George Oakley ended October as the William Hill Championship Player of the Month award – but the Raith Rovers striker believes some of the biggest changes in his game have come away from the pitch.
The experienced forward, who also scored the winner away to Morton, sat down with PFA Scotland to reflect on Rovers’ strong start, the mindset he has built over nine years in Scottish football, and why he wishes he had tapped into the union sooner.
“It’s always lovely to get that sort of award, especially in a tough league,” said Oakley.
“But I couldn’t do it without the team, the whole squad, the management and the fans. All together, we’re pushing at the right end of the table, and it’s just good to get back to doing what I do best and what I love.”
Asked what lies behind his strong start to life in Kirkcaldy, the striker had one word in mind.
“Resilience,” he said. “Football’s a rollercoaster for everyone, the emotions of it and the physical battle you have every day.
“Things change all the time and nothing stays forever, so you’ve just got to be ready for whatever happens, good or bad.”
There is no shortage of experience in the Stark’s Park dressing room to help with that and Oakley admits the squad are not afraid to lean on each other for some guidance.
“Everyone brings their own little bit and it all adds up,” he said.
“There’s a point that comes where you’ve got to start thinking away from football.”
“When I was younger, I used to put a lot of pressure on myself. You’re judged every day and every weekend, and you take that a bit personally.
“Now I live my life never too high, never too low. You just do your job and you only control what you can control, because there’s loads of things in football you can’t.”
That change in mindset has gone hand in hand with planning for life after football. Having seen friends in the game forced to stop through injury, Oakley has taken several courses through PFA Scotland over the last 18 months.
“There’s a point that comes where you’ve got to start thinking away from football, because it’s a very short career,” he explained.
“Being part of the union, there’s always loads of information about courses and events coming up, and it just gets your mind thinking. Whenever I have tapped into union and they’ve been nothing but helpful.”
February’s careers day was a particular highlight, giving Oakley the chance to speak to a range of businesses alongside players he faces week in, week out.
“It was amazing just to chat to a lot of people and understand the process of different jobs and what you need to do to get there,” he said. “Just the networking element opened my mind up a lot more.”
Rather than being a distraction, Oakley believes that doing a bit of work away from football has helped him on matchday too.
“I give football 100%, as I always do, but I can come away and start thinking about something else as well,” he said. “It takes off so much of the pressure you put on yourself, and then you can calm down and get back to doing your job on a Saturday.”
One of the courses Oakley took on was the union’s podcasting course, completed over ten weeks at the start of the year.
“I’ll be honest, I usually would never have done something like that,” said Oakley. “But it was one of the days in my week I was always looking forward to.
“It took my mind off the pressure of being injured and helped me smile again. You learn about the equipment and the work people put in behind the scenes. Who knows, in the future I might end up on a podcast, and I’ll know exactly what I’m doing.”
The forward has been an advocate of the union during these times, highlighting some of the advice he passes on to younger pros.
“The union have everything you need,” he said. “If you’re struggling mentally, the union are there for you. If you’re unsure about what you want to do outside of football, go and have a chat.
“The biggest thing players don’t do is just talk. If I was back at their age, I’d like to think I would tap into it way earlier than I did.”
Members interested in personal development courses or planning for life after football can find out more by contacting Chris Higgins on chris@pfascotland.co.uk or 07719 902438, or Jane Ross on jane@pfascotland.co.uk or 07935 714696.
