist with the transfer to other sporting communities and countries if approached.
If you are a recently retired ex professional rugby player please do not hesitate to get in touch, all enquiries are treated with the utmost discretion.
If you would like any further information about Rugby Post or any other of our good causes, please get in touch.
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