For Crystal Palace’s Academy scholars, the answer goes far beyond what happens on the pitch.
As part of the Academy’s wider education and personal development programme, the scholars recently took part in an interactive finance workshop led by Dr Chris Platt and chartered accountant Hayley Lucas of Athena Accountants, who specialise in working with professional footballers.
The session challenged the players to consider two important questions: what does it take to build a career at the highest level – and how can you make the most of the money you earn along the way?
Platt opened by asking the scholars to think about the realities of progressing through the professional game.
With scholars at different stages of the pathway – from those who had signed their scholarships over the summer to second-years already on professional contracts – the focus was on what happens beyond that first deal.
