Stars forced to balance double life to kick their goal
HANGZHOU, China: From bodyguarding Russell Crowe to working for David Beckham, most of the players at the women's World Cup have day jobs to pay the bills.
Women footballers don't pull in big money like their male counterparts and while representing their countries at the World Cup here is what they strive for, the reality is that many will return to mundane jobs.
Some deliver mail, others teach at schools or work in supermarkets.
Australia's rising star Thea Slatyer though can claim to have more exotic employment - bodyguard to the stars.
The 24-year-old works as a minder to household names when they visit Sydney.
According to the Sun-Herald, she holds a firearms licence and is a martial-arts expert and has kept close check on Crowe, American actress Mischa Barton and Australian models Elle Macpherson and Megan Gale.
"You do need to be able to take care of yourself as a bodyguard and I think that a lot of what I do, and my attitude towards the job, comes from playing soccer," she told the paper.
"Having instincts and reflexes that I've developed playing at an international level has helped me a lot as a bodyguard."
She is also a DJ and is working towards her pilot's licence.
England's Casey Stoney can also claim a celebrity connection - she is employed as a coach at the David Beckham Academy in London, honing the skills of teenage girls who possess the same dream as her - to play at the World Cup.
Norway's Ragnhild Gulbrandsen usually writes headlines but has been creating them herself here, helping her team into the semifinals against Germany.
The striker is a journalist back home.
Among her colleagues in the Norway squad, Bente Nordby, Camilla Huse and Lene Storlokken are all school teachers, while Marit Fiane Christensen is a lawyer.
England's Vicky Exley is more active, being a postwoman by trade, with her trawls through the streets to deliver mail helping build up her stamina.
Other occupations listed by players include zoo keeper and customs officer.
Japanese striker Eriko Arakawa has a more regular position - a checkout girl in a supermarket in Tokyo.
"For every three days I work, I have six days off for football. The company has helped me to concentrate on football more than ever and I'm really happy with the arrangement," she told Fifa.com.
But not all the players at the World Cup have to leave football behind to earn a living.
Some of the biggest names in the game are involved year-round, including England's outstanding playmaker Kelly Smith who works for the club she represents - Arsenal.
"I'm lucky enough to work and play for Arsenal, so I get the best of both worlds," she said.
"I get to coach the youngsters, but I also get the time to train and get into the best possible shape for my club and for my country."
AFP
(China Daily 09/27/2007 page23)
