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Economic Development

Young players lack the skills to hit business goals, says Villa hero Ian Taylor

Ian Taylor, who retired from the game in 2007 after a 15-year professional career, now runs a sports consultancy and has developed his own range of headphones.

Ian Taylor runs a sports consultancy

A former Aston Villa legend and now businessman fears few modern footballers could follow in his footsteps because they have been shielded from the harsh realities of life.

Ian Taylor, who retired from the game in 2007 after a 15-year professional career, now runs a sports consultancy and has developed his own range of headphones.

He follows a long line of high-profile footballers who swapped the football pitch for the business pitch – including ex-Blackburn Rovers full back Dave Whelan, former owner of JJB Sports, and Francis Lee, who made millions making toilet rolls.

Taylor played 234 times for boyhood club Villa, after starting his working life in a factory.

But he said modern players coming through academies now get little time to appreciate the world of business, or the value of money.

Taylor, 45, who is launching a new range of headphones this week, said: “I don’t think it’s footballers’ fault that they don’t know the outside world very well, because they are so protected from it.

“Maybe that is the fault of the clubs, because they are stopped from really talking to anybody.

“And people think footballers earn enough for the rest of their days, but there are a lot of footballers that have had their investments go belly up, just like there are a lot of chief executives who have had their investments go belly up.”