Ryan Sidebottom: Ex-England bowler on mental health struggles in transition to retirement

Ryan SidebottomSWpix.com

Ryan Sidebottom won three County Championship titles with Yorkshire and two with Nottinghamshire

Former England bowler Ryan Sidebottom has told the BBC about the mental health problems he has suffered since the end of his playing career.

Sidebottom played in 65 international matches between 2001 and 2010 before retiring at the end of the 2017 season.

But the 44-year-old became one of many athletes who have struggled to make the transition to retirement.

"I had days where there was massive self-sabotage," he said. "I would dwell on the past, worry about the future."

Sidebottom took more than 1,000 wickets in all competitions, won the County Championship five times and was part of England's T20 World Cup winning team in 2010.

But after retiring, the ex-Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire left-armer told the Sports Desk podcast that he felt "a huge void" without the schedule, direction and regular income that his cricket career provided.

"I'd worry about my children, money," he said. "How am I going to pay the mortgage? How am I going to house my wife, my children? What's my next step in life?

"And I'd have days where I would just be angry, agitated. That would have been in the morning and then in the afternoon I'd be really emotional and I wouldn't know why.

"I'd be frustrated with my wife, frustrated internally, and I'd have lots of horrible feelings. I wasn't sleeping very well because of every negative thought about the past, the future."

Sidebottom eventually realised he "had to do something about it" and sought help. He has learned that staying active helps, along with talking to friends who have also struggled after retiring from sport or have lost their jobs.

"They've really struggled mentally and it's nice that I can speak about it and put it out there and say, 'look, it's OK not to be OK'," he added.

"Talking really, really helps. I've been very fortunate to have my wife and some very close friends who have really helped me through those dark days and those horrible feelings, just to talk things through and get it off my chest."

Finding ways to 'help that cliff edge just be a small downward slope'

Former Wales footballer Hal Robson Kanu has started his own company making turmeric shots but feels there should be greater support for athletes to deal with the transition to retirement.

"There is little infrastructure offered to players and to backroom staff," he said. "The support structures need a systemic change.

"Whether that's the FA (Football Association), the PFA (Professional Footballers' Association), the Premier League - these bodies really need to understand the importance of mental well-being and the emotional side of the game because there's massive pressures in sport and also in society too."

Former Leicester and England rugby union player Leon Lloyd is the co-founder of Switch the Play, a charity that helps athletes prepare for retirement.

"Transition out of sport should be talked about as soon as you are going into sport because it's definitely going to happen," he said.

"The more things you can put in place to help that cliff edge just be a small downward slope, the better off you will be. It's impossible to replicate the feeling of running out in a big stadium. It's about finding things to fill those voids."

What support is available in different sports?

  • The Professional Cricketers' Association brought in a futures fund in 2020, which guarantees every player a payment at the end of their careers. It also deploys seven regional personal development managers, a confidential helpline and one-on-one mental health support

  • The PFA has a 24-hour-a-day counselling telephone service, and a pension scheme, with hardship and medical grants available. It also hosts mental health and transition workshops, and allows players to apply for grants towards qualifications

  • The Rugby Players Association provides independent advice and transition support to help retired players with career planning. It also offers a confidential counselling service and will soon be launching a retired players network

  • The English Institute of Sport, which looks after Olympic and Paralympic athletes, has 30 trained performance lifestyle practitioners delivering what it calls "holistic, athlete-centred support" in areas such as welfare and transition out of sport

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this story, you can visit the BBC's Action Line.

Call Samaritans free on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, or visit www.samaritans.org.

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