Preparing football families for life after the final whistle
Dr Gillian Quinn is a psychologist, executive coach, published academic and keynote speaker, who holds a PhD, earned through world-first research on the lived experiences of professional footballers and their intimate partners during the sports career transition.
“I’m on a mission to help football couples protect their family unit when the player hangs up their boots.”
Gillian has been married to former international footballer Niall Quinn for almost 35 years. Following Niall’s 20-year career in top-flight football, the couple were unprepared for his sudden retirement, which placed significant strain on their marriage. In a sport where the ‘R’ word (retirement) is rarely discussed, they knew little about the common challenges faced by former professional players and their intimate partners and believed their experience was unique.
She later discovered that many couples divorce within three years of a player’s retirement. Motivated to ease the suffering of others in the football community and to help prevent the psychological distress of this transition, Gillian set out to learn more.
Finding no existing research on the issue, Gillian returned to education aged 40, having left school at 14, and dedicated the next 13 years to pursuing a degree in Psychology and later a PhD, focusing on the lived experiences of professional footballers and their intimate partners during this pivotal transition.
Leading with professional expertise, driven by personal experience
Football couples often struggle to find confidential, non-judgmental guidance as they navigate the sports career transition. As part of football’s inner sanctum, privacy is paramount to Gillian, she is completely trustworthy. Her psycho-educational programme is grounded in her extensive research, which included in-depth interviews with numerous world-leading players and their intimate partners who have faced the same challenges she and Niall experienced.
The unique combination of her lived experience, professional expertise and extensive academic research, uniquely positions her to support football couples. Combining her research findings with actionable strategies, her psycho-educational programme promises to deliver tangible results, preparing football couples for the multifaceted impact of retirement and to facilitate a smoother transition into the next chapter of their lives.
