Chris Senior believes he has got the best of both worlds now after landing a job on the backroom staff at Sheffield United - and also playing part time, semi-professional with Altrincham.
With the help of the PFA, Chris has been on training in the art of sports massage, and tells Givemefootball’s Lawrie Madden how it came about and how he has put it to good use
Q: You had quite a long career as a player. What made you start to think of another career?
A: I had three years as a YTS at
Huddersfield and then 18 months as a pro and then I moved and had spells with Scarborough and Halifax.
I am 27 now but I started thinking about education and thinking that it was about time to get some sort of career under my belt and when I went part time that appeared to be a good time.
Q: How did you decide which are of study you would go down?
A: I joined Altrincham and I got talking to a colleague of mine Rod Thornley who is the brother of Ben.
He told me what he did and that he was working at
Manchester United and England and how he was enjoying it.
Q: What happened next?
A: I liked the sound of the course and Rod recommended I get a qualification so I enrolled for a sports massage diploma. I went to Cardiff and also Crawley to do the course which took nine months to complete. It was very hands on with written exams and practical tasks.
Q: How important was the help given by the PFA?
A: It was massively important especially as I was playing part time. Without the PFA it would have been near enough impossible to go on the course. I would have had to save up and do the course a lot later rather than sooner. Since then I have been on another course on soft tissue massage.
Q: Have the courses helped you get a job?
A: I was lucky in that just as I was getting qualified I was offered a job at
Sheffield United. Two of us work together and we work it so that he does match days on a Saturday while I play football and he gets time off during the week.
Q: How do the other players react to you?
A: I get a bit of stick from the lads but it is friendly and a lot of the younger lads have been asking about the qualifications I have got and would I recommend the course and what would be involved. I try to encourage the lads to look into the education options available and to contact the PFA who have always been helpful to me.
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