For most people, the question comes towards the end of school.
"What are you going to do next?"
It's a daunting prospect for anyone, trying to map out a career path while still figuring out who they are.
Now imagine facing that same uncertainty in your late 30s, after spending the majority of your life dedicated to a professional sport, thinking you had already answered all of those questions.
For NRL players, retirement can be one of the biggest challenges of their careers. While fans see stars run out onto the field each week and eventually walk away from the game, few get an insight into what happens after the final whistle blows for good.
The transition from rugby league to life beyond the game has become an increasing focus for both the NRL and the Rugby League Players Association (RLPA), with education, career development and wellbeing programs designed to help players prepare for their next chapter.
Speaking on The Boardroom Podcast, former NRL veterans Ryan Hoffman and Chad Townsend opened up on the realities of retirement and the support available to players as they leave the game.
For Hoffman, preparation for life after rugby league started early.
“The one thing I remember my Dad always telling me is that you can't play Rugby League forever,” Hoffman said.
“The first thing I want to talk about is the education aspect of it.”
Hoffman explained that every player is entitled to a protected day off during the week when clubs are unable to schedule training sessions or other commitments.
He used that time to study a Bachelor of Business part-time, while many other players undertake apprenticeships, traineeships, or gain work experience through club sponsors.
“One thing I have found is the NRL, RLPA and clubs will throw money at you to do a study. They will throw money at you to go to uni, to have the resources you need to do that,” Hoffman said.
The support extends well beyond education.
Townsend revealed that retirement planning now begins years before players actually finish their careers.
“There is this thing now in the NRL, where when you turn 28, you get put in a transition to retirement group,” Townsend said.
“You move into this group where you are meeting with your wellbeing officers more regularly, you're setting up things like a LinkedIn page, resumes, putting some courses together.”
The former halfback said the game has recognised just how significant the transition can be, with players encouraged to build skills and networks long before retirement arrives.
Hoffman also praised the workshops delivered jointly by the NRL and RLPA, which are designed to prepare players and their families for the adjustment.
“The RLPA and NRL put on some great workshops during Grand Final week,” Hoffman said.
“The workshops aren't just for the players; they are for the partners as well.”
“It can be a really tricky period, and some players do struggle when coming into retirement, but I really enjoyed what the NRL and RLPA did for the guys transitioning out, not just for the players but the partners as well. I did mine in 2019, but I can just imagine it is getting better year by year.”
Having recently experienced the process himself, Townsend agreed.
“Well, I just did that at the end of last year, and I can definitely say to you that it was a great experience,” Townsend said.
“League Ahead is the new wellbeing arm of the NRL and all the seminars, all the people we heard from being past players and the workforce, support around gym, healthcare, looking after your body and brain.”
“It is such a critical and big moment in your life, transitioning from one career to the next.”
Townsend also gave some advice to those who are just starting their rugby league journey or who think retirement is just a distant thought.
“It was a scary thought," Townsend admitted on retiring.
"Moving away and the unknown, and what are you going to do? And yeah, I'm interested in this, but how do I get from here to there? And you need to be prepared for it. Like you can't just get to the end and be like, oh, you know, this is what I want to do.
"So it goes to say, while you're playing as you go back to your earlier thoughts around when you're 20, you're not really really caring about what you do after football, but as you get older, you just cannot wait till the last year and then decide what you want to do. You've got to spend some time in it because I know, like the things that I'm doing now, I actually did throughout my career.”
Since retiring last season with the Sydney Roosters, Townsend has moved into forward-facing media roles.
Hoffman, on the other hand, has been retired since 2018, and since then has been involved in media as well as taking up roles such as the Football Operations Manager role at his former club, the Melbourne Storm and now holding the role of Leadership Consultant at Melbourne Football Club (AFL).
While retirement remains one of the most challenging periods any professional athlete can face, both Hoffman and Townsend believe rugby league is taking meaningful steps to ensure players are not left to navigate it alone.
