Away from the rugby field, Ryan Brierley has a slightly different responsibility.
In 2020, he established the Player’s Player; a sports management company based in the North West, covering the whole of the United Kingdom and beyond.
One of many athletes on his books is Manchester City and Lioness star, Jess Park.
Speaking exclusively to our YouTube channel, after penning his new three-year contract, Brierley was discussing why he decided to pursue becoming an agent.
He said: “I love that side of it; looking after players and representing them.
“It’s funny because when I first set it up, my agent told me to go nowhere near it – he said it’s one of the worst jobs in rugby league!
“I’ve strictly kept it to football, which has helped me massively. Just the fact that they trust me with their career is nice, it’s really humbling that when things go wrong, they turn to me.
“I’d like to think I’ve gone through enough in my career where I can give advice and knowledge that is useful to them.
“Because I think I’ve not had it all my own way in my career, I’ve had to go through some tough times as well, in different scenarios that are difficult for young players to go through.”
Park – who kindly came down to one part of Brierley’s contract shoot – has made five appearances for the England Women’s national team, scoring one goal.
That strike came on her debut in November 2022 – a night Brierley recalls very fondly.
He stated: “I’d like to think I’m well-versed and in a good position to give advice to young players, and the way that they trust me with a lot of stuff is really nice.
“Seeing one of your players play for England at Wembley; I didn’t think I’d ever get close to that, so to see that happen, I kind of get the feeling of when my mum and dad watch me play, how good it feels, how special it feels.
“So that’s a pretty special feeling and one that I want to last forever.”
Brierley finished by admitting his own experiences have shaped how he approaches different situations with the players involved with his agency.
“Ultimately, it came from a position where I didn’t want to let any of my players go through a day of what I went through,” the fullback continued.
“There’s been tough moments in my career and hopefully the players don’t go through any of that, and I can help them.”
To see the full interview with Ryan, head over to our YouTube channel HERE.
