Matt Heath, centre, has urged professional footballers to have a plan for when their football career ends. Photo: Caught Light Photography
Make sure you’re prepared for when your professional football career ends.
That’s the message from former Leicester City and Leeds United defender Matt Heath, who is now playing with Evo Stik Division One North side Harrogate Railway as part of their special relationship with Harrogate Town.
Heath, 33, is also a part-time tutor at Askham Bryan College in York, whilst studying for a football coaching degree with the University of East Anglia. When he completes that, he intends to do his PGCE qualification.
Heath is loving the role at the College where he works with Railway manager Billy Miller – the College’s head of sport – and midfielder Rob Youhill.
The centre-back did a maths A-Level during his five-year-spell with Colchester City and believes current professionals need to have an idea on where their life will lead when the final whistle sounds on their football career.
“I’ve had so many good friends in the pro game and they’re all five years younger than me and I’ve told all of them to do something because you have so much time on your hands when you’re playing pro football,” Heath told Non League Yorkshire.
“I’ve said: ‘get a qualification or do something because when it all finishes, you either get lucky and fall into something like myself or you’ll be in a place where you’re not sure what to do’.
“I think most of the lads in the pro game don’t realise that it just stops like that.
“If I can give any advice to anyone is put yourself in a place if it stopped tomorrow, what would you do?
“Make sure you have a plan.
“Even if you work hard at a pro club and train during the day, you’re at home by four. That’s ridiculous, you have so much time on your hands.”
York-based Heath left the professional game two years ago in January after his short-term contract at Northampton Town finished.
That’s when he joined Simon Weaver’s Harrogate Town and became a under 19s team coach with them alongside playing in the back four during Conference North fixtures.
He helped out their soccer camps for youngsters and then an opening came up at Askham Bryan which he grasped with both hands.
“I got an opportunity to meet Bill (Miller) and there was an opportunity on the course for a part-time tutor and I was in the right place at the right time,” he said.
“After finishing full-time football, I wanted to get into teaching, football coaching, something along them lines.
“It has been brilliant so far. I have only been doing it since the start of this term. It is hard work, but is really fulfilling.
“I love it where I am. It is local to my house and it is exactly what I want to be doing.”
Matt Heath works alongside Billy Miller (left) and fellow Harrogate Railway player Rob Youhill (right) at Askham Bryan College
Matt Heath in action for Harrogate Railway during his debut at Clitheroe. Photo: Caught Light Photography
Leicester-born Heath came through the ranks at his home-town club and appeared in the Premier League for them under Peter Taylor and then Micky Adams.
Coventry City was his next port of call before Dennis Wise’s Leeds United came calling – a club he holds in high regard.
“I was out of favour at Coventry and to get a call from Leeds, it was like ‘wow’ because it is a massive club and I didn’t realise how big they were until I joined,” he said.
“The following is tremendous and it was an absolute pleasure playing for them.”
The club’s financial situation collapsed during his first six months with the Elland Road club and they were relegated from the Championship.
Administration followed and so did the infamous 15 point deduction when Ken Bates bought Leeds back from the administrators in 2007.
Wise and his turbo-charged team clawed the points inside the first five games and were still unbeaten in League One in November.
Wise quit promotion-chasers Leeds to take up the role as Newcastle United director of football three months later and Heath was left out of favour with his successor Gary McAllister.
He only played one more time for the Whites, but he still looks back at the campaign with a lot of pride and sees similarities with the current Railway team.
“Out of all my professional career, it was probably the most enjoyable half-a-season ever,” he said.
“Just going in and winning, winning, winning, it was brilliant.
“(Because of the 15 point deduction) the team spirit was phenomenal.
“They (Wise and assistant Gus Poyet) created an environment where it felt like it was us against everyone else. Everyone was pulling in the same direction.
“The kind of spirit we have here (at Railway), obviously totally different levels, are similar because everyone is pulling in the same direction.
“There’s no prima-donnas, no cliques, everyone is together. The older I get, I think that is what is most important about a team.
“Getting a blend of people and getting that right is important because performances fall into place.”
Since Heath moved to Station View, Harrogate have won eight, drawn one and lost two so Miller and his men are obviously doing something right.
You can follow Non League Yorkshire on Twitter and on Facebook.