Jordens Peters was a student and professional footballer: ‘No discipline? Then forget about it’

While Jordens Peters was excelling on the pitch for Willem II, he was already consciously preparing for his post-football career. Peters combined football with two academic studies. ‘Financial independence is certainly not guaranteed for every top-tier player. It’s important to invest in your life after football.’

‘Look at that,’ says Jordens Peters from a skybox with an impressive view of the pristine pitch at Parkstad Limburg Stadium. Peters (Nijmegen, 1987) surveys the stadium. ‘It’s still beautiful,’ says the general director of Roda JC and former captain of Willem II.

Univers traveled to Kerkrade in Limburg to question Peters about his time as a professional footballer and student. ‘They really are two completely different worlds.’

Attending classes after training

‘After finishing high school, I came home with my first professional contract: a youth contract at FC Den Bosch. I wasn’t sure whether I should start studying or focus entirely on football.

After that, I signed with Eredivisie club Willem II from Tilburg. My parents looked at the contract, saw the figures, and said: “Make sure you enroll in a university, because if you have to live on this for the rest of your life?” So I decided to start studying organizational sciences at Tilburg University.’

‘After my bachelor’s, I continued my studies at the Vrije Universiteit (VU) according to my own schedule because, unfortunately, I couldn’t do a part-time master’s in Tilburg. Later, I also completed a master’s in sports management. Those were pretty tough years because sometimes we had a coach at the club who made us train a lot. And although I was very tired after those training sessions, I still had to study afterward to pass my courses.’

Student rhythm versus football rhythm

‘At the beginning of my studies, I was often at the university because we had quite a few group assignments. Later, it became less frequent, and sometimes I was given an alternative assignment.’

There’s quite a big gap between the rhythm of a student and that of a professional footballer, Peters explains: ‘I was often free on Monday or Tuesday, so I could schedule meetings at 9 a.m., but if you’re on a student schedule, that doesn’t work as well.’ He laughs, ‘Then we could only meet in the evening. So, it didn’t always go smoothly.’

Football discipline

‘It’s not surprising that, as a top athlete, you eventually follow a different academic path and end up in years where you no longer know anyone. Slowly, it became an individual study for me where I needed the discipline from football to keep up. I’m sure that discipline is what allowed me to finish. Without discipline? Forget it.’

‘As a footballer, you’re free for a fair amount of time, but on the other hand, you’re almost always working six, sometimes seven days a week. And it’s never during office hours: one time you’re home in the middle of the afternoon, another time you play an evening match and are away the whole weekend.’

‘At some point, you learn to understand the football schedule, so you know where the free spaces are. Then you have to say: okay, I’m going to study for three hours on Tuesday afternoon. If you structure it like that and stick to it, you’ll manage. But, of course, you also need to stay fit.’

Dozing off during lectures

‘Sometimes, I’d already had two training sessions in a day and then drove from Willem II’s training ground to Tilburg University to attend a lecture. I thought I could still fit that into my schedule. But then I’d find myself dozing off during the lecture because I was completely drained from training. So, I’d go home, rest for an hour, and do some self-study,’ says Peters. ‘Better than falling asleep during a lecture.’

‘By the way, I really enjoyed attending lectures. I grew up in the world of football, that’s my world, yet I find the academic world just as interesting. On campus, you have completely different conversations, and people look at the world in a different way.’

‘The great thing about a football locker room is that it’s a reflection of society. Football is a low-barrier sport, literally anyone can join a club. That has definitely influenced me.’

Not thinking about football at home

Peters never had to choose between football and his studies. ‘But I knew: if it starts to conflict, I’ll have to choose football.’ The reason is simple, Peters explains: ‘I owed that to my employer, who was paying me to perform on the pitch.’

‘I’ve always seen football and studying as two things that reinforce each other. Mostly because I really enjoyed gaining knowledge in another area besides football. I’m not someone who’s constantly thinking about football at home; I don’t think that’s necessary at all. It’s better to ensure that you’re fully focused at the club.’

Financial independence

In recent years, more has been demanded of professional footballers, Peters observes. ‘As a result, it’s probably become harder to combine a football career with studying. On the other hand, players also know that their football career is relatively short and could suddenly end.’

‘Financial independence is certainly not guaranteed for every Eredivisie player. So, it’s important to invest in your life after football. Clubs are now paying more attention to this as well: the player who doesn’t finish school and bets everything on a professional career is slowly disappearing.’

A small chance of making it

The football dream is strong, Peters is the first to acknowledge that: ‘Here at Roda JC, we also have young players who want to make it. Some don’t (yet) have a professional contract and therefore decide to focus entirely on football for a year. As a club, we emphasize that it’s their own choice, but also that they should have a plan B: make sure you’re not dependent on that small chance of making it.’

‘I knew that I wouldn’t benefit from my degrees until after my active football career. Still, as a player, I also gained something from my studies. My frame of reference on the field was that of a defender. But a striker or a winger views the game very differently, and I didn’t always understand that.’

Behavioral sciences and sociology

‘Through theories from behavioral sciences and sociology, I started to understand and respect that better. Despite the fact that you’re dealing with different personalities and positions in a team, you have to think in the interest of the team, because it’s always about the common goal.’

‘The way you communicate with each other is important in that. I was often able to apply this in the locker room. Whether my studies made me a better player, I don’t dare say, but as a person, it definitely shaped me.’

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