PurposeThe comparatively high salaries of professional players during their active athletic career should allow them to accumulate an adequate level of precautionary savings for a financially autonomous post-sport career. However, not all players succeed in accumulating sustainable financial assets. Therefore, the question arises how professional players' financial precaution within the social setting football is shaped. As no empirical analyses have yet been carried out on this issue, the study study examines football players' precautionary practices and motives.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 German (former) professional football players. The authors used qualitative content analysis to analyse the data, expanding the analysis to include reconstructive elements to create different precautionary types.FindingsThe results reveal that players deal with both career-specific as well as precaution-related risks quite heterogeneously. Accordingly, three precautionary types characterised by distinct forms of precautionary saving practices are identified. The authors also find that although the players are aware of the uncertainties and risks related to their professional football careers, it does not say much about the concrete implementation of adequate precautionary practices.Practical implicationsThe findings contribute to a better understanding of precautionary saving practices among football players.Social implicationsMoreover, the findings contribute to a better understanding of precautionary saving practices not only specifically among (former) football players, but generally among individuals that face high occupational career risks and earn high salaries to develop preventative concepts and approaches to sustainable financial planning.Originality/valueThis paper is the first empirical study that analyses precautionary savings practices of the specific population of elite athletes in high income sports professional football.

Although the transition phase from elite sport to retirement has been the subject of numerous studies, there is currently no research addressing financial security, particularly in high-income sports such as football. However, financial security is a significant influencing factor for the quality of this transition. This study analyses how professional football players perceive the loss of sport-related income after the end of their athletic careers, and the behaviour that they develop to successfully cope with the financial transition. 25 German professional football players (15 of whom had already retired) were interviewed. The data generated were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The results show that the significant loss of income poses a serious problem and may raise existential concerns among some players. Following retirement, the ability to adapt (reduce) expenditure behaviour and generate new income is crucial for a positive transition into retirement. Various scenarios of financial transition emerge when the perspectives of these coping behaviours are combined.