One of the biggest problems facing elite athletes is what to do with their lives and careers once they stop competing.

AFL SportsReady's Carly Quinlan explains the Life After Sport Trades program.

When the applause dies down and the reality sinks in, it can be tough finding a job and resuming a normal lifestyle.

Now some of Australia’s upcoming and elite athletes are participating in an innovative trade training program designed to prepare them for life after sport.

The ‘Trade Apprenticeships for Life After Sport’ program is a government-funded joint initiative of Group Training Australia and AFL Players' Association partner organisation AFL SportsReady, an organisation which has delivered employment and training to hundreds of sportspeople.

The initial 44 sportspeople who have applied have careers in AFL, NRL, Cricket and Athletics. The program is moving rapidly with many already placed into fields including building, electrical, landscape gardening, engineering and automotive.

One of the high-flyers of the Geelong Cats side that won the 2007 AFL Premiership has set his sights on the building industry as he prepares for his career after football.

AFL forward, Paul Chapman (pictured along with fellow Cats David Wojcinski, Trent West, Matthew Egan and Cameron Ling), is currently undertaking a Certificate 3 in General Construction with Blue Sky Homes. His employer Tim McGrath is an ex-AFL player, which Paul says, helps in understanding the demands of professional football.

“Footy doesn’t last forever. They say that the average football career only lasts about four years and I’ve been in the game for nine years, so I want to set myself up to do something after football.”

Paul, 26, has always been interested in the building industry, however before ‘Apprenticeships for Life After Sport’, he found it hard to juggle both commitments.

“When I was first drafted, I started working with Tim McGrath and really enjoyed it, but I wasn’t used to the demands of football. To work at the same time was too much.

“You might get one or two days off a week if you’re lucky, so there’s no doubt that’s the reason why most people don’t start organising themselves for life after sport.”

According to AFL legend Kevin Sheedy, who helped launch the program, many athletes can be lost once the applause and spotlight are taken away.

“The transition to the normal workforce can be a big culture shock for those sportspeople who haven’t prepared for life after sport, who haven’t acquired other skills and who are not used to the routine of the working week”.

Previously athletes have experienced difficulty due to a lack of flexibility in training delivery, according to Group Training Australia CEO, Jim Barron.

“This program allows athletes to use the time they have available to undertake a form of trade training that will meet their own needs as well as that of an employer.

According to AFLSportsReady’s General Manager of Operations, Nathan Bower, the Sporting Trade Skills program utilises the drive of the athlete.

“Innate personal traits such as discipline, commitment and ambition assist the elite athlete in achieving career goals outside of sport, all of which are personal qualities needed to succeed in the area of traditional trades.